4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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284 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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293 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
295 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
299 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
300 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
301 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
302 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
303 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
304 License'' in the Emacs manual.
306 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
307 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
308 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
310 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
311 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
312 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
313 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
321 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
323 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
324 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
326 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
327 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
328 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
329 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
330 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
331 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
332 License'' in the Emacs manual.
334 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
335 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
336 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
338 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
339 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
340 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
341 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
347 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
349 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
352 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
355 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
357 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
358 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
359 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
360 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
361 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
362 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
363 License'' in the Emacs manual.
365 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
366 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
367 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
369 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
370 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
371 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
372 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
381 @top The gnus Newsreader
385 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
386 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
387 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
390 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
391 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
392 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
393 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
394 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
395 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
397 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
408 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
409 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
411 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
412 being accused of plagiarism:
414 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
415 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
416 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
417 can even read news with it!
419 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
420 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
421 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
422 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
423 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
429 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
430 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
431 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
432 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
433 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
434 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
435 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
436 * Various:: General purpose settings.
437 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
438 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
439 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
440 * Key Index:: Key Index.
442 Other related manuals
444 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
445 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
446 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
447 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
450 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
454 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
455 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
456 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
457 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
458 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
459 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
460 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
461 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
462 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
463 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
464 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
468 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
469 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
470 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
474 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
475 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
476 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
477 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
478 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
479 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
480 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
481 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
482 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
483 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
484 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
485 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
486 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
487 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
488 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
489 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
490 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
494 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
495 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
496 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
500 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
501 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
502 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
503 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
504 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
508 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
509 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
510 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
511 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
512 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
516 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
517 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
518 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
519 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
520 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
521 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
522 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
523 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
524 * Threading:: How threads are made.
525 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
526 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
527 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
528 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
529 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
530 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
531 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
532 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
533 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
534 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
535 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
536 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
537 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
538 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
539 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
540 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
541 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
542 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
543 or reselecting the current group.
544 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
545 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
546 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
547 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
549 Summary Buffer Format
551 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
552 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
553 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
554 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
558 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
559 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
561 Reply, Followup and Post
563 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
564 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
565 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
566 * Canceling and Superseding::
570 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
571 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
572 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
574 * Generic Marking Commands::
575 * Setting Process Marks::
579 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
580 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
581 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
585 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
586 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
588 Customizing Threading
590 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
591 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
592 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
593 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
597 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
598 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
599 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
600 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
601 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
602 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
606 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
607 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
608 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
612 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
613 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
614 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
615 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
616 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
617 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
618 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
619 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
620 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
621 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
623 Alternative Approaches
625 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
626 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
628 Various Summary Stuff
630 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
631 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
632 * Summary Generation Commands::
633 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
637 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
638 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
639 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
640 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
641 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
645 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
646 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
647 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
648 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
649 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
650 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
651 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
652 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
656 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
657 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
658 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
659 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
660 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
661 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
662 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
663 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
667 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
668 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
669 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
670 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
671 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
672 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
673 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
677 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
678 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
682 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
683 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
684 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
688 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
689 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
690 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
691 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
692 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
693 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
694 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
695 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
696 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
697 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
698 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
699 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
700 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
704 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
705 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
706 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
708 Choosing a Mail Back End
710 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
711 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
712 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
713 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
714 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
715 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
720 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
721 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
722 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
723 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
724 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
725 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
729 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
730 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
731 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
732 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
733 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
737 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
738 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
739 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
740 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
741 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
745 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
749 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
750 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
751 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
755 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
756 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
760 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
761 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
762 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
763 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
764 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
765 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
766 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
767 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
768 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
769 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
770 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
771 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
775 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
776 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
777 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
781 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
782 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
783 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
787 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
788 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
789 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
790 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
791 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
792 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
793 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
794 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
795 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
796 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
797 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
798 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
799 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
800 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
801 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
802 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
803 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
807 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
808 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
809 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
810 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
814 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
815 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
816 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
820 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
821 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
822 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
823 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
824 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
825 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
826 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
827 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
828 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
829 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
830 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
831 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
832 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
833 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
834 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
835 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
836 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
837 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
838 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
842 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
843 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
844 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
845 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
846 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
847 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
848 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
849 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
853 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
854 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
855 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
856 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
860 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
861 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
862 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
863 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
864 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
865 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
869 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
870 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
871 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
872 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
873 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
874 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
875 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
876 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
877 * Frequently Asked Questions::
881 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
882 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
883 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
884 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
885 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
886 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
887 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
888 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
889 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
893 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
894 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
895 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
896 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
897 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
901 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
902 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
903 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
904 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
908 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
909 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
910 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
911 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
912 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
913 * Group Info:: The group info format.
914 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
915 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
916 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
920 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
921 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
922 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
923 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
924 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
925 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
929 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
930 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
934 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
935 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
941 @chapter Starting gnus
946 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
947 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
950 @findex gnus-other-frame
951 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
952 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
953 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
955 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
956 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
957 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
959 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
960 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
963 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
964 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
965 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
966 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
967 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
968 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
969 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
970 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
971 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
972 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
973 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
977 @node Finding the News
978 @section Finding the News
981 @vindex gnus-select-method
983 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
984 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
985 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
986 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
989 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
990 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
993 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
996 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
999 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1002 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1003 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1004 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1006 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1008 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1009 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1010 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1011 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1012 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1013 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1015 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1016 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1017 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1018 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1020 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1021 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1022 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1023 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1024 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1025 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1026 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1027 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1028 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1031 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1033 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1034 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1035 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1036 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1037 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1038 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1040 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1042 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1043 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1044 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1045 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1046 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1047 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1050 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1051 you would typically set this variable to
1054 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1058 @node The First Time
1059 @section The First Time
1060 @cindex first time usage
1062 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1063 be subscribed by default.
1065 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1066 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1067 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1068 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1071 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1072 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1073 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1075 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1076 help you with most common problems.
1078 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1079 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1083 @node The Server is Down
1084 @section The Server is Down
1085 @cindex server errors
1087 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1088 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1089 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1091 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1092 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1093 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1094 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1095 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1096 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1097 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1099 @findex gnus-no-server
1100 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1102 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1103 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1104 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1105 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1106 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1107 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1108 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1112 @section Slave Gnusae
1115 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1116 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1117 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1118 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1120 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1121 @file{.newsrc} file.
1123 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1124 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1125 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1126 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1127 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1128 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1129 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1132 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1133 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1134 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1135 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1136 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1137 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1138 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1139 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1141 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1142 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1144 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1145 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1146 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1147 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1148 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1150 @node Fetching a Group
1151 @section Fetching a Group
1152 @cindex fetching a group
1154 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1155 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1156 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1157 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1158 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1159 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1165 @cindex subscription
1167 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1168 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1169 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1170 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1171 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1172 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1173 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1174 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1175 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1178 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1179 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1180 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1184 @node Checking New Groups
1185 @subsection Checking New Groups
1187 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1188 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1189 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1190 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1191 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1192 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1193 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1194 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1195 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1196 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1198 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1199 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1200 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1201 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1202 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1203 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1204 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1205 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1206 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1207 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1208 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1210 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1211 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1212 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1213 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1214 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1215 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1218 @node Subscription Methods
1219 @subsection Subscription Methods
1221 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1222 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1223 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1225 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1226 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1228 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1234 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1235 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1236 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1238 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1240 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1241 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1245 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1247 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1248 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1249 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1250 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1251 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1252 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1253 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1254 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1255 up. Or something like that.
1257 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1258 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1259 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1260 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1261 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1263 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1265 Kill all new groups.
1267 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1269 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1270 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1271 topic parameter that looks like
1277 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1280 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1285 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1286 A closely related variable is
1287 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1288 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1289 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1290 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1293 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1294 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1295 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1296 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1299 @node Filtering New Groups
1300 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1302 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1303 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1304 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1307 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1310 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1311 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1312 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1313 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1314 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1315 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1316 subscribing these groups.
1317 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1318 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1320 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1321 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1322 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1323 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1324 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1325 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1326 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1327 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1329 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1330 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1331 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1332 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1333 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1334 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1335 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1336 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1337 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1338 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1341 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1342 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1345 @node Changing Servers
1346 @section Changing Servers
1347 @cindex changing servers
1349 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1350 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1351 very flaky and you want to use another.
1353 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1354 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1358 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1359 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1360 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1361 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1364 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1365 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1366 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1367 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1369 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1370 @findex gnus-change-server
1371 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1372 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1373 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1374 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1375 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1377 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1378 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1379 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1380 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1381 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1384 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1385 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1386 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1387 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1388 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1390 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1391 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1392 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1393 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1395 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1396 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1397 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1398 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1399 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1400 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1401 cache for all groups).
1405 @section Startup Files
1406 @cindex startup files
1411 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1412 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1414 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1415 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1416 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1417 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1418 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1419 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1420 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1422 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1423 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1424 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1425 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1426 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1427 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1429 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1430 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1431 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1432 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1433 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1434 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1435 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1436 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1437 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1438 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1440 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1441 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1442 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1443 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1444 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1445 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1446 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1447 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1448 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1449 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1450 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1451 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1453 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1454 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1455 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1456 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1458 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1459 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1460 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1461 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1462 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1463 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1464 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1465 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1466 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1467 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1470 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1471 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1473 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1474 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1477 @vindex gnus-init-file
1478 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1479 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1480 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1481 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1482 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1483 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1484 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1485 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1486 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1487 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1493 @cindex dribble file
1496 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1497 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1498 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1499 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1500 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1503 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1504 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1507 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1508 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1509 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1511 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1512 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1513 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1514 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1515 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1516 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1518 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1519 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1520 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1523 @node The Active File
1524 @section The Active File
1526 @cindex ignored groups
1528 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1529 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1530 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1532 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1533 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1534 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1535 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1536 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1537 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1538 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1541 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1542 @c if you set it to anything else.
1544 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1546 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1547 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1548 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1550 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1551 you actually subscribe to.
1553 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1554 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1555 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1556 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1558 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1559 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1560 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1561 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1562 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1563 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1565 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1566 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1567 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1570 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1571 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1572 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1573 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1574 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1575 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1577 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1578 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1580 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1581 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1583 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1584 secondary select methods.
1587 @node Startup Variables
1588 @section Startup Variables
1592 @item gnus-load-hook
1593 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1594 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1595 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1596 times you start gnus.
1598 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1600 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1602 @item gnus-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1604 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1606 @item gnus-started-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1608 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1611 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1612 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1613 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1614 generating the group buffer.
1616 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1617 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1618 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1619 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1620 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1621 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1622 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1623 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1625 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1626 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1627 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1628 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1629 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1630 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1632 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1633 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1634 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1636 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1637 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1638 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1640 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1642 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1643 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1649 @chapter Group Buffer
1650 @cindex group buffer
1652 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1654 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1655 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1656 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1657 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1658 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1659 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1660 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1661 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1662 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1663 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1664 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1665 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1666 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1667 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1668 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1669 @c human rights at 9...
1672 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1673 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1674 long as gnus is active.
1678 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1679 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1680 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1681 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1682 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1683 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1684 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1685 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1691 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1692 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1693 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1694 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1695 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1696 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1697 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1698 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1699 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1700 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1701 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1702 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1703 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1704 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1705 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1706 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1707 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1711 @node Group Buffer Format
1712 @section Group Buffer Format
1715 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1716 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1717 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1721 @node Group Line Specification
1722 @subsection Group Line Specification
1723 @cindex group buffer format
1725 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1726 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1728 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1731 25: news.announce.newusers
1732 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1737 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1738 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1739 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1740 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1742 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1743 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1744 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1745 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1746 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1747 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1749 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1751 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1752 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1753 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1754 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1755 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1757 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1758 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1759 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1761 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1766 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1769 Whether the group is subscribed.
1772 Level of subscribedness.
1775 Number of unread articles.
1778 Number of dormant articles.
1781 Number of ticked articles.
1784 Number of read articles.
1787 Number of unseen articles.
1790 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1791 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1793 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1794 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1795 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1796 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1797 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1798 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1799 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1800 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1803 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1806 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1815 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1816 comment element in the group parameters.
1819 Newsgroup description.
1822 @samp{m} if moderated.
1825 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1831 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1837 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1841 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1844 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1845 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1846 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1847 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1848 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1851 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1853 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1857 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1860 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1864 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1865 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1866 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1867 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1868 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1869 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1874 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1875 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1876 group, or a bogus native group.
1879 @node Group Modeline Specification
1880 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1881 @cindex group modeline
1883 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1884 The mode line can be changed by setting
1885 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1886 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1890 The native news server.
1892 The native select method.
1896 @node Group Highlighting
1897 @subsection Group Highlighting
1898 @cindex highlighting
1899 @cindex group highlighting
1901 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1902 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1903 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1904 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1905 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1907 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1911 (cond (window-system
1912 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1913 (defface my-group-face-1
1914 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1915 (defface my-group-face-2
1916 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1917 (defface my-group-face-3
1918 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-4
1920 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-5
1922 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1924 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1925 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1926 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1927 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1928 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1929 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1932 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1934 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1941 The number of unread articles in the group.
1945 Whether the group is a mail group.
1947 The level of the group.
1949 The score of the group.
1951 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1953 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1954 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1956 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1957 topic being inserted.
1960 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1961 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1962 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1964 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1965 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1966 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1967 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1968 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1971 @node Group Maneuvering
1972 @section Group Maneuvering
1973 @cindex group movement
1975 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1976 expected, hopefully.
1982 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1983 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1984 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1990 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1991 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1992 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1996 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1997 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2001 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2002 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2006 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2007 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2008 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2012 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2013 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2014 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2017 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2023 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2024 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2025 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2030 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2031 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2032 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2036 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2037 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2038 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2041 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2042 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2043 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2044 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2048 @node Selecting a Group
2049 @section Selecting a Group
2050 @cindex group selection
2055 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2056 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2057 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2058 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2059 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2060 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2061 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2062 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2063 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2064 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2066 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2067 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2068 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2070 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2071 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2076 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2077 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2078 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2079 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2080 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2084 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2085 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2086 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2087 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2088 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2089 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2090 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2091 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2092 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2093 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2096 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2097 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2098 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2099 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2100 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2103 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2104 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2105 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2106 doing any processing of its contents
2107 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2108 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2109 manner will have no permanent effects.
2113 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2114 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2115 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2116 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2117 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2118 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2119 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2120 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2123 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2124 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2125 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2126 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2127 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2128 Which article this is is controlled by the
2129 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2135 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2138 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2141 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2143 @item unseen-or-unread
2144 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2145 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2149 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2153 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2154 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2156 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2157 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2158 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2159 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2163 @node Subscription Commands
2164 @section Subscription Commands
2165 @cindex subscription
2173 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2174 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2175 Toggle subscription to the current group
2176 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2182 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2183 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2184 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2185 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2191 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2192 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2193 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2199 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2200 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2203 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2204 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2205 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2206 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2207 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2213 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2214 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2218 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2219 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2222 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2223 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2224 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2225 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2226 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2227 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2228 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2229 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2230 @file{.newsrc} file.
2234 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2244 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2245 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2246 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2247 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2248 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2249 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2254 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2255 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2256 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2260 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2261 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2262 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2264 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2265 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2266 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2267 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2268 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2269 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2276 @section Group Levels
2280 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2281 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2282 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2283 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2284 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2286 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2292 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2293 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2294 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2295 prompted for a level.
2298 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2299 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2300 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2301 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2302 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2303 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2304 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2305 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2306 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2307 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2308 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2309 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2310 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2311 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2312 reasons of efficiency.
2314 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2315 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2317 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2318 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2319 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2320 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2321 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2322 groups are hidden, in a way.
2324 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2325 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2326 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2327 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2328 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2329 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2331 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2332 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2333 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2334 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2335 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2336 list of killed groups.)
2338 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2339 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2340 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2342 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2343 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2344 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2345 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2346 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2347 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2348 relevant valid ranges.
2350 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2351 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2352 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2353 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2354 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2355 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2358 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2359 one with the best level.
2361 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2362 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2363 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2366 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2367 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2368 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2369 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2372 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2373 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2374 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2375 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2377 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2378 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2379 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2380 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2381 to 5. The default is 6.
2385 @section Group Score
2390 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2391 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2392 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2395 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2396 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2397 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2398 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2399 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2400 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2401 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2402 least significant part.))
2404 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2405 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2406 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2407 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2408 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2409 action after each summary exit, you can add
2410 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2411 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2412 slow things down somewhat.
2415 @node Marking Groups
2416 @section Marking Groups
2417 @cindex marking groups
2419 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2420 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2421 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2422 bidding on those groups.
2424 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2425 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2426 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2434 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2435 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2441 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2442 Remove the mark from the current group
2443 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2447 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2448 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2452 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2453 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2458 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2462 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2463 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2464 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2467 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2469 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2470 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2471 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2472 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2473 the command to be executed.
2476 @node Foreign Groups
2477 @section Foreign Groups
2478 @cindex foreign groups
2480 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2481 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2482 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2483 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2490 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2491 @cindex making groups
2492 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2493 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2494 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2498 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2499 @cindex renaming groups
2500 Rename the current group to something else
2501 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2502 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2508 @findex gnus-group-customize
2509 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2514 @cindex renaming groups
2515 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2516 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2520 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2521 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2522 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2526 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2527 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2528 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2534 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2535 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2540 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2541 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2545 @cindex (ding) archive
2546 @cindex archive group
2547 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2548 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2549 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2550 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2551 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2552 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2553 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2557 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2559 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2560 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2561 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2562 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2566 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2568 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2569 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2570 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2574 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2575 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2577 Make a group based on some file or other
2578 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2579 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2580 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2581 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2582 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2583 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2584 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2585 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2586 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2590 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2591 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2592 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2593 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2601 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2602 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2603 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2604 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2605 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2606 @xref{Web Searches}.
2608 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2609 to a particular group by using a match string like
2610 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2613 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2614 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2615 This function will delete the current group
2616 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2617 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2618 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2619 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2620 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2624 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2625 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2626 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2630 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2631 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2632 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2635 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2638 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2639 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2640 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2641 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2642 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2643 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2647 @node Group Parameters
2648 @section Group Parameters
2649 @cindex group parameters
2651 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2652 Here's an example group parameter list:
2655 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2659 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2660 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2661 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2662 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2664 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2665 is an alist of regexps and values.
2667 The following group parameters can be used:
2672 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2675 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2678 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2679 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2680 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2681 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2682 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2684 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2685 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2686 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2687 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2688 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2689 list address instead.
2691 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2695 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2698 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2701 It is totally ignored
2702 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2703 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2705 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2706 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2707 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2708 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2709 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2711 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2712 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2713 sending the message.
2715 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2716 @cindex Mail List Groups
2717 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2718 entering summary buffer.
2720 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2725 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2726 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2727 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2728 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2729 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2730 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2732 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2733 directly uses this group parameter.
2737 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2738 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2739 of whether it has any unread articles.
2741 @item broken-reply-to
2742 @cindex broken-reply-to
2743 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2744 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2745 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2746 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2747 broken behavior. So there!
2751 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2752 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2756 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2757 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2758 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2763 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2764 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2765 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2766 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2767 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2768 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2769 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2770 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2771 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2775 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2776 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2777 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2779 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2782 @cindex total-expire
2783 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2784 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2785 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2786 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2789 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2793 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2794 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2795 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2796 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2797 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2798 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2799 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2802 @cindex score file group parameter
2803 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2804 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2805 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2808 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2809 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2810 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2811 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2814 @cindex admin-address
2815 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2816 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2817 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2818 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2822 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2823 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2827 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2830 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2831 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2834 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2838 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2840 Here are some examples:
2844 Display only unread articles.
2847 Display everything except expirable articles.
2849 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2850 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2854 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2855 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2856 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2857 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2858 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2862 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2863 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2864 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2868 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2869 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2870 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2874 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2875 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2876 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2878 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2880 @item ignored-charsets
2881 @cindex ignored-charset
2882 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2883 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2884 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2886 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2889 @cindex posting-style
2890 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2891 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2892 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2893 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2894 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2896 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2897 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2898 like this in the group parameters:
2903 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2904 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2909 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2910 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2914 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2915 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2916 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2917 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2918 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2922 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2923 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2924 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2925 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2927 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2928 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2929 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2930 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2933 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2934 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2938 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2941 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2942 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2943 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2944 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2945 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2946 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2947 @code{eval}ed there.
2949 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2950 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2951 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2952 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2953 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2954 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2955 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2956 parameters for the group.
2959 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2960 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2961 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2962 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2963 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2967 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2968 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2969 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2970 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2971 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2973 @vindex gnus-parameters
2974 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2975 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2979 (setq gnus-parameters
2981 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2982 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2983 (gnus-summary-line-format
2984 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2988 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2992 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2996 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2999 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3000 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3003 @node Listing Groups
3004 @section Listing Groups
3005 @cindex group listing
3007 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3015 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3016 List all groups that have unread articles
3017 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3018 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3019 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3020 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3027 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3028 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3029 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3030 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3031 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3032 unsubscribed groups).
3036 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3037 List all unread groups on a specific level
3038 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3039 with no unread articles.
3043 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3044 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3045 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3046 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3051 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3052 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3056 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3057 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3058 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3062 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3063 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3067 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3068 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3069 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3070 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3071 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3072 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3073 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3074 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3078 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3079 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3080 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3084 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3085 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3086 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3090 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3091 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3095 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3096 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3100 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3101 List groups limited within the current selection
3102 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3106 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3107 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3111 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3112 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3116 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3117 @cindex visible group parameter
3118 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3119 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3120 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3121 get the same effect.
3123 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3124 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3125 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3126 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3127 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3130 @node Sorting Groups
3131 @section Sorting Groups
3132 @cindex sorting groups
3134 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3136 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3137 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3138 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3139 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3144 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3145 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3146 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3148 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3150 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3152 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3154 Sort by group level.
3156 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3157 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3158 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3160 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3162 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3163 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3165 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3166 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3167 Sort by number of unread articles.
3169 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3170 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3171 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3173 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3174 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3175 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3180 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3181 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3185 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3186 some sorting criteria:
3190 @kindex G S a (Group)
3191 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3192 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3193 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3196 @kindex G S u (Group)
3197 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3198 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3199 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3202 @kindex G S l (Group)
3203 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3204 Sort the group buffer by group level
3205 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3208 @kindex G S v (Group)
3209 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3210 Sort the group buffer by group score
3211 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3214 @kindex G S r (Group)
3215 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3216 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3217 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3220 @kindex G S m (Group)
3221 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3222 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3223 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3226 @kindex G S n (Group)
3227 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3228 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3229 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3233 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3234 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3236 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3237 commands will sort in reverse order.
3239 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3243 @kindex G P a (Group)
3244 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3245 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3246 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3249 @kindex G P u (Group)
3250 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3251 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3252 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3255 @kindex G P l (Group)
3256 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3257 Sort the groups by group level
3258 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3261 @kindex G P v (Group)
3262 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3263 Sort the groups by group score
3264 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3267 @kindex G P r (Group)
3268 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3269 Sort the groups by group rank
3270 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3273 @kindex G P m (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3275 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3276 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3279 @kindex G P n (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3281 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3282 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3285 @kindex G P s (Group)
3286 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3287 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3291 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3295 @node Group Maintenance
3296 @section Group Maintenance
3297 @cindex bogus groups
3302 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3303 Find bogus groups and delete them
3304 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3308 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3309 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3310 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3311 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3312 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3316 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3317 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3318 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3319 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3320 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3321 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3324 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3325 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3326 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3327 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3332 @node Browse Foreign Server
3333 @section Browse Foreign Server
3334 @cindex foreign servers
3335 @cindex browsing servers
3340 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3341 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3342 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3343 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3346 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3347 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3348 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3349 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3351 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3356 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3357 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3361 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3362 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3365 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3366 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3367 Enter the current group and display the first article
3368 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3371 @kindex RET (Browse)
3372 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3373 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3377 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3378 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3379 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3385 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3386 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3390 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3391 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3395 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3396 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3397 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3402 @section Exiting gnus
3403 @cindex exiting gnus
3405 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3410 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3411 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3412 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3413 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3417 @findex gnus-group-exit
3418 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3419 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3423 @findex gnus-group-quit
3424 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3425 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3428 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3429 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3430 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3431 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3432 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3433 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3438 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3439 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3440 trying to customize meta-variables.
3445 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3446 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3447 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3453 @section Group Topics
3456 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3457 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3458 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3459 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3460 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3461 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3465 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3466 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3477 2: alt.religion.emacs
3480 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3482 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3483 13: comp.sources.unix
3486 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3488 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3489 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3490 is a toggling command.)
3492 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3493 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3494 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3495 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3498 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3499 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3500 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3503 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3507 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3508 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3509 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3510 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3511 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3515 @node Topic Commands
3516 @subsection Topic Commands
3517 @cindex topic commands
3519 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3520 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3521 definitions slightly.
3523 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3524 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3525 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3526 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3527 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3528 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3530 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3537 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3538 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3539 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3543 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3545 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3546 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3547 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3548 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3551 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3552 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3553 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3554 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3558 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3559 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3560 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3561 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3567 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3568 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3569 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3573 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3574 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3575 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3578 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3579 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3580 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3581 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3582 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3584 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3585 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3589 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3590 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3597 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3599 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3600 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3601 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3602 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3603 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3604 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3608 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3614 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3615 Move the current group to some other topic
3616 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3617 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3621 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3622 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3626 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3627 Copy the current group to some other topic
3628 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3629 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3633 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3634 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3635 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3639 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3640 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3641 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3645 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3646 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3647 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3648 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3649 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3650 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3651 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3654 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3655 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3659 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3660 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3661 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3665 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3666 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3667 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3671 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3672 Toggle hiding empty topics
3673 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3677 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3678 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3679 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3682 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3683 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3684 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3688 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3689 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3690 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3691 expiry process (if any)
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3696 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3697 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3700 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3701 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3702 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3706 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3707 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3708 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3711 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3713 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3716 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3717 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3718 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3722 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3723 @cindex group parameters
3724 @cindex topic parameters
3726 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3727 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3732 @node Topic Variables
3733 @subsection Topic Variables
3734 @cindex topic variables
3736 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3737 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3740 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3741 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3754 Number of groups in the topic.
3756 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3758 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3761 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3762 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3763 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3766 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3767 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3770 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3771 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3775 @subsection Topic Sorting
3776 @cindex topic sorting
3778 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3784 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3786 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3790 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3792 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3796 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3798 Sort the current topic by group level
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3802 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3804 Sort the current topic by group score
3805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3808 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3810 Sort the current topic by group rank
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3814 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3816 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3820 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3822 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3828 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3829 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3830 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3834 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3835 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3839 @node Topic Topology
3840 @subsection Topic Topology
3841 @cindex topic topology
3844 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3850 2: alt.religion.emacs
3853 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3855 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3856 13: comp.sources.unix
3859 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3860 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3861 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3866 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3867 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3871 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3872 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3873 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3874 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3875 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3876 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3878 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3879 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3880 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3883 @node Topic Parameters
3884 @subsection Topic Parameters
3885 @cindex topic parameters
3887 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3888 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3889 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3891 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3896 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3897 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3898 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3901 @item subscribe-level
3902 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3903 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3904 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3908 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3909 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3910 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3911 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3917 2: alt.religion.emacs
3921 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3923 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3924 13: comp.sources.unix
3928 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3929 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3930 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3931 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3932 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3933 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3935 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3936 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3937 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3938 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3939 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3941 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3942 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3943 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3944 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3945 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3946 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3947 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3948 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3951 @node Misc Group Stuff
3952 @section Misc Group Stuff
3955 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3956 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3957 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3958 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3959 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3966 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3967 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3968 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3972 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3973 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3974 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3975 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3976 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3977 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3978 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3982 @findex gnus-group-mail
3983 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3984 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3985 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3986 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3990 @findex gnus-group-news
3991 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3992 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3993 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3995 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3996 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3997 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3998 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3999 for this to work though.
4003 Variables for the group buffer:
4007 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4008 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4009 is called after the group buffer has been
4012 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4013 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4014 is called after the group buffer is
4015 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4018 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4019 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4020 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4021 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4023 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4024 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4025 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4026 whether they are empty or not.
4028 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4029 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4030 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4031 non-ASCII group names.
4035 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4036 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4039 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4040 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4041 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4042 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4043 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4044 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is
4049 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4050 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4055 @node Scanning New Messages
4056 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4057 @cindex new messages
4058 @cindex scanning new news
4064 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4065 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4066 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4067 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4068 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4069 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4074 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4075 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4076 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4077 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4078 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4079 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4080 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4082 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4083 @cindex activating groups
4085 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4086 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4091 @findex gnus-group-restart
4092 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4093 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4094 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4098 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4099 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4101 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4102 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4106 @node Group Information
4107 @subsection Group Information
4108 @cindex group information
4109 @cindex information on groups
4116 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4117 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4120 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4121 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4122 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4123 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4124 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4125 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4126 for fetching the file.
4128 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4129 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4133 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4134 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4136 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4137 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4140 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4141 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4142 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4146 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4147 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4148 @cindex control message
4149 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4150 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4151 group if given a prefix argument.
4153 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4154 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4155 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4156 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4158 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4159 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4160 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4164 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4166 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4167 @cindex describing groups
4168 @cindex group description
4169 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4170 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4171 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4175 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4176 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4177 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4184 @findex gnus-version
4185 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4189 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4190 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4193 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4196 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4197 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4201 @node Group Timestamp
4202 @subsection Group Timestamp
4204 @cindex group timestamps
4206 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4207 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4208 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4211 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4214 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4216 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4217 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4220 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4221 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4224 This will result in lines looking like:
4227 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4228 0: custom 19961002T012713
4231 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4232 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4236 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4237 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4240 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4241 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4245 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4246 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4247 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4248 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4250 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4256 @subsection File Commands
4257 @cindex file commands
4263 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4264 @vindex gnus-init-file
4265 @cindex reading init file
4266 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4267 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4272 @cindex saving .newsrc
4273 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4274 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4275 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4278 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4279 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4280 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4285 @node Sieve Commands
4286 @subsection Sieve Commands
4287 @cindex group sieve commands
4289 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4290 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4291 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4292 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4293 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4296 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4297 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4298 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4299 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4300 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4301 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4302 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4303 regenerate the Sieve script.
4305 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4306 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4307 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4308 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4309 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4310 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4311 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4312 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4313 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4314 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4317 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4318 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4323 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4329 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4330 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4331 @cindex generating sieve script
4332 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4333 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4337 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4338 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4339 @cindex updating sieve script
4340 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4341 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4342 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4347 @node Summary Buffer
4348 @chapter Summary Buffer
4349 @cindex summary buffer
4351 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4352 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4354 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4355 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4357 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4360 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4361 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4362 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4363 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4364 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4365 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4366 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4367 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4368 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4369 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4370 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4371 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4372 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4373 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4374 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4375 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4376 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4377 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4378 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4379 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4380 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4381 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4382 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4383 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4384 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4385 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4386 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4387 or reselecting the current group.
4388 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4389 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4390 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4391 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4395 @node Summary Buffer Format
4396 @section Summary Buffer Format
4397 @cindex summary buffer format
4401 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4402 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4403 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4409 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4410 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4411 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4412 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4415 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4416 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4417 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4418 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4419 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4420 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4421 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4422 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4423 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4424 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4425 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4426 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4427 other function instead:
4430 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4431 'mail-extract-address-components)
4434 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4435 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4436 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4437 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4440 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4441 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4443 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4444 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4445 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4446 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4447 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4449 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4450 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4451 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4452 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4453 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4454 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4456 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4458 The following format specification characters and extended format
4459 specification(s) are understood:
4465 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4466 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4468 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4469 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4470 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4472 Full @code{From} header.
4474 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4476 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4479 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4480 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4481 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4482 may be more thorough.
4484 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4487 Number of lines in the article.
4489 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4490 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4492 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4493 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4495 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4497 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4498 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4511 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4512 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4513 replacing the default ASCII characters with graphic line-drawing
4516 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4517 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4518 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4519 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4521 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4522 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4523 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4524 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4526 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4527 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4528 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4530 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4531 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4532 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4534 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4535 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4536 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4538 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4539 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4540 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4545 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4546 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4548 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4549 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4551 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4552 for adopted articles.
4554 One space for each thread level.
4556 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4558 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4561 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4562 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4563 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4566 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4568 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4569 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4570 default level. If the difference between
4571 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4572 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4580 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4582 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4588 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4589 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4591 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4592 article has any children.
4598 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4599 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4601 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4602 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4603 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4604 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4605 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4606 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4609 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4610 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4611 There can only be one such area.
4613 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4614 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4615 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4616 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4617 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4618 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4620 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4621 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4623 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4626 @node To From Newsgroups
4627 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4631 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4632 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4633 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4634 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4635 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4639 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4640 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4641 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4645 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4646 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4649 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4650 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4653 @findex gnus-extra-header
4654 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4655 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4656 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4659 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4663 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4664 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4665 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4666 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4667 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4668 headers are used instead.
4672 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4673 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4674 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4675 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4676 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4677 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4679 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4680 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4681 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4682 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4684 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4688 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4690 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4691 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4692 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4693 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4697 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4700 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4701 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4704 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4705 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4706 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4712 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4713 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4716 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4717 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4719 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4720 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4721 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4722 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4724 Here are the elements you can play with:
4730 Unprefixed group name.
4732 Current article number.
4734 Current article score.
4738 Number of unread articles in this group.
4740 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4743 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4744 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4745 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4746 and no unselected ones.
4748 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4749 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4751 Subject of the current article.
4753 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4755 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4757 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4759 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4761 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4763 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4767 @node Summary Highlighting
4768 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4772 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4773 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4774 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4775 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4776 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4778 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4779 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4780 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4781 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4783 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4784 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4785 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4786 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4788 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4789 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4790 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4791 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4792 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4793 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4796 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4797 ((> score default) . bold))
4799 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4800 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4804 @node Summary Maneuvering
4805 @section Summary Maneuvering
4806 @cindex summary movement
4808 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4809 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4811 None of these commands select articles.
4816 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4817 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4818 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4819 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4820 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4824 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4825 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4826 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4827 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4828 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4831 @kindex G g (Summary)
4832 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4833 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4834 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4837 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4838 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4839 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4840 to the group buffer.
4842 Variables related to summary movement:
4846 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4847 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4848 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4849 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4850 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4851 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4852 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4853 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4854 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4855 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4856 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4857 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4858 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4859 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4861 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4862 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4863 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4864 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4865 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4866 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4867 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4869 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4871 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4872 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4873 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4874 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4875 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4877 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4878 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4879 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4880 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4881 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4882 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4883 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4884 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4887 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4888 the given number of lines from the top.
4893 @node Choosing Articles
4894 @section Choosing Articles
4895 @cindex selecting articles
4898 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4899 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4903 @node Choosing Commands
4904 @subsection Choosing Commands
4906 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4907 and they all select and display an article.
4909 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4910 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4914 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4915 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4916 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4917 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4922 @kindex G n (Summary)
4923 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4924 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4925 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4930 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4931 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4932 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4937 @kindex G N (Summary)
4938 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4939 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4944 @kindex G P (Summary)
4945 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4946 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4949 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4950 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4951 Go to the next article with the same subject
4952 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4955 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4956 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4957 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4958 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4962 @kindex G f (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4965 Go to the first unread article
4966 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4970 @kindex G b (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4973 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4974 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4975 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4980 @kindex G l (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4982 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4985 @kindex G o (Summary)
4986 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4988 @cindex article history
4989 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4990 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4991 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4992 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4993 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4994 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4999 @kindex G j (Summary)
5000 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5001 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5002 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5007 @node Choosing Variables
5008 @subsection Choosing Variables
5010 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5013 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5014 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5015 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5016 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5017 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5018 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5020 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5021 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5022 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5023 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5024 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5025 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5027 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5028 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5029 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5030 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5031 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5032 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5033 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5034 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5035 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5036 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5037 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5038 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5039 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5040 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5045 @node Paging the Article
5046 @section Scrolling the Article
5047 @cindex article scrolling
5052 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5054 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5055 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5056 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5059 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5061 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5064 @kindex RET (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5066 Scroll the current article one line forward
5067 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5070 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5072 Scroll the current article one line backward
5073 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5077 @kindex A g (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5080 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5081 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5082 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5083 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5084 the way it came from the server.
5086 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5087 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5088 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5091 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5096 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5101 @kindex A < (Summary)
5102 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5103 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5104 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5109 @kindex A > (Summary)
5110 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5111 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5115 @kindex A s (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5118 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5119 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5123 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5124 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5129 @node Reply Followup and Post
5130 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5133 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5134 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5135 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5136 * Canceling and Superseding::
5140 @node Summary Mail Commands
5141 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5143 @cindex composing mail
5145 Commands for composing a mail message:
5151 @kindex S r (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5154 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5155 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5156 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5157 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5162 @kindex S R (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5164 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5165 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5166 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5167 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5170 @kindex S w (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5172 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5173 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5174 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5175 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5178 @kindex S W (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5180 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5181 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5182 the process/prefix convention.
5185 @kindex S v (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5187 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5188 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5189 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5190 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5191 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5194 @kindex S V (Summary)
5195 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5196 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5197 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5198 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5201 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5202 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5203 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5204 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5207 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5209 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5210 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5211 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5215 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5216 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5218 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5219 Forward the current article to some other person
5220 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5221 headers of the forwarded article.
5226 @kindex S m (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5228 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5229 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5230 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5231 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5236 @kindex S i (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5238 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5239 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5240 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5242 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5243 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5244 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5245 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5246 for this to work though.
5249 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5250 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5251 @cindex bouncing mail
5252 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5253 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5254 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5255 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5256 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5257 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5258 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5259 very well fail, though.
5262 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5263 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5264 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5265 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5266 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5267 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5268 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5269 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5270 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5271 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5273 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5274 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5275 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5276 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5277 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5279 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5280 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5283 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5285 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5286 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5287 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5290 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5291 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5292 @cindex crossposting
5293 @cindex excessive crossposting
5294 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5295 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5297 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5298 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5299 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5300 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5301 command understands the process/prefix convention
5302 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5306 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5307 Manual}, for more information.
5310 @node Summary Post Commands
5311 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5313 @cindex composing news
5315 Commands for posting a news article:
5321 @kindex S p (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5323 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5324 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5325 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5326 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5331 @kindex S f (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5333 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5334 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5338 @kindex S F (Summary)
5340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5341 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5342 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5343 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5344 process/prefix convention.
5347 @kindex S n (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5349 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5350 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5353 @kindex S N (Summary)
5354 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5355 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5356 message through mail and include the original message
5357 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5358 the process/prefix convention.
5361 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5362 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5363 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5364 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5365 headers of the forwarded article.
5368 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5369 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5371 @cindex making digests
5372 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5373 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5374 process/prefix convention.
5377 @kindex S u (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5379 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5380 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5381 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5384 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5385 Manual}, for more information.
5388 @node Summary Message Commands
5389 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5393 @kindex S y (Summary)
5394 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5395 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5396 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5397 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5398 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5403 @node Canceling and Superseding
5404 @subsection Canceling Articles
5405 @cindex canceling articles
5406 @cindex superseding articles
5408 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5409 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5411 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5413 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5415 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5416 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5417 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5418 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5419 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5420 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5422 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5423 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5426 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5427 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5428 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5430 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5431 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5432 your original article.
5434 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5436 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5437 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5438 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5441 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5442 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5443 have posted almost the same article twice.
5445 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5446 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5447 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5448 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5449 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5450 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5451 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5452 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5453 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5454 canceled/superseded.
5456 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5458 @node Delayed Articles
5459 @section Delayed Articles
5460 @cindex delayed sending
5461 @cindex send delayed
5463 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5464 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5465 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5466 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5469 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5472 @findex gnus-delay-article
5473 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5474 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5475 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5476 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5480 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5481 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5482 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5483 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5486 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5487 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5488 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5491 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5492 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5493 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5494 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5495 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5496 that means a time tomorrow.
5499 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5500 couple of variables:
5503 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5504 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5505 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5506 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5508 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5509 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5510 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5511 formats described above.
5513 @item gnus-delay-group
5514 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5515 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5516 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5517 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5519 @item gnus-delay-header
5520 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5521 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5522 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5523 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5526 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5527 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5528 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5529 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5530 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5532 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5533 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5534 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5535 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5536 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5537 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5538 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5541 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5542 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5544 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5545 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5546 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5547 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5548 argument is ignored.
5550 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5551 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5552 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5556 @node Marking Articles
5557 @section Marking Articles
5558 @cindex article marking
5559 @cindex article ticking
5562 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5564 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5565 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5566 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5568 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5571 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5572 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5573 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5577 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5581 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5582 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5583 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5587 @node Unread Articles
5588 @subsection Unread Articles
5590 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5595 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5596 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5598 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5599 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5600 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5601 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5602 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5603 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5604 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5607 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5608 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5610 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5611 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5612 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5613 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5617 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5618 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5620 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5625 @subsection Read Articles
5626 @cindex expirable mark
5628 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5633 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5634 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5635 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5638 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5639 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5642 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5643 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5644 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5647 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5648 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5651 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5652 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5655 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5656 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5659 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5660 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5663 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5664 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5667 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5668 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5671 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5672 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5676 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5677 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5678 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5682 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5683 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5685 One more special mark, though:
5689 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5690 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5692 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5693 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5694 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5695 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5701 @subsection Other Marks
5702 @cindex process mark
5705 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5711 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5712 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5713 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5714 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5715 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5718 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5719 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5720 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5721 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5724 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5725 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5726 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5729 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5730 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5731 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5734 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5735 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5736 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5737 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5740 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5741 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5742 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5743 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5744 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5745 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5748 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5749 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5750 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5751 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5754 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5755 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5756 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5757 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5758 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5762 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5763 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5764 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5765 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5766 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5767 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5770 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5771 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5772 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5773 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5774 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5775 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5779 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5780 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5781 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5782 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5783 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5786 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5787 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5788 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5789 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5790 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5791 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5795 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5796 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5797 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5799 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5800 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5801 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5805 @subsection Setting Marks
5806 @cindex setting marks
5808 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5813 @kindex M c (Summary)
5814 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5815 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5816 @cindex mark as unread
5817 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5818 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5824 @kindex M t (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5826 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5827 @xref{Article Caching}.
5832 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5834 Mark the current article as dormant
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5839 @kindex M d (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5842 Mark the current article as read
5843 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5847 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5848 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5849 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5854 @kindex M k (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5856 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5857 and then select the next unread article
5858 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5862 @kindex M K (Summary)
5863 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5864 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5865 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5866 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5869 @kindex M C (Summary)
5870 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5871 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5872 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5875 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5877 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5878 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5881 @kindex M H (Summary)
5882 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5883 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5884 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5887 @kindex M h (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5889 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5890 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5893 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5894 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5895 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5896 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5899 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5900 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5901 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5902 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5906 @kindex M e (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5909 Mark the current article as expirable
5910 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5913 @kindex M b (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5915 Set a bookmark in the current article
5916 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5919 @kindex M B (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5921 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5922 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5925 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5927 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5928 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5931 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5932 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5933 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5934 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5937 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5939 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5940 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5941 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5944 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5945 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5946 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5947 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5948 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5949 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5950 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5951 The default is @code{t}.
5954 @node Generic Marking Commands
5955 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5957 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5958 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5959 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5960 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5961 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5964 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5965 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5968 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5969 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5970 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5971 to list in this manual.
5973 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5974 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5975 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5976 article, you could say something like:
5979 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5980 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5981 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5987 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5988 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5992 @node Setting Process Marks
5993 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5994 @cindex setting process marks
5996 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
5997 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
5998 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
5999 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6000 commands into the cache. For more information,
6001 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6008 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6009 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6010 Mark the current article with the process mark
6011 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6012 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6016 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6017 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6018 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6019 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6022 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6024 Remove the process mark from all articles
6025 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6028 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6029 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6030 Invert the list of process marked articles
6031 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6034 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6036 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6037 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6040 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6042 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6043 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6046 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6048 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6052 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6053 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6056 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6058 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6059 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6062 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6064 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6065 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6068 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6070 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6071 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6074 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6076 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6079 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6080 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6081 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6082 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6085 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6086 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6087 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6090 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6091 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6092 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6093 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6096 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6098 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6099 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6102 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6103 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6104 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6105 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6108 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6109 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6110 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6111 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6115 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6116 set process marks based on article body contents.
6123 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6124 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6125 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6128 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6129 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6130 additional articles.
6136 @kindex / / (Summary)
6137 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6138 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6139 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6143 @kindex / a (Summary)
6144 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6145 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6146 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6150 @kindex / x (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6152 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6153 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6154 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6159 @kindex / u (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6162 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6164 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6165 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6168 @kindex / m (Summary)
6169 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6170 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6171 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6174 @kindex / t (Summary)
6175 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6176 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6177 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6178 articles younger than that number of days.
6181 @kindex / n (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6183 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6184 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6185 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6188 @kindex / w (Summary)
6189 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6190 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6191 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6195 @kindex / . (Summary)
6196 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6197 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6198 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6201 @kindex / v (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6203 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6204 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6207 @kindex / p (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6209 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6210 group parameter predicate
6211 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6212 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6216 @kindex M S (Summary)
6217 @kindex / E (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6219 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6220 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6223 @kindex / D (Summary)
6224 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6225 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6226 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6229 @kindex / * (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6231 Include all cached articles in the limit
6232 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6235 @kindex / d (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6237 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6238 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6241 @kindex / M (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6243 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6246 @kindex / T (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6248 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6251 @kindex / c (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6253 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6254 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6257 @kindex / C (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6259 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6261 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6264 @kindex / N (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6266 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6267 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6270 @kindex / o (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6272 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6273 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6281 @cindex article threading
6283 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6284 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6285 hierarchical fashion.
6287 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6288 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6289 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6290 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6291 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6292 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6293 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6295 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6299 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6302 A tree-like article structure.
6305 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6308 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6309 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6310 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6311 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6312 called loose threads.
6314 @item thread gathering
6315 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6317 @item sparse threads
6318 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6319 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6325 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6326 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6330 @node Customizing Threading
6331 @subsection Customizing Threading
6332 @cindex customizing threading
6335 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6336 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6337 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6338 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6343 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6346 @cindex loose threads
6349 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6350 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6351 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6352 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6353 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6354 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6356 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6357 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6358 There are four possible values:
6362 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6363 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6364 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6365 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6366 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6371 @cindex adopting articles
6376 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6377 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6378 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6379 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6382 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6383 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6384 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6385 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6386 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6387 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6388 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6389 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6390 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6391 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6394 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6395 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6396 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6400 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6401 display them after one another.
6404 Don't gather loose threads.
6407 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6408 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6409 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6410 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6411 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6412 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6413 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6414 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6415 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6416 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6417 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6419 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6420 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6421 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6424 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6425 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6426 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6427 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6428 simplification is used.
6430 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6431 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6432 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6433 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6435 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6437 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6443 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6444 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6445 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6446 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6451 (mapconcat 'identity
6452 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6454 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6457 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6460 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6461 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6462 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6463 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6464 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6465 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6467 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6470 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6471 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6472 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6474 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6475 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6478 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6479 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6480 Remove excessive whitespace.
6482 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6483 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6484 Remove all whitespace.
6487 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6490 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6491 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6492 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6493 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6494 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6495 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6496 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6497 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6499 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6500 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6501 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6502 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6503 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6504 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6505 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6506 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6507 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6511 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6512 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6513 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6514 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6516 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6517 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6518 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6521 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6525 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6526 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6532 @node Filling In Threads
6533 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6536 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6537 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6538 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6539 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6540 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6541 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6542 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6543 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6544 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6545 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6546 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6547 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6550 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6551 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6552 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6554 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6555 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6556 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6557 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6558 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6559 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6560 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6561 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6562 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6563 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6564 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6565 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6566 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6567 @code{nil} by default.
6569 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6570 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6571 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6572 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6573 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6574 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6575 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6577 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6578 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6579 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6584 @node More Threading
6585 @subsubsection More Threading
6588 @item gnus-show-threads
6589 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6590 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6591 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6592 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6593 slower and more awkward.
6595 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6596 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6597 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6600 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6601 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6602 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6607 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6608 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6609 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6612 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6613 unread, but you get my drift.)
6616 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6617 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6618 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6619 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6620 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6621 threads are expunged.
6623 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6624 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6625 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6628 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6629 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6630 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6631 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6632 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6633 result in a new thread.
6635 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6636 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6637 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6640 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6641 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6642 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6643 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6644 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6645 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6646 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6647 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6648 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6649 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6650 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6655 @node Low-Level Threading
6656 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6660 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6661 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6662 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6663 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6664 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6665 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6667 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6668 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6669 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6670 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6671 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6672 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6673 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6674 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6675 meaningful. Here's one example:
6678 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6680 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6681 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6683 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6685 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6692 @node Thread Commands
6693 @subsection Thread Commands
6694 @cindex thread commands
6700 @kindex T k (Summary)
6701 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6702 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6703 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6704 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6705 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6710 @kindex T l (Summary)
6711 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6712 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6713 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6714 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6717 @kindex T i (Summary)
6718 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6719 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6720 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6723 @kindex T # (Summary)
6724 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6725 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6726 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6729 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6730 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6731 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6732 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6735 @kindex T T (Summary)
6736 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6737 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6740 @kindex T s (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6742 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6743 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6746 @kindex T h (Summary)
6747 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6748 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6751 @kindex T S (Summary)
6752 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6753 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6756 @kindex T H (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6758 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6761 @kindex T t (Summary)
6762 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6763 Re-thread the current article's thread
6764 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6765 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6768 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6769 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6770 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6771 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6775 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6776 understand the numeric prefix.
6781 @kindex T n (Summary)
6783 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6785 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6786 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6787 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6790 @kindex T p (Summary)
6792 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6794 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6795 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6796 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6799 @kindex T d (Summary)
6800 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6801 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6804 @kindex T u (Summary)
6805 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6806 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6809 @kindex T o (Summary)
6810 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6811 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6814 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6815 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6816 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6817 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6818 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6819 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6820 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6821 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6822 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6823 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6824 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6825 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6829 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6830 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6832 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6833 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6834 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6835 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6836 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6837 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6838 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6839 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6840 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6841 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6842 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6843 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6844 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6846 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6847 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6848 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6849 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6850 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6851 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6852 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6853 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6855 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6856 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6857 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6859 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6860 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6861 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6862 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6863 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6864 ascending article order.
6866 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6867 by number, you could do something like:
6870 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6871 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6872 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6873 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6876 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6877 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6878 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6879 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6880 which the articles arrived.
6882 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6886 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6888 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6889 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6892 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6893 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6894 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6895 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6898 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6899 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6900 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6901 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6902 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6903 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6904 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6905 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6906 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6907 variable. It is very similar to the
6908 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6909 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6910 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6911 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6912 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6913 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6914 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6916 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6920 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6921 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6922 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6927 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6928 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6929 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6930 @cindex article pre-fetch
6933 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6934 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6935 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6936 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6937 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6939 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6940 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6942 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6943 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6944 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6945 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6946 connection is blocked.
6948 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6949 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6950 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6951 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6953 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6954 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6955 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6956 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6959 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6962 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6963 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6964 happen automatically.
6966 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6967 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6968 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6969 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6970 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6971 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6972 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6974 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6975 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6976 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6977 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6978 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6979 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6980 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6981 data structure as the only parameter.
6983 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6986 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6987 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6988 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6989 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6992 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6995 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6996 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6997 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6999 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7000 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7001 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7002 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7006 Remove articles when they are read.
7009 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7012 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7014 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7015 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7016 @c from the next group.
7019 @node Article Caching
7020 @section Article Caching
7021 @cindex article caching
7024 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
7025 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7026 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7027 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7028 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7030 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7032 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7033 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7034 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7035 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7036 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7037 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7038 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7039 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7041 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7042 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7043 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7044 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7045 as dormant, and don't worry.
7047 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7049 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7050 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7051 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7052 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7053 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7054 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7055 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7056 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7057 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7058 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7060 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7061 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7062 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7063 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7064 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7065 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7066 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7067 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7068 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7069 not then be downloaded by this command.
7071 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7072 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7073 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7074 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7075 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7076 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7078 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7079 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7080 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7081 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7082 variables, the group is not cached.
7084 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7085 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7086 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7087 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7088 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7089 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7090 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7091 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7092 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7095 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7096 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7097 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7098 where, isn't that cool?
7100 @node Persistent Articles
7101 @section Persistent Articles
7102 @cindex persistent articles
7104 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7105 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7106 useful in my opinion.
7108 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7109 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7110 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7111 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7112 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7113 the expiry going on at the news server.
7115 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7116 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7117 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7123 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7124 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7127 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7128 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7129 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7130 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7134 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7136 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7137 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7138 interested in persistent articles:
7141 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7145 @node Article Backlog
7146 @section Article Backlog
7148 @cindex article backlog
7150 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7151 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7152 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7153 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7154 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7155 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7156 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7157 increase memory usage some.
7159 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7160 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7161 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7162 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7163 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7164 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7165 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7167 The default value is 20.
7170 @node Saving Articles
7171 @section Saving Articles
7172 @cindex saving articles
7174 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7175 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7176 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7177 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7178 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7180 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7181 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7182 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7184 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7185 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7186 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7188 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7189 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7190 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7191 deleted before saving.
7197 @kindex O o (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7200 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7201 Save the current article using the default article saver
7202 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7205 @kindex O m (Summary)
7206 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7207 Save the current article in mail format
7208 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7211 @kindex O r (Summary)
7212 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7213 Save the current article in rmail format
7214 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7217 @kindex O f (Summary)
7218 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7219 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7220 Save the current article in plain file format
7221 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7224 @kindex O F (Summary)
7225 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7226 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7227 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7230 @kindex O b (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7232 Save the current article body in plain file format
7233 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7236 @kindex O h (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7238 Save the current article in mh folder format
7239 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7242 @kindex O v (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7244 Save the current article in a VM folder
7245 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7249 @kindex O p (Summary)
7251 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7252 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7253 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7254 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7255 complete headers in the piped output.
7258 @kindex O P (Summary)
7259 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7260 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7261 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7262 external program Muttprint (see
7263 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7264 options to use is controlled by the variable
7265 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7269 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7270 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7271 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7272 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7273 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7274 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7275 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7276 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7277 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7278 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7279 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7280 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7284 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7285 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7286 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7287 functions below, or you can create your own.
7291 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7292 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7293 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7294 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7295 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7296 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7297 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7299 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7300 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7301 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7302 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7303 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7304 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7306 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7307 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7308 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7309 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7310 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7311 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7312 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7314 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7315 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7316 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7317 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7318 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7319 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7321 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7322 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7323 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7324 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7325 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7327 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7328 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7329 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7330 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7331 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7334 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7335 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7336 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7337 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7338 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7340 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7341 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7342 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7343 reader to use this setting.
7346 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7347 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7348 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7349 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7352 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7353 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7354 available functions that generate names:
7358 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7359 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7360 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7362 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7363 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7364 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7366 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7367 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7368 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7370 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7371 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7372 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7374 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7375 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7376 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7379 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7380 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7381 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7382 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7383 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7387 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7388 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7389 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7390 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7393 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7394 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7395 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7396 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7397 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7398 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7399 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7400 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7401 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7403 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7404 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7405 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7406 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7408 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7409 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7410 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7413 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7414 lots of mail groups called things like
7415 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7416 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7417 following will do just that:
7420 (defun my-save-name (group)
7421 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7422 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7424 (setq gnus-split-methods
7425 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7430 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7431 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7432 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7433 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7434 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7435 all the files in the top level directory
7436 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7437 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7438 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7439 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7441 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7442 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7443 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7444 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7445 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7448 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7452 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7453 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7454 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7457 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7458 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7459 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7460 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7463 @node Decoding Articles
7464 @section Decoding Articles
7465 @cindex decoding articles
7467 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7468 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7471 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7472 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7473 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7474 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7475 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7476 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7480 @cindex article series
7481 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7482 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7483 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7484 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7485 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7487 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7488 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7489 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7491 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7492 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7493 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7495 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7496 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7497 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7500 @node Uuencoded Articles
7501 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7503 @cindex uuencoded articles
7508 @kindex X u (Summary)
7509 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7510 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7511 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7514 @kindex X U (Summary)
7515 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7516 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7517 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7520 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7521 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7522 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7525 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7526 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7527 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7528 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7532 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7533 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7534 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7535 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7536 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7538 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7539 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7540 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7541 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7544 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7545 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7546 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7547 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7548 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7549 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7553 @node Shell Archives
7554 @subsection Shell Archives
7556 @cindex shell archives
7557 @cindex shared articles
7559 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7560 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7561 some commands to deal with these:
7566 @kindex X s (Summary)
7567 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7568 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7571 @kindex X S (Summary)
7572 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7573 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7576 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7577 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7578 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7581 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7582 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7583 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7584 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7588 @node PostScript Files
7589 @subsection PostScript Files
7595 @kindex X p (Summary)
7596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7597 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7600 @kindex X P (Summary)
7601 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7602 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7603 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7606 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7607 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7608 View the current PostScript series
7609 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7612 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7613 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7614 View and save the current PostScript series
7615 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7620 @subsection Other Files
7624 @kindex X o (Summary)
7625 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7626 Save the current series
7627 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7630 @kindex X b (Summary)
7631 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7632 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7633 doesn't really work yet.
7637 @node Decoding Variables
7638 @subsection Decoding Variables
7640 Adjective, not verb.
7643 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7644 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7645 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7649 @node Rule Variables
7650 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7651 @cindex rule variables
7653 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7654 variables are of the form
7657 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7664 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7665 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7667 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7668 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7671 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7672 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7675 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7676 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7677 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7678 user and default view rules.
7680 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7681 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7682 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7687 @node Other Decode Variables
7688 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7691 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7693 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7694 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7695 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7696 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7697 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7701 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7702 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7705 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7706 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7707 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7710 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7711 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7712 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7713 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7714 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7717 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7718 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7719 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7721 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7722 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7723 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7724 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7725 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7728 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7729 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7730 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7732 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7733 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7734 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7735 looking for files to display.
7737 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7738 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7739 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7742 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7743 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7744 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7747 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7748 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7749 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7752 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7753 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7754 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7757 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7758 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7759 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7760 decoded articles as unread.
7762 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7763 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7764 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7765 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7767 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7768 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7769 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7771 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7772 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7774 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7775 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7776 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7777 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7779 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7780 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7781 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7782 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7783 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7784 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7785 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7786 simply dropped them.
7791 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7792 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7796 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7797 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7798 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7799 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7800 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7801 for you when you post the article.
7803 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7804 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7805 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7806 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7808 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7809 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7810 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7811 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7812 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7813 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7814 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7816 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7817 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7818 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7819 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7820 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7821 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7822 Default is @code{t}.
7828 @subsection Viewing Files
7829 @cindex viewing files
7830 @cindex pseudo-articles
7832 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7833 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7834 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7835 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7836 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7837 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7838 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7840 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7841 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7842 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7843 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7845 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7846 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7847 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7849 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7850 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7851 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7852 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7853 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7855 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7856 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7857 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7858 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7859 a list of parameters to that command.
7861 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7862 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7863 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7865 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7866 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7867 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7870 @node Article Treatment
7871 @section Article Treatment
7873 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7874 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7875 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7876 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7877 these articles easier.
7880 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7881 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7882 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7883 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7884 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7885 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7886 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7887 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7888 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7889 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7893 @node Article Highlighting
7894 @subsection Article Highlighting
7895 @cindex highlighting
7897 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7898 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7903 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7904 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7905 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7906 Do much highlighting of the current article
7907 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7908 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7911 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7912 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7913 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7914 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7915 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7916 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7917 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7918 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7919 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7920 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7921 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7922 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7925 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7926 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7927 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7929 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7932 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7934 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7935 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7936 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7938 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7939 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7940 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7942 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7943 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7944 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7945 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7946 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7947 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7949 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7950 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7951 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7953 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7954 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7955 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7957 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7958 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7959 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7960 that it's a citation.
7962 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7963 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7964 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7966 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7967 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7968 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7970 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7971 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7972 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7973 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7979 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7980 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7981 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7982 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7983 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7984 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7985 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7986 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7991 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7994 @node Article Fontisizing
7995 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7997 @cindex article emphasis
7999 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8000 @kindex W e (Summary)
8001 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8002 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8003 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8004 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8006 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8007 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8008 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8009 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8010 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8011 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8012 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8013 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8017 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8018 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8019 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8028 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8029 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8030 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8031 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8032 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8033 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8034 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8035 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8036 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8037 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8038 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8039 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8040 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8042 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8043 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8044 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8048 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8051 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8053 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8054 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8055 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8056 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8058 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8061 @node Article Hiding
8062 @subsection Article Hiding
8063 @cindex article hiding
8065 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8066 too much cruft in most articles.
8071 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8072 @findex gnus-article-hide
8073 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8074 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8075 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8078 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8079 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8080 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8084 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8085 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8086 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8087 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8090 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8092 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8096 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8097 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8098 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8099 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8100 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8101 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8102 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8103 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8107 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8108 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8109 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8110 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8115 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8116 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8117 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8118 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8121 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8122 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8123 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8124 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8127 @cindex stripping advertisements
8128 @cindex advertisements
8129 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8130 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8131 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8132 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8133 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8134 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8135 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8136 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8137 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8138 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8141 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8142 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8143 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8147 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8148 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8149 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8150 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8151 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8152 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8153 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8154 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8155 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8156 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8157 following element to remove them:
8160 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8166 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8167 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8168 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8169 customizing the hiding:
8173 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8174 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8175 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8176 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8177 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8178 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8179 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8184 Starting point of the hidden text.
8186 Ending point of the hidden text.
8188 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8190 Number of lines of hidden text.
8193 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8194 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8195 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8196 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8197 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8202 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8203 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8205 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8206 following two variables:
8209 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8210 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8211 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8212 50), hide the cited text.
8214 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8215 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8216 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8221 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8223 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8224 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8225 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8226 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8230 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8231 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8232 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8234 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8235 citation customization.
8237 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8241 @node Article Washing
8242 @subsection Article Washing
8244 @cindex article washing
8246 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8247 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8249 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8250 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8253 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8254 articles by default.
8259 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8260 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8264 @kindex W l (Summary)
8265 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8266 Remove page breaks from the current article
8267 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8271 @kindex W r (Summary)
8272 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8273 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8274 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8275 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8276 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8277 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8279 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8280 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8281 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8282 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8285 @kindex W m (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8287 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8291 @kindex W t (Summary)
8293 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8294 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8295 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8298 @kindex W v (Summary)
8299 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8300 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8301 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8304 @kindex W m (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8306 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8307 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8310 @kindex W o (Summary)
8311 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8312 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8315 @kindex W d (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8317 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8319 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8321 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8322 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8323 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8324 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8327 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8328 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8329 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8330 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8333 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8335 @cindex Outlook Express
8336 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8337 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8338 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8341 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8342 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8343 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8344 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8345 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8346 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8347 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8348 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8349 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8350 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8353 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8354 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8355 Repair a broken attribution line.
8356 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8359 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8360 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8361 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8362 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8365 @kindex W w (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8367 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8369 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8373 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8374 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8375 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8378 @kindex W C (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8380 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8381 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8384 @kindex W c (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8386 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8387 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8388 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8389 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8392 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8393 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8394 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8395 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8396 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8397 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8398 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8400 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8403 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8404 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8405 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8406 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8407 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8410 @kindex W u (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8412 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8413 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8414 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8415 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8418 @kindex W h (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8420 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8421 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8422 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8424 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8426 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8427 The default is to use the function specified by
8428 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8429 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8430 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8431 you can use include:
8438 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8442 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8445 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8448 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8453 @kindex W b (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8455 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8456 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8459 @kindex W B (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8461 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8462 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8465 @kindex W p (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8467 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8468 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8469 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8470 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8471 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8472 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8475 @kindex W s (Summary)
8476 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8477 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8478 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8481 @kindex W a (Summary)
8482 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8483 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8484 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8487 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8488 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8489 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8490 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8493 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8494 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8495 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8496 lines with a single empty line.
8497 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8500 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8502 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8503 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8506 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8508 Do all the three commands above
8509 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8512 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8514 Remove all blank lines
8515 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8518 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8520 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8521 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8524 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8525 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8526 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8527 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8531 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8534 @node Article Header
8535 @subsection Article Header
8537 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8542 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8543 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8544 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8547 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8548 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8549 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8550 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8553 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8555 Fold all the message headers
8556 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8560 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8561 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8562 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8567 @node Article Buttons
8568 @subsection Article Buttons
8571 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8572 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8573 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8574 button on these references.
8576 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8577 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8578 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8579 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8580 one that handles article heads:
8584 @item gnus-button-alist
8585 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8586 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8589 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8595 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8596 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8597 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8598 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8599 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8602 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8603 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8604 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8607 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8608 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8609 avoid false matches.
8612 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8615 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8616 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8620 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8623 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8626 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8627 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8628 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8629 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8630 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8633 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8636 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8638 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8639 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8640 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8641 default values of the variables above.
8643 @item gnus-article-button-face
8644 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8645 Face used on buttons.
8647 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8648 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8649 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8653 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8657 @subsection Article Date
8659 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8660 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8661 when the article was sent.
8666 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8667 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8668 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8669 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8672 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8675 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8676 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8679 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8680 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8681 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8684 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8686 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8687 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8690 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8691 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8692 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8693 @findex format-time-string
8694 Display the date using a user-defined format
8695 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8696 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8697 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8698 for a list of possible format specs.
8701 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8702 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8703 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8704 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8705 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8706 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8709 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8712 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8713 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8714 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8717 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8718 into wonderful absurdities.
8720 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8723 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8726 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8727 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8731 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8733 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8734 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8735 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8736 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8737 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8741 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8742 preferred format automatically.
8745 @node Article Display
8746 @subsection Article Display
8751 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8752 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8754 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8755 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8757 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8758 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8760 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8761 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8763 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8768 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8769 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8770 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8771 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8774 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8775 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8776 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8777 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8780 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8781 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8782 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8785 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8786 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8787 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8790 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8791 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8792 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8793 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8796 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8798 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8799 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8802 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8803 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8804 Remove all images from the article buffer
8805 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8811 @node Article Signature
8812 @subsection Article Signature
8814 @cindex article signature
8816 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8817 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8818 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8819 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8820 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8821 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8822 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8823 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8824 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8827 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8828 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8829 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8830 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8831 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8832 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8833 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8834 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8837 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8840 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8841 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8842 signature when displaying articles.
8846 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8849 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8852 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8853 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8855 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8856 in question is not a signature.
8859 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8860 listed above. Here's an example:
8863 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8864 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8867 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8868 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8869 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8870 signature after all.
8873 @node Article Miscellania
8874 @subsection Article Miscellania
8878 @kindex A t (Summary)
8879 @findex gnus-article-babel
8880 Translate the article from one language to another
8881 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8887 @section MIME Commands
8888 @cindex MIME decoding
8890 @cindex viewing attachments
8892 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8893 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8899 @kindex K v (Summary)
8900 View the @sc{mime} part.
8903 @kindex K o (Summary)
8904 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8907 @kindex K c (Summary)
8908 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8911 @kindex K e (Summary)
8912 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8915 @kindex K i (Summary)
8916 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8919 @kindex K | (Summary)
8920 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8923 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8928 @kindex K b (Summary)
8929 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8930 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8934 @kindex K m (Summary)
8935 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8936 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8937 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8938 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8939 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8942 @kindex X m (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8944 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8945 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8946 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8949 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8950 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8951 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8952 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8955 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8957 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8958 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8961 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8962 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8963 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8964 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8966 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8967 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8968 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8969 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8970 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8971 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8974 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8975 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8976 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8977 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8984 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8985 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8986 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8987 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8990 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8993 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8997 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
8998 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
8999 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9000 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
9001 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9002 default is @code{nil}.
9004 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9005 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9006 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
9007 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9008 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9009 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9010 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9012 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9013 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9014 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9015 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9016 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9017 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9018 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9019 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
9021 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9022 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9023 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9024 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9025 displayed. This variable overrides
9026 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9027 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9030 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9031 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9032 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9034 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9035 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9036 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
9037 value is @code{nil}.
9039 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9040 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9041 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9042 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9043 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9044 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9045 save all jpegs into some directory).
9047 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9050 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9051 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9053 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9054 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9055 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9056 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9057 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9060 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9061 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9062 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9064 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9065 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9066 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9067 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9069 Ready-made functions include@*
9070 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9071 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9072 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9073 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9074 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9075 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9076 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9077 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9078 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9079 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9080 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9081 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9083 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9084 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9086 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9087 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9088 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9091 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9092 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9093 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9094 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9098 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9107 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9108 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9109 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9110 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9111 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9112 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9113 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9115 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9116 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9117 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9118 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9120 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9121 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9122 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9123 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9124 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9125 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9126 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9127 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9128 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9130 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9131 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9132 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9133 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9134 quoted-printable header encoding.
9136 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9137 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9138 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9142 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9145 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9146 means encode all charsets),
9148 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9149 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9150 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9157 @cindex coding system aliases
9158 @cindex preferred charset
9160 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9162 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9163 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9166 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9167 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9170 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9171 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9173 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9176 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9179 This will almost do the right thing.
9181 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9185 (codepage-setup 1251)
9186 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9190 @node Article Commands
9191 @section Article Commands
9198 @kindex A P (Summary)
9199 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9200 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9201 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9202 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9203 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9204 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9209 @node Summary Sorting
9210 @section Summary Sorting
9211 @cindex summary sorting
9213 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9214 can't really see why you'd want that.
9219 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9221 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9224 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9225 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9226 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9229 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9230 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9231 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9234 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9235 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9236 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9239 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9240 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9241 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9244 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9245 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9246 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9249 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9250 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9251 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9254 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9255 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9256 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9259 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9260 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9261 Sort using the default sorting method
9262 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9265 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9266 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9267 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9268 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9269 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9273 @node Finding the Parent
9274 @section Finding the Parent
9275 @cindex parent articles
9276 @cindex referring articles
9281 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9282 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9283 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9284 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9285 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9286 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9287 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9288 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9289 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9291 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9292 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9293 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9294 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9295 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9299 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9300 @kindex A R (Summary)
9301 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9302 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9305 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9306 @kindex A T (Summary)
9307 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9308 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9309 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9310 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9311 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9312 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9313 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9315 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9316 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9317 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9318 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9319 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9320 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9323 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9324 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9326 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9327 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9328 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9329 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9330 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9331 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9332 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9335 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9336 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9337 by giving this command a prefix.
9339 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9340 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9341 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9342 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9343 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9344 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9347 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9348 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9349 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9352 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9353 then ask Google if that fails:
9356 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9358 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9361 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9362 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9363 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9364 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9365 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9366 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9367 support this at all.
9370 @node Alternative Approaches
9371 @section Alternative Approaches
9373 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9374 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9377 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9378 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9383 @subsection Pick and Read
9384 @cindex pick and read
9386 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9387 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9388 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9389 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9391 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9392 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9393 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9394 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9395 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9396 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9398 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9403 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9404 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9405 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9406 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9407 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9408 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9409 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9410 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9413 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9414 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9415 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9416 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9420 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9421 Unpick the thread or article
9422 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9423 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9424 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9425 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9426 the thread or article at that line.
9430 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9431 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9432 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9433 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9434 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9435 will still be visible when you are reading.
9439 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9440 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9441 which is mapped to the same function
9442 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9444 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9447 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9450 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9451 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9453 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9454 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9455 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9457 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9458 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9459 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9460 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9461 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9462 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9463 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9467 @subsection Binary Groups
9468 @cindex binary groups
9470 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9471 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9472 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9473 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9474 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9475 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9476 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9479 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9480 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9481 command, when you have turned on this mode
9482 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9484 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9485 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9489 @section Tree Display
9492 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9493 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9494 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9495 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9498 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9501 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9502 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9503 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9505 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9506 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9507 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9508 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9509 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9511 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9512 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9513 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9514 default is @code{modeline}.
9516 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9517 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9518 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9519 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9520 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9521 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9522 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9528 The name of the poster.
9530 The @code{From} header.
9532 The number of the article.
9534 The opening bracket.
9536 The closing bracket.
9541 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9543 Variables related to the display are:
9546 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9547 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9548 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9549 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9550 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9551 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9553 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9554 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9555 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9556 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9560 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9561 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9562 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9563 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9564 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9565 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9566 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9567 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9568 other windows displayed next to it.
9570 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9574 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9575 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9578 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9579 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9580 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9581 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9582 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9583 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9584 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9588 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9591 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9601 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9605 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9606 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9608 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9610 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9615 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9616 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9617 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9620 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9621 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9622 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9623 (gnus-add-configuration
9627 (summary 0.75 point)
9632 @xref{Window Layout}.
9635 @node Mail Group Commands
9636 @section Mail Group Commands
9637 @cindex mail group commands
9639 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9640 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9642 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9643 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9648 @kindex B e (Summary)
9649 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9650 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9651 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9652 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9653 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9656 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9657 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9658 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9659 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9660 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9661 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9664 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9665 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9666 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9667 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9668 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9669 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9672 @kindex B m (Summary)
9674 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9675 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9676 Move the article from one mail group to another
9677 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9678 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9681 @kindex B c (Summary)
9683 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9684 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9685 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9686 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9687 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9690 @kindex B B (Summary)
9691 @cindex crosspost mail
9692 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9693 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9694 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9695 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9696 be properly updated.
9699 @kindex B i (Summary)
9700 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9701 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9702 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9703 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9706 @kindex B I (Summary)
9707 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9708 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9709 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9710 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9713 @kindex B r (Summary)
9714 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9715 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9716 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9717 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9718 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9719 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9720 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9721 (which is the default).
9725 @kindex B w (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9728 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9729 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9730 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9731 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9732 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9733 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9736 @kindex B q (Summary)
9737 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9738 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9739 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9740 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9743 @kindex B t (Summary)
9744 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9745 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9746 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9749 @kindex B p (Summary)
9750 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9751 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9752 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9753 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9754 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9755 article from your news server (or rather, from
9756 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9757 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9758 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9759 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9760 just not have arrived yet.
9763 @kindex K E (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9765 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9766 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9767 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9768 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9772 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9773 @cindex moving articles
9774 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9775 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9776 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9777 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9778 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9779 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9780 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9783 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9784 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9785 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9786 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9790 @node Various Summary Stuff
9791 @section Various Summary Stuff
9794 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9795 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9796 * Summary Generation Commands::
9797 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9801 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
9802 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
9803 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
9804 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
9805 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
9806 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
9808 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9809 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9810 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9812 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9813 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9814 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9815 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9816 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9817 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9820 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9821 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9822 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9823 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9824 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9826 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9827 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9828 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9831 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9832 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9833 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9834 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9835 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9836 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9837 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9838 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9839 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9840 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9842 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9843 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9844 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9845 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9846 list of articles to be selected.
9848 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9849 the list in one particular group:
9852 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9853 (if (string= group "some.group")
9854 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9858 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9859 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9860 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9861 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9862 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9863 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9864 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9865 buffers. For example:
9868 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9869 '(message-use-followup-to
9870 (gnus-visible-headers .
9871 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9877 @node Summary Group Information
9878 @subsection Summary Group Information
9883 @kindex H f (Summary)
9884 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9885 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9886 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9887 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9888 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9889 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9890 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9891 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9892 be used for fetching the file.
9895 @kindex H d (Summary)
9896 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9897 Give a brief description of the current group
9898 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9899 rereading the description from the server.
9902 @kindex H h (Summary)
9903 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9904 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9905 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9908 @kindex H i (Summary)
9909 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9910 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9914 @node Searching for Articles
9915 @subsection Searching for Articles
9920 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9921 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9922 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9923 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9926 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9927 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9928 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9929 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9933 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9934 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9935 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9936 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9937 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9938 search backward instead.
9940 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9941 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9944 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9945 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9946 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9947 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9950 @node Summary Generation Commands
9951 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9956 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9957 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9958 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9961 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9962 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9963 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9964 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9967 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9968 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9969 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9970 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
9975 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9976 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9982 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9983 @kindex A D (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9985 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9986 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9987 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9988 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9989 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9990 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9991 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9995 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9997 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9998 several documents into one biiig group
9999 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10000 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10001 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10002 command understands the process/prefix convention
10003 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10006 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10007 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10008 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10010 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10011 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10014 @kindex = (Summary)
10015 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10016 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10017 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10020 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10021 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10022 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10023 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10026 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10027 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10028 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10029 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10034 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10035 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10036 @cindex summary exit
10037 @cindex exiting groups
10039 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10040 group and return you to the group buffer.
10046 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10047 @kindex q (Summary)
10048 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10049 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10050 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10051 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10052 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10053 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10054 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10055 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10056 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10057 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10058 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10059 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10063 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10064 @kindex Q (Summary)
10065 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10066 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10067 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10071 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10072 @kindex c (Summary)
10073 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10074 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10075 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10076 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10079 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10080 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10081 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10082 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10085 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10086 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10087 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10088 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10091 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10092 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10093 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10094 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10095 all articles, both read and unread.
10099 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10100 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10101 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10102 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10103 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10104 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10105 articles, both read and unread.
10108 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10109 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10110 Exit the group and go to the next group
10111 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10114 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10115 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10116 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10117 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10120 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10121 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10122 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10123 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10124 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10125 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10128 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10129 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10130 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10131 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10133 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10134 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10135 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10136 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10137 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10138 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10139 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10140 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10141 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10142 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10143 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10144 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10146 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10148 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10149 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10150 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10151 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10152 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10153 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10154 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10155 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10156 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10159 @node Crosspost Handling
10160 @section Crosspost Handling
10164 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10165 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10166 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10167 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10168 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10169 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10172 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10173 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10174 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10175 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10176 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10178 @cindex cross-posting
10181 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10182 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10183 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10184 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10185 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10186 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10187 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10188 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10189 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10190 the cross reference mechanism.
10192 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10193 @cindex overview.fmt
10194 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10195 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10196 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10197 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10198 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10199 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10202 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10203 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10204 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10209 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10212 @node Duplicate Suppression
10213 @section Duplicate Suppression
10215 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10216 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10217 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10218 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10223 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10224 is evil and not very common.
10227 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10228 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10231 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10232 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10235 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10238 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10239 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10241 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10242 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10243 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10244 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10245 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10246 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10247 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10250 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10251 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10252 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10253 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10254 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10255 saw the article in.
10258 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10259 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10260 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10262 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10263 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10264 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10265 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10266 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10267 session are suppressed.
10269 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10270 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10271 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10272 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10274 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10275 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10276 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10277 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10280 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10281 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10282 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10283 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10284 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10285 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10286 to you to figure out, I think.
10291 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10292 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10293 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10297 To handle PGP and PGP/MIME messages, you have to install an OpenPGP
10298 implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface to GnuPG included
10299 with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), but
10300 Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10303 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10304 or newer is recommended.
10308 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10309 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10312 @item mm-verify-option
10313 @vindex mm-verify-option
10314 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10315 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10316 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10318 @item mm-decrypt-option
10319 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10320 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10321 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10322 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10325 @vindex mml1991-use
10326 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for PGP
10327 messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt} and
10328 @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10331 @vindex mml2015-use
10332 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10333 PGP/MIME messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt}
10334 and @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10339 @section Mailing List
10341 @kindex A M (summary)
10342 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10343 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10344 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10345 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10346 summary buffer, or say:
10349 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10352 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10357 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10358 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10359 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10362 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10363 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10364 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10367 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10368 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10369 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10373 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10374 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10375 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10378 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10379 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10380 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10383 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10384 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10385 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10389 @node Article Buffer
10390 @chapter Article Buffer
10391 @cindex article buffer
10393 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10394 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10395 tell gnus otherwise.
10398 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10399 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10400 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10401 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10402 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10406 @node Hiding Headers
10407 @section Hiding Headers
10408 @cindex hiding headers
10409 @cindex deleting headers
10411 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10412 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10414 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10415 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10416 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10417 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10418 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10419 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10420 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10421 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10422 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10424 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10428 @item gnus-visible-headers
10429 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10430 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10431 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10432 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10434 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10435 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10438 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10441 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10444 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10445 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10446 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10447 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10448 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10449 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10451 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10452 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10455 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10458 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10461 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10462 variable will have no effect.
10466 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10467 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10468 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10469 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10470 the headers are to be displayed.
10472 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10473 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10476 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10479 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10480 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10482 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10483 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10484 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10485 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10486 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10487 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10488 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10491 These conditions are:
10494 Remove all empty headers.
10496 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10497 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10499 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10500 @code{From} header.
10502 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10505 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10506 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10508 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10511 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10513 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10516 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10519 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10520 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10523 This is also the default value for this variable.
10527 @section Using MIME
10530 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10531 while people stand around yawning.
10533 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10534 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10536 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10537 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10538 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10540 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10541 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10542 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10543 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10544 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10545 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10546 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10547 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10548 not existed yet, sorry).
10550 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10551 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10552 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10553 These can't be avoided.
10555 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10556 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10557 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10558 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10559 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10560 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10561 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10562 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10563 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10566 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10568 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10569 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10570 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10571 buffer when there are nobody else.
10573 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10576 @node Customizing Articles
10577 @section Customizing Articles
10578 @cindex article customization
10580 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10581 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10582 called automatically when you select the articles.
10584 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10585 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10586 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10587 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10589 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10590 for sensible values.
10594 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10597 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10600 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10603 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10606 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10610 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10611 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10612 regexps in the list.
10615 A list where the first element is not a string:
10617 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10618 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10619 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10623 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10627 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10632 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10633 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10634 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10635 considered to contain just a single part.
10637 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10638 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10639 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10640 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10641 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10642 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10643 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10645 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10646 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10647 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10648 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10651 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10652 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10654 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10656 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10657 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10658 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10659 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10660 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10661 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10662 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10663 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10664 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10665 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10666 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10668 @xref{Article Washing}.
10670 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10671 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10672 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10673 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10674 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10675 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10676 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10678 @xref{Article Date}.
10680 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10681 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10682 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10686 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10688 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10690 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10691 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10692 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10696 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10700 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10701 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10702 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10703 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10704 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10705 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10706 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10707 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10709 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10711 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10712 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10713 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10715 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10717 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10718 @item gnus-treat-translate
10719 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10721 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10722 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10723 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10724 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10726 @xref{Article Header}.
10731 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10732 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10733 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10734 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10735 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10739 @node Article Keymap
10740 @section Article Keymap
10742 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10743 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10744 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10745 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10748 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10753 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10754 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10755 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10758 @kindex DEL (Article)
10759 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10760 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10763 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10764 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10765 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10766 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10767 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10770 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10771 @findex gnus-article-mail
10772 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10773 given a prefix, include the mail.
10776 @kindex s (Article)
10777 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10778 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10779 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10782 @kindex ? (Article)
10783 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10784 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10785 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10788 @kindex TAB (Article)
10789 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10790 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10791 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10794 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10795 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10796 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10799 @kindex R (Article)
10800 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10801 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10802 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10803 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10807 @kindex F (Article)
10808 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10809 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10810 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10811 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10819 @section Misc Article
10823 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10824 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10825 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10826 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10829 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10830 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10832 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10833 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10835 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10836 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10837 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10838 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10839 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10840 the contents of the article buffer.
10842 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10843 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10844 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10846 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10847 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10848 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10849 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10851 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10852 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10853 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10854 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10855 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10861 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10862 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10863 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10868 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10871 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10874 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10875 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10876 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10879 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10882 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10885 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10890 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10894 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10896 @item gnus-break-pages
10897 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10898 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10899 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10900 paging will not be done.
10902 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10903 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10904 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10909 @node Composing Messages
10910 @chapter Composing Messages
10911 @cindex composing messages
10914 @cindex sending mail
10919 @cindex using s/mime
10920 @cindex using smime
10922 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10923 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10924 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10925 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10926 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10927 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10930 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10931 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10932 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10933 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10934 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10935 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10936 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10937 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10940 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10941 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10947 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10950 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10951 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10952 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10953 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10954 @code{nil} include all headers.
10956 @item gnus-add-to-list
10957 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10958 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10959 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10961 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10962 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10963 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
10964 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
10965 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
10966 confirmation is should be asked for.
10968 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10969 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10971 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
10972 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
10973 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
10974 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
10975 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
10980 @node Posting Server
10981 @section Posting Server
10983 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10984 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10986 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10988 It can be quite complicated.
10990 @vindex gnus-post-method
10991 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10992 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10993 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10994 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10995 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10996 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10997 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10998 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10999 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11002 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11005 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11006 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11007 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11008 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11010 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11011 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11013 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11014 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11017 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11018 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11020 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11021 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11022 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11023 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11024 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11025 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11026 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11027 package correctly. An example:
11030 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11031 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11032 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11033 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11034 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11037 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11038 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11039 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11041 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11042 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11043 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11045 @node Mail and Post
11046 @section Mail and Post
11048 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11052 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11053 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11054 @cindex mailing lists
11056 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11057 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11058 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11059 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11060 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11061 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11062 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11063 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11064 still a pain, though.
11066 @item gnus-version-expose-system
11067 @vindex gnus-version-expose-system
11069 Your system type (@code{system-configuration} variable, such as
11070 @samp{i686-pc-linux}) is exposed in the auto-generated by default
11071 User-Agent header. Sometimes, it may be desireable (mostly because of
11072 aesthetic reasons) to turn it off. In this case, set it to @code{nil}.
11076 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11077 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11078 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11081 @findex ispell-message
11083 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11086 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11087 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11090 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11094 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11095 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11097 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11100 Modify to suit your needs.
11103 @node Archived Messages
11104 @section Archived Messages
11105 @cindex archived messages
11106 @cindex sent messages
11108 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11109 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11110 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11111 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11114 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11115 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11118 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11119 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11120 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11123 (nnfolder "archive"
11124 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11125 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11126 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11127 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11130 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11131 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11132 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11133 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11136 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11137 '(nnfolder "archive"
11138 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11139 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11140 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11143 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11145 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11146 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11147 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11149 This variable can be used to do the following:
11154 Messages will be saved in that group.
11156 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11157 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11158 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11159 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11160 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11161 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11162 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11163 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11167 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11169 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11170 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11173 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11178 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11180 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11183 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11185 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11188 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11190 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11191 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11192 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11193 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11196 More complex stuff:
11198 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11199 '((if (message-news-p)
11204 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11205 messages in one file per month:
11208 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11209 '((if (message-news-p)
11211 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11214 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11215 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11217 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11218 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11219 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11220 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11221 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11222 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11223 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11224 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11225 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11226 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11228 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11229 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11230 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11231 this will disable archiving.
11234 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11235 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11236 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11237 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11238 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11241 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11242 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11243 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11246 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11247 but the latter is the preferred method.
11249 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11250 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11251 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11253 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11254 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11255 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11256 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11257 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11258 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11259 changed in the future.
11264 @node Posting Styles
11265 @section Posting Styles
11266 @cindex posting styles
11269 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11271 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11272 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11273 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11276 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11277 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11278 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11279 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11280 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11285 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11286 (organization "What me?"))
11288 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11289 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11290 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11293 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11294 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11295 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11296 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11297 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11298 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11299 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11300 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11302 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11303 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11304 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11305 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11306 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11307 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11308 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11309 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11310 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11311 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11312 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11315 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11316 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11317 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11318 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11319 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11320 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11321 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11322 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11323 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11324 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11327 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11328 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11329 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11330 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11331 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11332 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11333 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11334 references chars lines xref extra.
11336 @vindex message-reply-headers
11338 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11339 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11340 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11342 @findex message-mail-p
11343 @findex message-news-p
11345 So here's a new example:
11348 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11350 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11352 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11353 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11355 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11356 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11357 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11358 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11359 (signature my-news-signature))
11360 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11361 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11362 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11363 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11364 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11365 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11366 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11367 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11368 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11369 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11371 (From (save-excursion
11372 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11373 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11375 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11378 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11379 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11380 if you fill many roles.
11382 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11383 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11384 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11385 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11386 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11387 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11388 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11389 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11394 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11396 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11398 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11399 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11402 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11405 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11406 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11413 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11414 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11415 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11416 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11417 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11419 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11420 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11421 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11422 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11423 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11427 @vindex nndraft-directory
11428 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11429 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11430 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11431 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11432 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11433 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11435 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11436 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11439 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11440 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11441 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11442 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11443 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11444 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11445 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11446 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11447 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11448 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11449 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11450 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11451 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11452 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11454 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11455 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11456 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11458 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11459 @kindex D e (Draft)
11460 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11461 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11462 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11464 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11467 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11468 @kindex D s (Draft)
11469 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11470 @kindex D S (Draft)
11471 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11472 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11473 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11474 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11475 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11478 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11479 @kindex D t (Draft)
11480 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11481 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11482 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11485 @node Rejected Articles
11486 @section Rejected Articles
11487 @cindex rejected articles
11489 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11490 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11491 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11492 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11494 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11495 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11496 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11497 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11498 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11500 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11501 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11502 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11504 @node Signing and encrypting
11505 @section Signing and encrypting
11507 @cindex using s/mime
11508 @cindex using smime
11510 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11511 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11512 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11513 (@pxref{Security}).
11515 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11516 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11517 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11518 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11519 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11520 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11521 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11522 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11523 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11524 automatically encrypted messages.
11526 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11527 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11528 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11533 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11534 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11536 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11539 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11540 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11542 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11545 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11546 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11548 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11551 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11552 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11554 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11557 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11558 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11560 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11563 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11564 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11566 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11569 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11570 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11571 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11575 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11577 @node Select Methods
11578 @chapter Select Methods
11579 @cindex foreign groups
11580 @cindex select methods
11582 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11583 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11584 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11585 personal mail group.
11587 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11588 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11589 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11590 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11591 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11592 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11594 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11595 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11597 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11600 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11601 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11602 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11603 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11604 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11606 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11609 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11610 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11611 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11612 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11613 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11614 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11615 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11616 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11620 @node Server Buffer
11621 @section Server Buffer
11623 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11624 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11625 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11626 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11627 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11628 back end represents a virtual server.
11630 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11631 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11632 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11633 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11635 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11636 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11637 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11638 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11639 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11640 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11641 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11643 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11644 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11647 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11648 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11649 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11650 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11651 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11652 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11653 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11656 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11657 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11660 @node Server Buffer Format
11661 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11662 @cindex server buffer format
11664 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11665 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11666 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11667 variable, with some simple extensions:
11672 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11675 The name of this server.
11678 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11681 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11684 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11685 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11686 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11687 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11697 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11700 @node Server Commands
11701 @subsection Server Commands
11702 @cindex server commands
11708 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11709 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11713 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11714 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11717 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11718 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11719 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11723 @findex gnus-server-exit
11724 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11728 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11729 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11733 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11734 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11738 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11739 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11743 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11744 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11748 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11749 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11750 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11755 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11756 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11757 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11758 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11763 @node Example Methods
11764 @subsection Example Methods
11766 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11769 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11772 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11778 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11779 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11782 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11783 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11785 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11786 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11790 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11793 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11794 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11796 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11797 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11798 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11802 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11805 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11808 Here's the method for a public spool:
11812 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11813 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11819 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11820 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11821 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11822 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11823 should probably look something like this:
11827 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11828 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11829 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11830 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11833 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11834 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11835 configuration to the example above:
11838 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11841 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11843 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11844 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11845 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11849 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11850 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11851 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11852 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11855 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11856 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11857 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11858 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11861 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11862 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11864 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11865 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11867 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11868 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11869 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11871 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11873 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11874 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11875 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11876 will contain the following:
11886 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11887 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11888 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11891 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11892 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11893 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11896 @node Server Variables
11897 @subsection Server Variables
11899 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11900 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11901 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11902 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11903 won't change the "derived" variables.
11905 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11906 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11907 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11908 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11909 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11910 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11911 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11912 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11913 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11917 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11918 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11919 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11923 @node Servers and Methods
11924 @subsection Servers and Methods
11926 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11927 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11928 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11929 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11933 @node Unavailable Servers
11934 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11936 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11937 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11938 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11939 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11940 actually the case or not.
11942 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11943 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11944 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11945 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11946 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11947 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11948 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11949 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11951 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11952 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11954 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11955 with the following commands:
11961 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11962 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11963 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11967 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11968 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11969 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11973 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11974 Mark the current server as unreachable
11975 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11978 @kindex M-o (Server)
11979 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11980 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11981 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11984 @kindex M-c (Server)
11985 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11986 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11987 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11991 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11992 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11993 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11997 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11998 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12004 @section Getting News
12005 @cindex reading news
12006 @cindex news back ends
12008 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12009 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
12010 or it can read from a local spool.
12013 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
12014 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12022 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
12023 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
12024 server as the, uhm, address.
12026 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12027 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12028 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12029 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12031 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12032 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12033 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12035 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12040 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12041 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12042 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12044 @cindex authentification
12045 @cindex nntp authentification
12046 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12047 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12048 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12049 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
12050 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12051 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12052 present in this hook.
12054 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12055 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12056 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12057 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12058 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
12059 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12060 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12061 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12062 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12063 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12064 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12065 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12069 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12072 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12074 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12075 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12076 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12077 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12078 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12079 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12080 @samp{force} is explained below.
12084 Here's an example file:
12087 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12088 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12091 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12092 have to be first, for instance.
12094 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12095 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12096 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12097 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12098 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12099 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12100 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12102 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12103 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12109 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12110 previously mentioned.
12112 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12114 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12115 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12116 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12117 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12118 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12121 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12122 '(("innd" (ding))))
12125 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12127 The default value is
12130 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12131 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12132 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12135 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12136 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12138 @item nntp-maximum-request
12139 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12140 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12141 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12142 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12143 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12144 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12145 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12147 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12148 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12149 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12150 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12151 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12152 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12153 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12154 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12155 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12156 no timeouts are done.
12158 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12159 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12160 @c @cindex PPP connections
12161 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12162 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12163 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12164 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12165 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12166 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12167 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12168 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12169 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12170 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12172 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12173 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12174 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12175 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12176 @c described above.
12178 @item nntp-server-hook
12179 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12180 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12183 @item nntp-buggy-select
12184 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12185 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12187 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12188 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12189 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12190 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12193 @item nntp-xover-commands
12194 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12197 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12198 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12202 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12203 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12204 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12205 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12206 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12207 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12208 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12209 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12210 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12211 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12212 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12214 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12215 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12216 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12218 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12219 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12220 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12221 server closes connection.
12223 @item nntp-record-commands
12224 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12225 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12226 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12227 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12228 that doesn't seem to work.
12230 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12231 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12232 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12233 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12234 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12235 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12236 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12237 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12239 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12240 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12241 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12242 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12243 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12244 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12245 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12248 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12251 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12252 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12254 @item nntp-read-timeout
12255 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12256 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12257 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12258 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12259 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12262 @item nntp-list-options
12263 @vindex nntp-list-options
12264 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12265 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12266 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12267 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12268 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12272 (setq gnus-select-method
12273 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12274 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12277 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12278 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12279 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12280 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12281 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12282 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12283 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12286 (setq gnus-select-method
12287 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12288 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12291 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12292 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12293 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12294 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12295 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12296 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12297 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12300 (setq gnus-select-method
12301 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12302 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12307 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12308 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12309 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12313 @node Direct Functions
12314 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12315 @cindex direct connection functions
12317 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12318 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12319 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12320 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12323 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12324 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12325 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12328 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12329 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12330 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12331 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12332 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12333 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12334 define a server as follows:
12337 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12339 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12340 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12342 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12343 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12344 (nntp-port-number 563)
12345 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12348 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12349 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12350 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12351 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12352 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12353 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12354 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12355 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12359 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12360 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12361 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12364 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12365 session, which is not a good idea.
12369 @node Indirect Functions
12370 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12371 @cindex indirect connection functions
12373 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12374 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12375 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12376 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12377 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12378 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12381 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12382 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12383 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12384 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12385 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12387 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12390 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12391 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12392 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12393 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12395 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12396 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12397 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12398 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12399 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12400 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12401 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12402 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12405 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12406 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12407 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12408 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12410 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12413 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12414 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12415 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12418 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12419 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12420 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12421 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12423 @item nntp-via-user-password
12424 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12425 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12427 @item nntp-via-envuser
12428 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12429 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12430 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12431 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12433 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12434 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12435 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12436 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12443 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12448 @item nntp-via-user-name
12449 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12450 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12452 @item nntp-via-address
12453 @vindex nntp-via-address
12454 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12459 @node Common Variables
12460 @subsubsection Common Variables
12462 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12463 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12468 @item nntp-pre-command
12469 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12470 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12471 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12472 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12473 wrapper for instance.
12476 @vindex nntp-address
12477 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12479 @item nntp-port-number
12480 @vindex nntp-port-number
12481 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12482 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12483 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12484 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12486 @item nntp-end-of-line
12487 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12488 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12489 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12490 using a non native connection function.
12492 @item nntp-telnet-command
12493 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12494 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12495 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12496 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12498 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12499 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12500 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12507 @subsection News Spool
12511 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12512 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12513 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12516 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12517 anything else) as the address.
12519 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12520 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12521 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12522 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12526 @item nnspool-inews-program
12527 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12528 Program used to post an article.
12530 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12531 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12532 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12534 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12535 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12536 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12537 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12539 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12540 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12541 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12542 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12544 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12545 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12546 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12548 @item nnspool-active-file
12549 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12550 The name of the active file.
12552 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12553 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12554 The name of the group descriptions file.
12556 @item nnspool-history-file
12557 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12558 The name of the news history file.
12560 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12561 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12562 The name of the active date file.
12564 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12565 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12566 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12569 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12570 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12572 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12573 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12574 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12580 @section Getting Mail
12581 @cindex reading mail
12584 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12588 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12589 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12590 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12591 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12592 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12593 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12594 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12595 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12596 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12597 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12598 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12599 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12600 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12604 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12605 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12607 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12608 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12609 of a culture shock.
12611 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12612 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12614 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12615 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12616 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12617 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12619 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12621 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12622 deleted? How awful!
12624 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12625 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12626 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12627 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12630 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12631 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12632 they want to treat a message.
12634 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12635 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12636 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12637 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12638 archived somewhere else.
12640 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12641 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12642 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12643 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12644 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12646 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12647 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12648 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12650 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12651 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12654 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12655 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12656 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12657 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12658 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12660 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12661 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12662 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12663 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12664 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12665 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12669 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12670 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12672 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12673 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12674 and things will happen automatically.
12676 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12677 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12680 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12683 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12684 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12685 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12686 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12687 like any other group.
12689 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12692 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12693 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12694 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12698 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12699 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12700 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12703 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12704 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12705 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12708 @node Splitting Mail
12709 @subsection Splitting Mail
12710 @cindex splitting mail
12711 @cindex mail splitting
12713 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12714 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12715 to be split into groups.
12718 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12719 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12720 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12721 ("mail.other" "")))
12724 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12725 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12726 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12727 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12728 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12729 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12730 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12733 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12736 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12737 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12738 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12739 mail belongs in that group.
12741 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12742 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12743 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12744 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12745 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12746 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12748 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12749 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12750 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12751 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12752 thinks should carry this mail message.
12754 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12755 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12756 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12757 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12759 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12760 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12761 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12762 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12763 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12765 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12768 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12769 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12770 links. If that's the case for you, set
12771 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12772 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12774 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12775 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12776 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12777 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12778 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12779 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12782 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12783 Header lines longer than the value of
12784 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12787 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12788 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12789 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12790 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12791 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12792 can be turned off completely by binding
12793 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12794 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12796 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12797 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12798 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12799 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12800 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12801 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12802 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12805 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12806 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12807 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12808 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12809 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12810 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12811 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12812 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12813 month's rent money.
12817 @subsection Mail Sources
12819 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12820 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12824 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12825 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12826 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12830 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12831 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12833 @cindex mail server
12836 @cindex mail source
12838 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12839 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12844 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12847 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12848 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12849 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12852 The following mail source types are available:
12856 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12862 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12863 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12864 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12867 An example file mail source:
12870 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12873 Or using the default file name:
12879 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12880 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12881 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12884 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12888 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12891 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12895 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12898 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12900 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12903 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12907 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12908 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12909 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12910 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12911 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12912 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12913 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12914 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12915 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12916 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12918 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12919 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12920 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12921 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12927 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12931 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12935 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12936 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12937 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12938 predicate are considered.
12942 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12946 An example directory mail source:
12949 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12954 Get mail from a POP server.
12960 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12961 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12964 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12965 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12966 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12967 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12968 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12971 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12975 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12979 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12980 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12983 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12986 The valid format specifier characters are:
12990 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12991 included in this string.
12994 The name of the server.
12997 The port number of the server.
13000 The user name to use.
13003 The password to use.
13006 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13007 corresponding keywords.
13010 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13011 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13014 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13015 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13018 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
13019 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
13022 @item :authentication
13023 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13024 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13028 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13029 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13030 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13031 programs and libraries:
13035 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13036 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13037 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13039 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13040 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13045 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13046 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13050 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13051 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13053 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
13054 default user name, and default fetcher:
13060 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13063 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13064 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13067 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13070 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13074 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13075 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13076 contains exactly one mail.
13082 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13083 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13086 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13087 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13089 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13090 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13091 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13094 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13095 from locking problems).
13099 Two example maildir mail sources:
13102 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13103 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13107 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13112 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13113 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13114 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13115 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13118 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
13119 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13125 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13126 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13129 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13130 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13133 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13137 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13141 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13142 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13143 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13144 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13146 @item :authentication
13147 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13148 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13149 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13150 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13153 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13154 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
13155 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13161 The valid format specifier characters are:
13165 The name of the server.
13168 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13171 The port number of the server.
13174 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13175 corresponding keywords.
13178 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13179 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13182 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13183 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13184 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13185 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13186 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13187 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13190 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13191 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13192 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13193 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13196 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13197 after finishing the fetch.
13201 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13204 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13206 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13210 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13211 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13212 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13214 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13215 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13217 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13223 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13224 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13227 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13231 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13235 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13236 folder after finishing the fetch.
13240 An example webmail source:
13243 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13245 :password "secret")
13250 @item Common Keywords
13251 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13257 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13258 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13262 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13267 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13268 useful when you use local mail and news.
13273 @subsubsection Function Interface
13275 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13276 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13277 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13278 consider the following mail-source setting:
13281 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13282 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13285 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13286 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13287 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13288 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13289 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13291 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13294 @node Mail Source Customization
13295 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13297 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13298 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13302 @item mail-source-crash-box
13303 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13304 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13305 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13307 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13308 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13309 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13311 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13312 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13313 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13315 @item mail-source-directory
13316 @vindex mail-source-directory
13317 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13318 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13319 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13322 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13323 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13324 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13325 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13326 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13327 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13329 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13330 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13331 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13333 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13334 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13335 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13336 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13341 @node Fetching Mail
13342 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13344 @vindex mail-sources
13345 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13346 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13347 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13348 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13350 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13351 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13354 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13355 mail server, you'd say something like:
13360 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13361 :password "secret")))
13364 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13368 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13369 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13372 :password "secret")))
13376 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13377 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13378 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13379 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13380 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13381 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13385 @node Mail Back End Variables
13386 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13388 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13392 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13393 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13394 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13395 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13397 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13398 @item nnmail-split-hook
13399 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13400 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13401 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13402 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13403 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13404 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13405 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13406 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13407 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13410 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13411 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13412 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13413 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13414 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13415 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13416 starting to handle the new mail) and
13417 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13418 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13419 default file modes the new mail files get:
13422 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13423 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13425 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13426 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13429 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13430 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13431 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13432 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13433 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13434 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13435 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13437 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13438 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13439 @findex delete-file
13440 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13442 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13443 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13444 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13445 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13446 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13448 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13449 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13450 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13451 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13452 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13454 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13455 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13456 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13461 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13462 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13463 @cindex mail splitting
13464 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13466 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13467 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13468 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13469 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13470 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13471 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13473 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13476 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13477 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13478 ;; from real errors.
13479 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13481 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13482 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13483 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13484 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13485 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13486 ;; Other mailing lists...
13487 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13488 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13489 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13490 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13491 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13492 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13493 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13494 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13496 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13497 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13501 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13502 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13503 the five possible split syntaxes:
13508 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13509 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13513 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13514 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13515 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13516 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13517 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13518 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13519 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13520 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13523 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13524 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13525 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13526 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13529 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13530 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13533 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13534 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13537 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13538 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13539 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13540 function should return a @var{split}.
13543 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13544 body of the messages:
13547 (defun split-on-body ()
13549 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13550 (goto-char (point-min))
13551 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13555 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13556 when the @code{:} function is run.
13559 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13560 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13561 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13565 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13569 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13570 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13571 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13572 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13573 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13575 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13576 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13577 are expanded as specified by the variable
13578 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13579 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13582 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13583 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13584 when all this splitting is performed.
13586 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13587 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13588 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13591 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13594 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13595 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13597 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13598 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13599 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13600 groupings 1 through 9.
13602 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13603 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13604 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13605 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13606 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13607 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13608 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13609 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13610 it once per thread.
13612 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13613 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13614 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13617 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13618 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13620 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13621 ;; other splits go here
13625 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13626 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13627 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13628 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13629 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13630 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13631 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13632 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13633 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13634 unless the group name matches the regexp
13635 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13636 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13637 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13638 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13639 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13640 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13641 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13642 messages goes into the new group.
13644 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13645 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13646 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13647 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13648 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13652 @node Group Mail Splitting
13653 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13654 @cindex mail splitting
13655 @cindex group mail splitting
13657 @findex gnus-group-split
13658 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13659 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13660 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13661 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13662 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13663 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13664 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13665 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13667 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13668 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13669 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13670 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13672 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13673 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13674 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13675 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13676 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13677 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13678 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13680 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13681 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13682 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13683 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13684 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13685 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13686 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13688 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13689 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13690 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13691 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13692 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13693 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13694 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13695 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13696 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13697 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13698 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13699 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13700 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13702 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13707 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13708 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13710 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13711 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13712 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13713 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13715 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13718 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13719 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13720 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13723 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13724 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13725 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13729 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13730 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13731 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13735 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13738 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13739 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13740 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13741 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13742 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13743 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13744 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13745 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13746 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13748 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13749 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13750 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13751 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13752 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13753 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13754 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13755 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13756 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13758 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13759 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13760 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13761 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13762 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13763 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13766 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13769 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13770 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13771 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13772 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13773 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13776 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13777 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13778 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13779 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13781 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13782 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13783 @cindex incorporating old mail
13784 @cindex import old mail
13786 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13787 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13788 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13791 Doing so can be quite easy.
13793 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13794 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13795 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13796 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13797 your @code{nnml} groups.
13803 Go to the group buffer.
13806 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13807 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13810 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
13813 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13814 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13817 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13818 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13821 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13822 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13823 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13824 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13825 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13827 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13828 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13829 using the new mail back end.
13832 @node Expiring Mail
13833 @subsection Expiring Mail
13834 @cindex article expiry
13836 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13837 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13838 different approach to mail reading.
13840 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13841 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13842 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13843 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13844 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13845 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13848 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13849 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13850 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13851 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13852 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13853 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13854 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13855 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13856 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13858 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13859 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13860 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13861 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13862 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13863 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13864 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13867 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13868 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13869 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13870 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13871 into its own group.)
13873 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13874 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13875 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13876 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13877 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13878 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13879 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13880 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13883 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13884 Groups that match the regular expression
13885 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13886 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13887 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13889 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13890 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13891 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13892 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13893 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13895 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13897 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13898 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13899 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13902 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13903 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13904 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13905 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13906 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13908 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13909 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13912 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13913 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13916 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13917 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13919 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13920 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13921 don't really mix very well.
13923 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13924 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13925 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13926 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13929 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13930 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13931 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13932 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13935 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13937 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13939 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13941 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13943 ((string= group "important")
13949 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13950 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13952 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13953 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13954 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13957 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13958 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13960 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13961 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13962 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13963 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13964 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13965 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13966 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13967 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13968 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13969 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13970 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13971 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13972 name or @code{delete}.
13974 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13976 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13979 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13980 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13981 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13982 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13983 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13986 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13987 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13988 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13989 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13990 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13993 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13994 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13995 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13996 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13997 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13998 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14000 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14001 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14002 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14003 easier for procmail users.
14005 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14006 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14007 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14008 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14009 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14010 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14011 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14012 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14013 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14014 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14015 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14016 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14017 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14020 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14022 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14023 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14024 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14025 auto-expire turned on.
14029 @subsection Washing Mail
14030 @cindex mail washing
14031 @cindex list server brain damage
14032 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14034 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14035 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14036 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14037 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14038 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14039 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14041 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14042 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14043 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14046 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14047 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14048 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14049 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14052 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14053 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14054 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14055 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14056 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14059 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14060 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14061 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14062 Emacs running on MS machines.
14066 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14067 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14068 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14069 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14072 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14073 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14074 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14075 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14077 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14078 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14079 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14080 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14081 into a feature by documenting it.)
14083 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14084 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14085 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14086 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14087 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14088 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14089 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14092 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14093 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14096 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14097 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14100 This can also be done non-destructively with
14101 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14103 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14104 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14105 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14107 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14108 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14110 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14111 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14112 @code{References} headers.
14116 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14117 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14118 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14122 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14123 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14124 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14131 @subsection Duplicates
14133 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14134 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14135 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14136 @cindex duplicate mails
14137 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14138 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14139 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14140 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14141 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14142 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14143 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14144 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14145 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14146 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14147 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14148 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14149 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14151 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14152 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14153 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14154 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14156 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14159 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14160 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14164 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14165 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14166 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14167 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14168 (any mail "mail.misc")
14175 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14176 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14181 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14182 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14183 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14184 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14185 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14188 @node Not Reading Mail
14189 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14191 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14192 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14193 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14195 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14196 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14197 mail, which should help.
14199 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14200 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14201 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14202 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14203 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14204 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14205 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14206 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14207 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14208 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14209 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14211 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14212 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14216 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14217 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14219 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14220 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14221 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14223 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14224 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14225 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14226 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14227 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14228 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14229 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14232 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14233 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14234 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14235 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14236 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14237 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14241 @node Unix Mail Box
14242 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14244 @cindex unix mail box
14246 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14247 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14248 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14249 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14250 which group it belongs in.
14252 Virtual server settings:
14255 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14256 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14257 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14260 @item nnmbox-active-file
14261 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14262 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14263 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14265 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14266 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14267 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14268 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14273 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14277 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14278 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14279 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14280 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14281 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14283 Virtual server settings:
14286 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14287 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14288 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14290 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14291 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14292 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14293 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14295 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14296 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14297 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14303 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14305 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14307 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14308 format. It should be used with some caution.
14310 @vindex nnml-directory
14311 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14312 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14313 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14314 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14316 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14319 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14320 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14321 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14322 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14323 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14324 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14325 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14326 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14328 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14329 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14330 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14331 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14333 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14335 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14336 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14337 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14338 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14339 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14340 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14341 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14342 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14345 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14346 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14347 them next time it starts.
14349 Virtual server settings:
14352 @item nnml-directory
14353 @vindex nnml-directory
14354 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14355 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14358 @item nnml-active-file
14359 @vindex nnml-active-file
14360 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14361 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14363 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14364 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14365 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14366 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14368 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14369 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14370 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14373 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14374 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14375 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14376 default is @code{nil}.
14378 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14379 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14380 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14382 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14383 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14384 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14386 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14387 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14388 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14389 default is @code{nil}.
14391 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14392 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14393 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14395 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14396 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14397 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14402 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14403 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14404 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14405 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14406 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14407 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14408 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14413 @subsubsection MH Spool
14415 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14417 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14418 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14419 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14420 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14422 Virtual server settings:
14425 @item nnmh-directory
14426 @vindex nnmh-directory
14427 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14428 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14431 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14432 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14433 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14437 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14438 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14439 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14440 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14441 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14442 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14443 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14448 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14450 @cindex mbox folders
14451 @cindex mail folders
14453 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14454 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14455 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14458 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14460 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14461 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14462 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14463 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14464 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14465 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14466 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14467 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14468 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14469 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14471 Virtual server settings:
14474 @item nnfolder-directory
14475 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14476 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14477 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14480 @item nnfolder-active-file
14481 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14482 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14484 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14485 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14486 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14487 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14489 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14490 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14491 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14494 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14495 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14496 @cindex backup files
14497 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14498 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14499 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14500 your @file{.emacs} file:
14503 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14504 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14506 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14509 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14510 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14511 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14512 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14513 extract some information from it before removing it.
14515 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14516 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14517 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14518 default is @code{nil}.
14520 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14521 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14522 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14524 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14525 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14526 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14527 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14529 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14530 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14531 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14532 default is @code{nil}.
14534 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14535 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14536 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14538 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14539 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14540 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14541 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14546 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14547 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14548 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14549 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14550 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14551 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14554 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14555 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14557 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14558 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14559 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14560 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14561 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14563 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14564 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14565 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14566 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14567 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14568 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14569 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14570 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14573 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14574 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14575 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14576 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14581 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14582 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14583 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14584 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14585 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14586 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14587 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14588 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14589 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14590 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14591 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14592 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14593 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14598 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14599 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14600 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14601 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14602 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14603 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14604 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14605 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14606 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14607 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14608 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14609 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14610 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14611 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14613 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14614 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14619 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14620 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14621 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14622 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14623 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14624 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14625 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14626 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14627 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14628 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14629 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14630 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14631 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14632 provided by the active file and overviews.
14634 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14635 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14636 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14637 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14638 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14641 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14642 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14647 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14648 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14649 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14650 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14651 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14652 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14653 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14657 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14658 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14659 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14660 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14661 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14662 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14663 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14664 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14665 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14667 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14668 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14669 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14670 friendly mail back end all over.
14674 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14675 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14676 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14677 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14678 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14679 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14680 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14681 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14684 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14685 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14686 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14687 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14688 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14689 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14690 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14691 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14692 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14693 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14694 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14696 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14697 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14698 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14699 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14700 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14701 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14702 This will probably be changed in the future.
14704 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14705 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14706 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14707 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14708 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14711 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14712 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14714 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14715 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14716 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14717 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14718 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14719 would) to make it use less memory.
14721 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14722 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14723 depending in part on your file system.
14725 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14726 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14731 @node Browsing the Web
14732 @section Browsing the Web
14734 @cindex browsing the web
14738 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14739 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14740 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14741 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14742 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14743 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14744 even know what a news group is.
14746 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14747 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14748 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14749 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14750 you mad in the end.
14752 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14755 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14756 interfaces to these sources.
14760 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14761 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14762 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14763 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14764 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14765 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14768 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14770 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14771 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14772 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14773 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14774 though, you should be ok.
14776 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14777 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14778 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14779 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14780 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14782 @node Archiving Mail
14783 @subsection Archiving Mail
14784 @cindex archiving mail
14785 @cindex backup of mail
14787 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14788 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14789 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14790 marks is fairly simple.
14792 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14793 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14796 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14797 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14798 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14799 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14800 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14801 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14802 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14803 before you restore the data.
14805 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14806 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14807 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14808 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14809 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14810 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14811 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14812 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14813 is unnecessary in that case.
14816 @subsection Web Searches
14821 @cindex Usenet searches
14822 @cindex searching the Usenet
14824 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14825 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14826 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14827 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14828 searches without having to use a browser.
14830 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14831 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14832 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14833 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14834 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14836 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14837 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14838 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14839 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14840 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14841 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14842 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14843 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14844 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14845 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14848 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14849 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14850 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14851 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14852 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14853 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14855 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14856 to use @code{nnweb}.
14858 Virtual server variables:
14863 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14864 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14865 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14868 @vindex nnweb-search
14869 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14871 @item nnweb-max-hits
14872 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14873 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14876 @item nnweb-type-definition
14877 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14878 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14879 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14884 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14888 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14891 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14894 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14898 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14905 @subsection Slashdot
14909 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14910 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14911 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14913 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14914 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14917 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14918 '((nnslashdot "")))
14921 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14922 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14923 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14924 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14925 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14928 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14929 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14931 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14932 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14933 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14934 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14935 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14936 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14939 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14942 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14943 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14944 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14945 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14946 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14947 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14948 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14950 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14951 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14952 The login name to use when posting.
14954 @item nnslashdot-password
14955 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14956 The password to use when posting.
14958 @item nnslashdot-directory
14959 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14960 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14961 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14963 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14964 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14965 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14966 news articles and comments. The default is
14967 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14969 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14970 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14971 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14973 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14975 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14976 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14977 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14979 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14981 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14982 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14983 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14985 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14986 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14987 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14988 updated. The default is 0.
14995 @subsection Ultimate
14997 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14999 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
15000 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15001 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15002 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15004 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15005 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15006 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15007 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15008 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15009 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15010 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15012 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15015 @item nnultimate-directory
15016 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15017 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
15018 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
15023 @subsection Web Archive
15025 @cindex Web Archive
15027 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15028 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15029 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15030 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15033 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15034 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15035 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15036 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
15037 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
15038 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15039 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15040 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15042 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15045 @item nnwarchive-directory
15046 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15047 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
15048 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
15050 @item nnwarchive-login
15051 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15052 The account name on the web server.
15054 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15055 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15056 The password for your account on the web server.
15064 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15065 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15066 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15069 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15070 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15073 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15076 @item nnrss-directory
15077 @vindex nnrss-directory
15078 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15079 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
15083 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15084 the summary buffer.
15087 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15088 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15090 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15092 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15093 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15096 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15099 (require 'browse-url)
15101 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15103 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15106 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15107 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15110 (browse-url (cdr url))
15111 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15112 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15114 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15115 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15116 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15117 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15120 @node Customizing w3
15121 @subsection Customizing w3
15127 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15128 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15129 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15131 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15132 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15133 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15136 (eval-after-load "w3"
15138 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15139 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15140 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15141 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15143 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15146 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15147 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15156 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15157 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15158 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15159 specify the network address of the server.
15161 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15162 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15163 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15164 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15165 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15167 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15168 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15169 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15170 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15172 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15173 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15174 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15175 usage explained in this section.
15177 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15178 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15179 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15182 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15183 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15184 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15186 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15187 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15188 ; a UW server running on localhost
15190 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15191 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15192 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15193 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15194 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15195 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15196 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15197 (nnimap-stream network))
15198 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15200 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15201 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15202 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15205 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15206 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15207 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15208 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15210 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15215 @item nnimap-address
15216 @vindex nnimap-address
15218 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15219 server name if not specified.
15221 @item nnimap-server-port
15222 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15223 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15225 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15228 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15229 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15232 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15233 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15234 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15235 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15236 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15237 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15238 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15240 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15241 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15242 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15245 Example server specification:
15248 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15249 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15250 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15253 @item nnimap-stream
15254 @vindex nnimap-stream
15255 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15256 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15257 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15258 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15260 Example server specification:
15263 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15264 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15267 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15271 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15272 @samp{imtest} program.
15274 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15276 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15277 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15280 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15281 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15282 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15284 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15286 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15289 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15290 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15291 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15292 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15293 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15294 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15295 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15296 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15297 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15300 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15301 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15302 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15303 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15304 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15305 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15306 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15307 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15308 distribution, for instance).
15310 @vindex imap-shell-program
15311 @vindex imap-shell-host
15312 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15313 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15315 @item nnimap-authenticator
15316 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15318 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15319 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15321 Example server specification:
15324 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15325 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15328 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15332 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15333 external program @code{imtest}.
15335 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15338 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15339 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15341 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15343 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15345 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15348 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15350 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15351 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15352 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15353 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15354 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15355 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15358 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15359 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15360 running in circles yet?
15362 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15363 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15366 The possible options are:
15371 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15374 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15375 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15376 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15377 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15379 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15384 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15385 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15387 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15388 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15389 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15390 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15391 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15394 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15395 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15398 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15399 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15400 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15401 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15404 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15405 as ticked for other users.
15407 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15409 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15411 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15412 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15413 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15414 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15416 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15417 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15418 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15419 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15421 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15422 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15424 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15425 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15426 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15432 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15433 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15434 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15435 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15436 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15441 @node Splitting in IMAP
15442 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15443 @cindex splitting imap mail
15445 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15446 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15447 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15448 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15449 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15453 Here are the variables of interest:
15457 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15458 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15460 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15462 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15463 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15465 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15467 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15468 @cindex splitting, inbox
15470 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15472 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15473 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15477 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15478 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15481 No nnmail equivalent.
15483 @item nnimap-split-rule
15484 @cindex Splitting, rules
15485 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15487 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15490 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15491 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15492 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15493 Neither did I, we need examples.
15496 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15498 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15499 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15500 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15503 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15504 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15505 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15507 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15508 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15512 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15515 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15516 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15518 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15519 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15520 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15521 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15523 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15524 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15525 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15526 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15527 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15528 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15530 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15531 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15532 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15534 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15535 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15536 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15538 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15540 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15541 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15542 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15545 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15546 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15547 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15548 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15549 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15550 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15553 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15554 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15555 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15556 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15557 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15558 group/function elements.
15560 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15562 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15564 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15566 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15567 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15569 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15570 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15571 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15574 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15575 @cindex splitting, fancy
15576 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15577 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15579 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15580 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15581 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15583 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15584 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15585 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15586 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15591 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15592 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15595 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15597 @item nnimap-split-download-body
15598 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
15599 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
15601 Set to non-nil to download entire articles during splitting. This is
15602 generally not required, and will slow things down considerably. You
15603 may need it if you want to use an advanced splitting function that
15604 analyses the body to split the article.
15608 @node Expiring in IMAP
15609 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15610 @cindex expiring imap mail
15612 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
15613 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
15614 Mail}). Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do
15615 not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
15616 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
15617 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
15620 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15621 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15622 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15623 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15624 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15625 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15626 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15627 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15631 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15632 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15634 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15635 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15637 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15639 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15640 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15641 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15642 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15646 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15647 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15648 @cindex editing imap acls
15649 @cindex Access Control Lists
15650 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15652 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15654 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15655 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15656 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15659 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15660 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15661 editing window with detailed instructions.
15663 Some possible uses:
15667 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15668 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15669 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15671 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15672 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15673 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15677 @node Expunging mailboxes
15678 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15682 @cindex Manual expunging
15684 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15686 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15687 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15688 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15690 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15693 @node A note on namespaces
15694 @subsection A note on namespaces
15695 @cindex IMAP namespace
15698 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15699 following text in the RFC:
15702 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15704 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15705 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15706 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15707 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15709 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15710 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15711 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15712 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15713 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15714 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15717 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15718 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15719 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15721 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15722 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15723 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15724 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15725 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15726 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15727 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15728 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15730 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15731 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15732 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15734 @node Other Sources
15735 @section Other Sources
15737 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15738 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15742 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15743 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15744 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15745 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15746 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15750 @node Directory Groups
15751 @subsection Directory Groups
15753 @cindex directory groups
15755 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15756 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15759 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15760 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15761 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15762 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15764 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15765 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15766 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15767 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15768 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15770 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15772 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15773 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15774 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15775 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15778 @node Anything Groups
15779 @subsection Anything Groups
15782 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15783 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15784 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15787 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15788 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15789 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15790 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15791 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15792 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15793 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15794 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15795 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15796 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15799 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15800 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15801 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15802 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15804 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15805 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15806 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15807 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15809 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15810 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15811 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15812 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15813 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15814 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15815 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15816 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15821 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15822 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15823 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15824 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15826 @item nneething-exclude-files
15827 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15828 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15829 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15831 @item nneething-include-files
15832 @vindex nneething-include-files
15833 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15834 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15836 @item nneething-map-file
15837 @vindex nneething-map-file
15838 Name of the map files.
15842 @node Document Groups
15843 @subsection Document Groups
15845 @cindex documentation group
15848 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15849 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15856 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15861 The standard Unix mbox file.
15863 @cindex MMDF mail box
15865 The MMDF mail box format.
15868 Several news articles appended into a file.
15871 @cindex rnews batch files
15872 The rnews batch transport format.
15873 @cindex forwarded messages
15876 Forwarded articles.
15879 Netscape mail boxes.
15882 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15884 @item standard-digest
15885 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15888 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15890 @item lanl-gov-announce
15891 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15893 @item rfc822-forward
15894 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15897 The Outlook mail box.
15900 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15903 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15906 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15909 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15915 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15918 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15924 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15925 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15926 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15929 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15930 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15931 group. And that's it.
15933 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15934 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15935 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15936 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15937 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15938 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15939 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15940 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15941 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15942 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15944 Virtual server variables:
15947 @item nndoc-article-type
15948 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15949 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15950 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15951 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15952 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15953 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15955 @item nndoc-post-type
15956 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15957 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15958 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15963 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15967 @node Document Server Internals
15968 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15970 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15971 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15972 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15973 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15975 First, here's an example document type definition:
15979 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15980 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15983 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15984 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15985 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15986 types can be defined with very few settings:
15989 @item first-article
15990 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15991 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15994 @item article-begin
15995 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15996 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15998 @item head-begin-function
15999 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16002 @item nndoc-head-begin
16003 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16006 @item nndoc-head-end
16007 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16008 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16010 @item body-begin-function
16011 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16015 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16018 @item body-end-function
16019 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16023 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16026 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16027 regexp will be totally ignored.
16031 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16032 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16033 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16034 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16035 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16038 @item prepare-body-function
16039 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16040 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16041 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16043 @item article-transform-function
16044 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16045 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16046 body of the article.
16048 @item generate-head-function
16049 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16050 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16051 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16052 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16056 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16061 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16062 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16063 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16064 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16065 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16066 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16067 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16068 (subtype digest guess))
16071 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16072 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16073 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16074 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16075 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16077 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16078 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
16079 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
16080 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
16081 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
16082 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16083 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
16084 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16085 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
16086 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16094 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16095 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16096 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16098 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16099 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16100 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16103 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16104 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16105 that interested in doing things properly.
16107 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16108 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16111 First some terminology:
16116 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16117 get news and/or mail from.
16120 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16121 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16124 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16128 @item message packets
16129 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16130 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16131 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16133 @item response packets
16134 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16135 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16136 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16146 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16147 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16148 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16149 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16152 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16155 You put the packet in your home directory.
16158 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16159 the native or secondary server.
16162 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16163 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16166 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16170 You transfer this packet to the server.
16173 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16176 You then repeat until you die.
16180 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16181 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16184 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16185 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16186 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16190 @node SOUP Commands
16191 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16193 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16197 @kindex G s b (Group)
16198 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16199 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16200 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16201 process/prefix convention.
16204 @kindex G s w (Group)
16205 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16206 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16209 @kindex G s s (Group)
16210 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16211 Send all replies from the replies packet
16212 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16215 @kindex G s p (Group)
16216 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16217 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16220 @kindex G s r (Group)
16221 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16222 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16225 @kindex O s (Summary)
16226 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16227 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16228 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16229 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16234 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16239 @item gnus-soup-directory
16240 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16241 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16242 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16244 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16245 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16246 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16247 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16249 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16250 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16251 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16252 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16254 @item gnus-soup-packer
16255 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16256 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16257 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16259 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16260 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16261 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16262 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16264 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16265 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16266 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16268 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16269 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16270 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16271 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16277 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16280 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16281 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16282 you can read them at leisure.
16284 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16288 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16289 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16290 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16291 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16293 @item nnsoup-directory
16294 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16295 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16296 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16298 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16299 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16300 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16301 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16303 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16304 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16305 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16306 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16307 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16309 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16310 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16311 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16312 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16314 @item nnsoup-active-file
16315 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16316 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16317 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16318 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16319 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16321 @item nnsoup-packer
16322 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16323 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16324 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16326 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16327 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16328 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16329 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16331 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16332 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16333 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16336 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16337 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16338 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16341 @item nnsoup-always-save
16342 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16343 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16349 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16351 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16352 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16353 more for that to happen.
16355 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16356 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16357 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16360 In specific, this is what it does:
16363 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16364 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16367 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16368 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16369 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16372 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16373 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16374 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16377 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16378 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16379 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16381 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16387 @item nngateway-address
16388 @vindex nngateway-address
16389 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16391 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16392 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16393 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16394 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16395 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16396 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16397 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16400 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16401 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16402 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16405 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16408 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16411 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16414 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16416 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16419 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16420 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16421 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16423 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16425 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16426 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16427 @code{nngateway-address}.
16432 (setq gnus-post-method
16434 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16435 (nngateway-header-transformation
16436 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16444 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16447 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16452 @node Combined Groups
16453 @section Combined Groups
16455 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16459 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16460 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16464 @node Virtual Groups
16465 @subsection Virtual Groups
16467 @cindex virtual groups
16468 @cindex merging groups
16470 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16473 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16474 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16475 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16477 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16478 regexp to match component groups.
16480 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16481 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16482 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16483 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16484 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16485 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16486 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16487 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16489 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16490 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16493 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16496 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16497 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16499 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16500 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16501 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16502 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16505 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16508 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16509 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16510 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16512 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16513 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16514 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16515 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16516 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16518 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16519 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16520 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16522 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16523 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16524 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16525 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16526 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16527 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16528 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16529 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16530 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16531 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16532 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16534 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16535 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16536 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16537 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16538 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16539 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16540 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16542 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16543 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16545 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16546 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16550 @node Kibozed Groups
16551 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16555 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16556 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16557 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16558 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16560 @kindex G k (Group)
16561 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16564 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16565 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16566 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16567 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16569 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16570 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16571 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16573 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16574 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16575 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16576 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16577 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16578 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16579 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16580 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16582 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16583 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16584 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16585 Stranger things have happened.
16587 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16588 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16590 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16591 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16592 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16593 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16594 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16595 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16597 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16598 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16601 @node Gnus Unplugged
16602 @section Gnus Unplugged
16607 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16609 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16610 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16611 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16612 read news. Believe it or not.
16614 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16615 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16616 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16617 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16618 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16620 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16621 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16622 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16623 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16624 reading news on a machine.
16626 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16627 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16629 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16632 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16633 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16634 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16635 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16636 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16637 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
16638 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16639 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16640 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16641 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16642 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16643 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16648 @subsection Agent Basics
16650 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16652 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16653 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16654 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16655 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16657 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16658 connected to the net continuously.
16660 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16661 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16663 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16668 @findex gnus-unplugged
16669 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16670 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16671 already fetched while in this mode.
16674 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16675 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16676 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16677 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16678 Source Specifiers}).
16681 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16682 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16683 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16684 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16685 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16688 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16689 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16690 then you read the news offline.
16693 And then you go to step 2.
16696 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16702 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16703 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16704 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16705 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16706 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16707 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16708 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16709 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16712 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16719 @node Agent Categories
16720 @subsection Agent Categories
16722 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16723 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16724 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16725 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16726 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16727 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16728 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16730 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16731 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16732 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16733 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16734 managing categories.
16737 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16738 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16739 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16743 @node Category Syntax
16744 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16746 A category consists of two things.
16750 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16751 are eligible for downloading; and
16754 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16755 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16756 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16759 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16760 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16761 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16762 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16764 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16765 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16766 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16768 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16769 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16770 operators sprinkled in between.
16772 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16774 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16775 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16781 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16782 short (for some value of ``short'').
16784 Here's a more complex predicate:
16793 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16794 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16797 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16798 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16799 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16801 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16802 you want to do, you can write your own.
16806 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16807 lines; default 100.
16810 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16811 lines; default 200.
16814 True iff the article has a download score less than
16815 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16818 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16819 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16822 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16823 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16824 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16833 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16834 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16835 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16838 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16839 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16840 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16841 something along the lines of the following:
16844 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16845 "Say whether an article is old."
16846 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16847 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16850 with the predicate then defined as:
16853 (not my-article-old-p)
16856 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16857 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16861 (require 'gnus-agent)
16862 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16863 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16864 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16867 and simply specify your predicate as:
16873 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16874 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16875 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16876 just don't give a damn.
16878 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16879 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16880 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16881 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16882 parameters like so:
16885 (agent-predicate . short)
16888 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16889 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16890 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16892 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16895 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16898 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16899 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16900 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16903 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16904 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16905 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16906 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16907 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16908 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16910 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16911 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16912 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16913 if it's to be specific to that group.
16915 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16922 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16923 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16929 Category specification
16933 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16939 Group Parameter specification
16942 (agent-score ("from"
16943 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16948 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16954 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16961 Category specification
16964 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16970 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16974 Group Parameter specification
16977 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16980 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16985 Use @code{normal} score files
16987 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16988 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16989 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16990 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16992 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16993 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16994 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16995 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16999 Category Specification
17006 Group Parameter specification
17009 (agent-score . file)
17014 @node Category Buffer
17015 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17017 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17018 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17019 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17021 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17025 @kindex q (Category)
17026 @findex gnus-category-exit
17027 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17030 @kindex k (Category)
17031 @findex gnus-category-kill
17032 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17035 @kindex c (Category)
17036 @findex gnus-category-copy
17037 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17040 @kindex a (Category)
17041 @findex gnus-category-add
17042 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17045 @kindex p (Category)
17046 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17047 Edit the predicate of the current category
17048 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17051 @kindex g (Category)
17052 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17053 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17054 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17057 @kindex s (Category)
17058 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17059 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17060 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17063 @kindex l (Category)
17064 @findex gnus-category-list
17065 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17069 @node Category Variables
17070 @subsubsection Category Variables
17073 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17074 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17075 Hook run in category buffers.
17077 @item gnus-category-line-format
17078 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17079 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17080 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17084 The name of the category.
17087 The number of groups in the category.
17090 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17091 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17092 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17094 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17095 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17096 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17098 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17099 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17100 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17102 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17103 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17104 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17107 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17108 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17109 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17115 @node Agent Commands
17116 @subsection Agent Commands
17117 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17118 @kindex J j (Agent)
17120 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17121 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17122 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17126 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17127 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17128 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17134 @node Group Agent Commands
17135 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17139 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17140 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17141 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17142 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17145 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17146 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17147 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17150 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17151 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17152 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17153 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17156 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17157 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17158 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17159 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17162 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17163 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17164 Add the current group to an Agent category
17165 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17166 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17169 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17170 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17171 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17172 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17173 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17176 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17177 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17178 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17184 @node Summary Agent Commands
17185 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17189 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17190 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17191 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17194 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17195 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17196 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17197 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17201 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17202 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17203 Toggle whether to download the article
17204 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17208 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17209 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17210 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17213 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17214 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17215 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17216 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17219 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17220 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17221 Download all processable articles in this group.
17222 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17225 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17226 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17227 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17228 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17233 @node Server Agent Commands
17234 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17238 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17239 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17240 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17241 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17244 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17245 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17246 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17247 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17252 @node Agent as Cache
17253 @subsection Agent as Cache
17255 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17256 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17257 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17258 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17259 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17260 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17261 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17262 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17263 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17265 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17266 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17269 @subsection Agent Expiry
17271 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17272 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17273 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17274 @cindex Agent expiry
17275 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17278 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17279 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17280 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17281 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17282 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17283 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17285 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17286 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17287 synchronized with the group.
17289 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17290 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17291 expiry in different groups.
17294 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17300 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17301 method---it must always match all groups. Also, for a regexp to match,
17302 it must match from the beginning of the group's name.
17304 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17305 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17306 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17307 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17308 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17310 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17311 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17312 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17314 @node Agent Regeneration
17315 @subsection Agent Regeneration
17317 @cindex Agent Regeneration
17318 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
17319 @cindex regeneration
17321 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
17322 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
17323 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
17324 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
17325 internal inconsistencies.
17327 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
17328 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
17329 know about articles downloaded prior to the connection failure.
17330 Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
17331 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
17332 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
17334 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17335 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
17336 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
17337 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
17338 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
17339 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
17341 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17342 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17343 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
17344 of individual articles to repair the local NOV(header) database. It
17345 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
17346 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
17349 @node Agent and IMAP
17350 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17352 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17353 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17354 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17355 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17357 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17358 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
17359 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17360 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17362 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17363 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17364 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17365 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17367 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17368 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17369 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17370 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17371 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17372 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17374 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17375 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17376 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17377 in the group buffer.
17379 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17380 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17385 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17388 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17392 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17393 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17394 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17395 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17396 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17397 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17398 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17399 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17402 @node Outgoing Messages
17403 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17405 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17406 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17407 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17409 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17410 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17411 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17412 messages in the draft group.
17416 @node Agent Variables
17417 @subsection Agent Variables
17420 @item gnus-agent-directory
17421 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17422 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17423 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17425 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17426 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17427 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17428 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17429 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17432 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17433 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17434 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17436 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17437 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17438 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17440 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17441 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17442 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17444 @item gnus-agent-cache
17445 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17446 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17447 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17448 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17450 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17451 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17452 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17453 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17454 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17455 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17456 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17459 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17460 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17461 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
17462 mark articles as unread after downloading. The default is t.
17464 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17465 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17466 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
17467 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
17468 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
17470 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17471 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17472 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
17473 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
17474 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
17475 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
17476 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
17477 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
17478 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
17479 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
17480 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
17481 available while unplugged).
17483 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17484 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17485 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17486 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17487 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17488 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17489 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17490 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17491 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17496 @node Example Setup
17497 @subsection Example Setup
17499 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17500 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17501 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17504 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17505 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17506 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17508 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17509 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17510 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17512 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17513 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17515 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17516 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17517 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17520 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17521 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17524 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17525 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17526 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17527 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17528 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17531 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17532 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17533 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17534 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17535 back all the killed groups.)
17537 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17538 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17539 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17542 @node Batching Agents
17543 @subsection Batching Agents
17544 @findex gnus-agent-batch
17546 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17547 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17548 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17550 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
17551 following incantation:
17555 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
17559 @node Agent Caveats
17560 @subsection Agent Caveats
17562 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17563 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17567 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17569 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
17570 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
17571 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
17573 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17575 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17579 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17580 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
17581 locally stored articles.
17588 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17589 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17590 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17593 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17594 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17595 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17596 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17597 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17599 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17600 before generating the summary buffer.
17602 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17603 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17604 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17606 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17607 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17608 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17609 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17612 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17613 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17614 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17615 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17616 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17617 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17618 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17619 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17620 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17621 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17622 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17623 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17624 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17625 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17626 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17627 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17628 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17632 @node Summary Score Commands
17633 @section Summary Score Commands
17634 @cindex score commands
17636 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17637 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17638 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17639 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17640 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17642 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17643 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17644 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17645 score file the current one.
17647 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17652 @kindex V s (Summary)
17653 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17654 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17657 @kindex V S (Summary)
17658 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17659 Display the score of the current article
17660 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17663 @kindex V t (Summary)
17664 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17665 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17666 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17669 @kindex V w (Summary)
17670 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17671 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17674 @kindex V R (Summary)
17675 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17676 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17677 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17678 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17679 effect you're having.
17682 @kindex V c (Summary)
17683 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17684 Make a different score file the current
17685 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17688 @kindex V e (Summary)
17689 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17690 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17691 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17695 @kindex V f (Summary)
17696 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17697 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17698 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17701 @kindex V F (Summary)
17702 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17703 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17704 after editing score files.
17707 @kindex V C (Summary)
17708 @findex gnus-score-customize
17709 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17710 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17714 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17719 @kindex V m (Summary)
17720 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17721 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17722 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17725 @kindex V x (Summary)
17726 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17727 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17728 expunge all articles below this score
17729 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17732 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17733 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17736 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17737 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17741 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17742 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17744 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17745 keys are available:
17749 Score on the author name.
17752 Score on the subject line.
17755 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17758 Score on the @code{References} line.
17764 Score on the number of lines.
17767 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17770 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17771 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17774 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17775 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17776 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17785 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17791 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17792 what headers you are scoring on.
17804 Substring matching.
17807 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17836 Greater than number.
17841 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17842 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17843 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17848 Temporary score entry.
17851 Permanent score entry.
17854 Immediately scoring.
17858 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17859 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17860 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17864 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17865 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17866 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17867 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17869 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17870 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17871 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17872 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17873 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17875 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17876 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17877 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17878 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17879 current score file.
17881 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17882 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17883 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17886 @node Group Score Commands
17887 @section Group Score Commands
17888 @cindex group score commands
17890 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17895 @kindex W f (Group)
17896 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17897 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17898 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17899 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17903 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17905 @findex gnus-batch-score
17906 @cindex batch scoring
17908 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17912 @node Score Variables
17913 @section Score Variables
17914 @cindex score variables
17918 @item gnus-use-scoring
17919 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17920 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17921 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17923 @item gnus-kill-killed
17924 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17925 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17926 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17927 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17928 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17929 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17930 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17932 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17933 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17934 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17935 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17936 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17938 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17939 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17940 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17941 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17943 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17944 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17945 @cindex score cache
17946 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17947 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17948 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
17949 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17950 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17951 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17954 @item gnus-save-score
17955 @vindex gnus-save-score
17956 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17957 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17958 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17960 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17961 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17962 across group visits.
17964 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17965 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17966 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17967 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17968 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17969 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17970 manually entered data.
17972 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17973 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17974 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17976 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17977 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17978 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17979 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17980 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17981 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17983 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17984 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17985 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17986 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17988 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17989 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17990 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17991 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17993 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17994 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17995 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17996 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17998 Predefined functions available are:
18001 @item gnus-score-find-single
18002 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18003 Only apply the group's own score file.
18005 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18006 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18007 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18008 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18009 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18010 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18011 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18012 then a regexp match is done.
18014 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18015 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18017 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18018 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18019 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18020 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18022 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18023 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18024 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18025 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18026 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18030 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18031 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18032 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18033 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18034 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18035 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18036 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18039 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18040 overall score file, you could use the value
18042 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18043 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18046 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18047 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18048 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18049 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18050 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18052 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18053 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18054 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18055 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18056 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18057 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18058 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18059 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18061 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18062 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18063 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18065 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18066 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18067 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
18068 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18069 threading---according to the current value of
18070 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
18071 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18072 simplified in this manner.
18077 @node Score File Format
18078 @section Score File Format
18079 @cindex score file format
18081 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18082 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18083 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18085 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18089 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18091 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18093 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18095 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18100 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18104 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18105 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18106 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18107 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18111 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18112 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18114 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18115 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18116 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18118 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18123 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18124 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18125 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18126 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18127 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18128 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18129 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18130 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18131 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18132 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18133 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18134 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18135 to articles that matches these score entries.
18137 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18138 score entry has one to four elements.
18142 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18143 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18147 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18148 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18149 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18150 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18151 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18152 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18155 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18156 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18157 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18158 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18159 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18162 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18163 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18164 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18165 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18168 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18169 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18170 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18171 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18172 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18173 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18174 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18175 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18176 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18177 instead, if you feel like.
18180 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18181 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18182 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18183 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18184 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18185 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18188 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18192 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18193 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18195 These predicates are true if
18198 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18201 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18202 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18209 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18210 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18211 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18212 it's not. I think.)
18214 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18215 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18216 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18217 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18220 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18221 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18222 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18223 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18224 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18225 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18226 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18230 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18231 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18232 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18233 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18234 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18235 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18236 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18237 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18240 @item Head, Body, All
18241 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18245 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18246 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18247 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18248 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18249 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18250 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18251 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18255 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18256 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18257 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18258 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18259 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18260 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18261 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18262 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18263 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18264 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18265 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18269 @cindex Score File Atoms
18271 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18272 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18275 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18276 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18278 @item mark-and-expunge
18279 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18280 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18283 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18284 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18285 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18286 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18287 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18290 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18291 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18294 @item exclude-files
18295 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18296 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18300 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18301 ignored when handling global score files.
18304 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18305 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18306 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18307 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18310 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18311 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18312 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18313 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18315 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18319 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18322 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18323 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18324 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18325 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18326 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18328 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18329 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18330 scoring rules exist.
18333 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18334 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18335 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18336 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18337 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18338 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18339 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18340 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18341 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18342 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18343 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18347 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18348 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18349 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18350 file for a number of groups.
18353 @cindex local variables
18354 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18355 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18356 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18357 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18358 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18362 @node Score File Editing
18363 @section Score File Editing
18365 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18366 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18367 with a mode for that.
18369 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18370 additional commands:
18375 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18376 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18377 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18378 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18381 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18382 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18383 Insert the current date in numerical format
18384 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18385 you were wondering.
18388 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18389 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18390 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18391 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18392 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18397 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18399 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18400 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18402 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18403 e} to begin editing score files.
18406 @node Adaptive Scoring
18407 @section Adaptive Scoring
18408 @cindex adaptive scoring
18410 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18411 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18412 stupidity, to be precise.
18414 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18415 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18416 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18417 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18418 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18419 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18420 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18421 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18422 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18424 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18425 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18426 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18427 might look something like this:
18430 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18431 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18432 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18433 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18434 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18435 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18436 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18437 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18438 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18439 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18440 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18441 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18444 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18445 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18446 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18447 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18448 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18449 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18452 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18453 will be applied to each article.
18455 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18456 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18457 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18458 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18460 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18461 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18462 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18463 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18465 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18466 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18467 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18468 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18470 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18471 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18472 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18473 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18474 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18475 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18477 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18478 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18479 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18481 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18482 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18483 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18485 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18486 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18487 let you use different rules in different groups.
18489 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18490 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18491 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18494 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18495 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18496 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18497 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18498 the length of the match is less than
18499 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18500 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18503 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18504 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18505 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18506 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18507 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18510 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18511 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18512 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18513 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18514 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18517 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18518 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18519 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18520 score with 30 points.
18522 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18523 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18524 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18525 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18526 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18528 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18529 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18530 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18531 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18532 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18534 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18535 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18536 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18537 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18539 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18540 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18541 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18542 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18544 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18545 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18546 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18547 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18548 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18550 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18551 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18552 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18554 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18555 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18556 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18557 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18560 @node Home Score File
18561 @section Home Score File
18563 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18564 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18565 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18566 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18568 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18569 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18570 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18572 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18573 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18578 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18582 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18583 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18587 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18591 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18592 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18595 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18596 the home score file.
18599 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18602 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18607 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18610 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18611 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18614 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18615 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18617 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18619 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18620 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18623 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18624 Other functions include
18627 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18628 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18629 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18630 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18634 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18635 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18636 their own home score files:
18639 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18640 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18641 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18642 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18643 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18646 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18647 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18648 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18649 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18650 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18652 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18653 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18654 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18655 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18656 precedence over this variable.
18659 @node Followups To Yourself
18660 @section Followups To Yourself
18662 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18663 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18664 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18665 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18666 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18667 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18671 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18672 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18673 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18676 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18677 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18678 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18682 @vindex message-sent-hook
18683 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18684 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18686 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18690 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18691 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18695 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18696 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18699 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18700 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18705 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18709 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18710 is system-dependent.
18713 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18714 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18715 @cindex scoring on other headers
18717 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18718 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18719 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18720 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18721 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18723 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18724 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18725 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18726 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18727 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18729 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18732 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18733 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18736 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18737 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18738 time if you have much mail.
18740 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18741 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18747 @section Scoring Tips
18748 @cindex scoring tips
18754 @cindex scoring crossposts
18755 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18756 the @code{Xref} header.
18758 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18761 @item Multiple crossposts
18762 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18763 more than, say, 3 groups:
18766 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18770 @item Matching on the body
18771 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18772 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18773 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18774 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18775 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18776 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18777 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18780 @item Marking as read
18781 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18782 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18783 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18787 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18789 @item Negated character classes
18790 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18791 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18792 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18796 @node Reverse Scoring
18797 @section Reverse Scoring
18798 @cindex reverse scoring
18800 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18801 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18802 like this in your score file:
18806 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18811 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18812 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18815 @node Global Score Files
18816 @section Global Score Files
18817 @cindex global score files
18819 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18820 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18821 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18823 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18824 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18825 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18827 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18828 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18829 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18830 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18831 files are applicable to which group.
18833 To use the score file
18834 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18835 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18839 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18840 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18841 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18844 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18846 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18847 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18848 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18849 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18851 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18852 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18854 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18855 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18856 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18857 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18858 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18859 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18861 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18867 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18869 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18871 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18873 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18874 lowered out of existence.
18876 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18877 articles completely.
18880 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18881 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18882 old articles for a long time.
18885 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18886 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18887 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18888 holding our breath yet?
18892 @section Kill Files
18895 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18896 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18897 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18899 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18900 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18901 files into score files.
18903 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18904 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18905 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18906 that isn't a very good idea.
18908 Normal kill files look like this:
18911 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18912 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18916 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18917 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18919 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18920 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18923 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18928 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18929 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18930 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18933 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18934 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18935 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18938 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18943 @kindex M-k (Group)
18944 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18945 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18948 @kindex M-K (Group)
18949 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18950 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18953 Kill file variables:
18956 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18957 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18958 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18959 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18960 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18961 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18962 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18964 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18965 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18966 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18967 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18970 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18971 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18972 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18973 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18974 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18975 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18976 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18977 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18978 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18980 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18981 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18982 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18987 @node Converting Kill Files
18988 @section Converting Kill Files
18990 @cindex converting kill files
18992 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18993 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18994 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18997 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18998 You can fetch it from
18999 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19001 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19002 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19003 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19011 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
19012 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19013 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19014 news articles generated every day.
19016 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19017 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19018 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19019 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19020 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19021 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19022 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19023 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19026 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19027 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19030 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19031 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19032 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19033 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19037 @node Using GroupLens
19038 @subsection Using GroupLens
19040 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
19042 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
19043 better bit in town at the moment.
19045 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19049 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19050 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19051 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19052 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19054 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19055 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19056 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19057 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19059 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19060 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19061 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19065 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19066 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19067 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19068 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19069 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19070 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19073 @node Rating Articles
19074 @subsection Rating Articles
19076 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19077 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19078 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19079 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19082 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19087 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19088 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19089 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19092 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19093 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19094 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19095 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19096 threads in rec.humor.
19100 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19101 the score of the article you're reading.
19106 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19107 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19108 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19111 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19112 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19113 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19117 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19118 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19121 @node Displaying Predictions
19122 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19124 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19125 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19126 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19127 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19128 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19130 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19131 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19132 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19133 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19134 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19135 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19136 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19137 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19138 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19139 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19140 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19141 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19142 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19144 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19145 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19146 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19147 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19149 The following are valid values for that variable.
19152 @item prediction-spot
19153 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19156 @item confidence-interval
19157 A numeric confidence interval.
19159 @item prediction-bar
19160 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19162 @item confidence-bar
19163 Numerical confidence.
19165 @item confidence-spot
19166 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19168 @item prediction-num
19169 Plain-old numeric value.
19171 @item confidence-plus-minus
19172 Prediction +/- confidence.
19177 @node GroupLens Variables
19178 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19182 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19183 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19184 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19185 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19188 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19189 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19192 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19193 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19195 @item grouplens-score-offset
19196 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19197 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19200 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19201 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19202 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19207 @node Advanced Scoring
19208 @section Advanced Scoring
19210 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19211 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19212 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19213 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19214 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19216 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19220 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19221 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19222 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19226 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19227 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19229 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19230 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19231 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19232 non-@code{nil} value.
19234 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19235 operator, and various match operators.
19242 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19243 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19244 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19249 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19250 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19251 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19256 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19257 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19261 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19262 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19263 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19264 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19265 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19266 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19267 the ancestry you want to go.
19269 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19270 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19271 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19272 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19273 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19276 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19277 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19279 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19280 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19283 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19284 when he's talking about Gnus:
19288 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19289 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19295 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19299 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19306 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19307 really don't want to read what he's written:
19311 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19312 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19316 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19317 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19318 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19325 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19326 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19327 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19328 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19332 The possibilities are endless.
19335 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19336 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19338 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19339 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19340 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19341 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19342 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19343 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19344 @samp{subject}) first.
19346 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19347 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19358 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19359 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19365 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19372 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19373 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19378 @section Score Decays
19379 @cindex score decays
19382 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19383 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19384 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19385 use them in any sensible way.
19387 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19388 @findex gnus-decay-score
19389 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19390 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19391 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19392 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19393 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19394 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19395 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19396 definition of that function:
19399 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19401 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19402 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19405 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19407 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19409 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19412 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19413 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19414 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19415 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19419 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19422 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19425 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19429 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19430 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19431 the new score, which should be an integer.
19433 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19434 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19439 @include message.texi
19440 @chapter Emacs MIME
19441 @include emacs-mime.texi
19443 @include sieve.texi
19445 @c @include pgg.texi
19453 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19454 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19455 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19456 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19457 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19458 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19459 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19460 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19461 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19462 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19463 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19464 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19465 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19466 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19467 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19468 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19469 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19470 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19471 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19475 @node Process/Prefix
19476 @section Process/Prefix
19477 @cindex process/prefix convention
19479 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19480 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19482 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19483 command to be performed on.
19487 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19488 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19489 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19490 with the current one.
19492 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19493 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19494 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19496 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19497 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19500 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19501 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19503 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19506 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19507 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19508 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19509 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19511 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19512 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19513 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19514 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19515 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19516 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19517 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19518 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19520 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19521 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19522 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19523 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19524 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19528 @section Interactive
19529 @cindex interaction
19533 @item gnus-novice-user
19534 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19535 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19536 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19537 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19538 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19541 @item gnus-expert-user
19542 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19543 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19544 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19545 matter how strange.
19547 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19548 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19549 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19550 is @code{t} by default.
19552 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19553 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19554 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19559 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19560 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19561 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19563 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19564 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19565 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19566 rule of 900 to the current article.
19568 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19569 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19570 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19571 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19572 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19573 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19574 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19576 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19577 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19578 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19579 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19580 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19581 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19582 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19583 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19584 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19586 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19587 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19588 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19590 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19594 @node Formatting Variables
19595 @section Formatting Variables
19596 @cindex formatting variables
19598 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19599 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19600 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19601 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19602 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19605 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19606 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19607 lots of percentages everywhere.
19610 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19611 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19612 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19613 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19614 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19615 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19616 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19617 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19620 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19621 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19622 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19623 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19624 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19625 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19626 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19627 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19629 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19630 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19632 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19633 @findex gnus-update-format
19634 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19635 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19636 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19637 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19641 @node Formatting Basics
19642 @subsection Formatting Basics
19644 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19645 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19646 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19648 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19649 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19650 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19651 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19652 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19655 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19656 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19657 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19658 less than 4 characters wide.
19660 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19661 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19664 @node Mode Line Formatting
19665 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19667 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19668 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19669 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19670 with the following two differences:
19675 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19678 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19679 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19680 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19681 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19682 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19683 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19684 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19689 @node Advanced Formatting
19690 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19692 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19693 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19694 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19695 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19697 These are the valid modifiers:
19702 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19706 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19711 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19714 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19719 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19722 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19725 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19728 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19734 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19739 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19740 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19741 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19742 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19743 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19744 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19745 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19747 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19748 last operation, padding.
19750 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19751 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19752 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19753 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19754 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19755 the look of your lines.
19756 @xref{Compilation}.
19759 @node User-Defined Specs
19760 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19762 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19763 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19764 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19765 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19766 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19767 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19768 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19769 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19770 should protect against that.
19772 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19773 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19775 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19776 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19777 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19778 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19782 @node Formatting Fonts
19783 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19785 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19786 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19787 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19788 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19791 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19792 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19793 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19794 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19795 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19796 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19798 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19799 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19800 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19801 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19802 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19803 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19804 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19805 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19806 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19807 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19809 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19812 ;; Create three face types.
19813 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19814 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19816 ;; We want the article count to be in
19817 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19818 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19819 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19821 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19822 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19824 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19825 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19826 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19829 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19830 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19832 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19833 mode-line variables.
19835 @node Positioning Point
19836 @subsection Positioning Point
19838 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19839 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19840 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19842 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19844 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19845 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19846 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19848 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19849 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
19850 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19855 @subsection Tabulation
19857 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19858 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19859 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19860 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19862 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19863 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19865 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19866 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19867 This is the soft tabulator.
19869 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19870 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19871 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19874 @node Wide Characters
19875 @subsection Wide Characters
19877 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19878 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19879 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19881 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19882 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19883 these countries, that's not true.
19885 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19886 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19887 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19888 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19892 @node Window Layout
19893 @section Window Layout
19894 @cindex window layout
19896 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19898 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19899 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19900 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19901 @code{t} by default.
19903 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19904 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19906 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19907 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19908 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19911 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19912 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19913 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19917 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19918 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19919 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19920 possible names is listed below.
19922 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19923 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19926 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19930 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19931 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19932 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19933 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19934 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19935 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19936 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19937 size spec per split.
19939 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19940 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19941 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19942 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19943 present) gets focus.
19945 Here's a more complicated example:
19948 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19949 (summary 0.25 point)
19950 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19954 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19955 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19956 occupy, not a percentage.
19958 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19959 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19960 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19961 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19962 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19965 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19968 (article (horizontal 1.0
19973 (summary 0.25 point)
19978 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19979 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19981 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19982 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19983 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19984 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19985 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19987 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19988 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19989 lines from the splits.
19991 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19995 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19996 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19997 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19998 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19999 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20000 size = number | frame-params
20001 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20004 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20005 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20006 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20007 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20009 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20010 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20011 @cindex window height
20012 @cindex window width
20013 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20014 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20015 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20016 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20017 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20018 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20020 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20021 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20022 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20023 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20025 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20026 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20027 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20028 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20029 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20030 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20031 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20032 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20033 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20034 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20035 configuration list.
20038 (gnus-configure-frame
20042 (article 0.3 point))
20050 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20051 @code{frame} split:
20054 (gnus-configure-frame
20057 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20059 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20060 (user-position . t)
20061 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20066 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20067 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20068 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20069 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20070 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20071 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20072 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20073 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20075 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20076 be found in its default value.
20078 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20079 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20080 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20084 (message (horizontal 1.0
20085 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20087 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20092 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20093 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20094 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20099 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20100 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20101 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20102 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20103 (name . "Message"))
20104 (message 1.0 point))))
20107 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20108 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20109 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20110 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20111 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20114 (gnus-add-configuration
20115 '(article (vertical 1.0
20117 (summary .25 point)
20121 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20122 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20123 Gnus has been loaded.
20125 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20126 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20127 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20128 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20129 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20131 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20132 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20133 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20136 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20140 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20141 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20156 (gnus-add-configuration
20159 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20161 (summary 0.16 point)
20164 (gnus-add-configuration
20167 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20168 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20174 @node Faces and Fonts
20175 @section Faces and Fonts
20180 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20181 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20182 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20187 @section Compilation
20188 @cindex compilation
20189 @cindex byte-compilation
20191 @findex gnus-compile
20193 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20194 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20195 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
20196 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
20197 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
20198 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20199 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20200 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20203 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20204 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20205 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20206 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
20207 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20210 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
20211 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20212 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
20213 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
20214 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
20219 @section Mode Lines
20222 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20223 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20224 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20225 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20226 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20227 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20228 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20231 @cindex display-time
20233 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20234 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20235 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20236 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20237 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20238 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20239 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20240 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20243 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20245 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20246 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20248 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20249 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20250 (length display-time-string)))))
20253 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20254 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20255 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20256 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20257 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20260 @node Highlighting and Menus
20261 @section Highlighting and Menus
20263 @cindex highlighting
20266 @vindex gnus-visual
20267 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20268 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20269 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20272 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20273 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20276 @item group-highlight
20277 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20278 @item summary-highlight
20279 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20280 @item article-highlight
20281 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20283 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20285 Create menus in the group buffer.
20287 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20289 Create menus in the article buffer.
20291 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20293 Create menus in the server buffer.
20295 Create menus in the score buffers.
20297 Create menus in all buffers.
20300 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20301 buffers, you could say something like:
20304 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20307 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20310 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20313 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20314 in all Gnus buffers.
20316 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20319 @item gnus-mouse-face
20320 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20321 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20322 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20326 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20330 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20331 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20332 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20334 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20335 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20336 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20338 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20339 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20340 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20342 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20343 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20344 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20346 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20347 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20348 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20350 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20351 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20352 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20363 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20364 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20365 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20366 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20367 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20371 @vindex gnus-carpal
20372 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20373 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20374 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20379 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20380 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20381 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20383 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20384 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20385 Face used on buttons.
20387 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20388 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20389 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20391 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20392 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20393 Buttons in the group buffer.
20395 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20396 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20397 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20399 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20400 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20401 Buttons in the server buffer.
20403 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20404 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20405 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20408 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20409 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20410 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20418 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20419 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20420 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20421 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20422 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20424 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20425 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20426 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20428 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20429 been idle for thirty minutes:
20432 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20435 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20439 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20442 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20443 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20444 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20446 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20447 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20448 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20449 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20451 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20452 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20453 @var{idle} minutes.
20455 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20456 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20459 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20460 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20461 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20463 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20464 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20465 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20466 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20468 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20469 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20471 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20473 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20476 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20477 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20478 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20479 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20480 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20481 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20482 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20483 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20484 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20485 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20486 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20488 @findex gnus-demon-init
20489 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20490 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20491 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20492 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20493 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20495 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20496 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20497 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20506 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20507 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20509 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20510 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20511 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20512 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20515 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20516 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20517 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20518 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20520 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20521 this will make spam disappear.
20523 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20526 @item gnus-use-nocem
20527 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20528 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20531 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20532 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20533 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20534 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20535 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20537 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20538 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20539 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20540 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20541 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20542 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20544 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20545 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20547 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20548 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20549 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20550 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20551 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20552 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20553 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20554 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20555 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20556 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20558 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20559 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20562 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20565 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20566 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20569 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20572 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20575 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20576 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20578 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20579 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20580 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20581 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20583 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20584 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20587 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20589 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20597 This might be dangerous, though.
20599 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20600 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20601 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20602 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20604 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20605 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20606 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20607 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20608 might then see old spam.
20610 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20611 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20612 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20613 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20614 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20617 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20618 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20619 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20620 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20624 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20625 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20626 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20627 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20634 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20635 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20636 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20638 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20639 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20640 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20641 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20642 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20643 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20644 @code{undo} function.
20646 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20647 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20648 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20649 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20650 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20651 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20652 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20653 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20654 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20655 never be totally undoable.
20657 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20658 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20660 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20661 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20662 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20663 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20667 @node Predicate Specifiers
20668 @section Predicate Specifiers
20669 @cindex predicate specifiers
20671 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20672 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20673 to type all that much.
20675 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20680 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20681 gnus-article-unread-p)
20684 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20685 functions all take one parameter.
20687 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20688 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20689 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20690 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20695 @section Moderation
20698 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20699 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20700 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20703 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20707 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20710 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20712 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20717 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20718 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20719 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20722 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20723 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20726 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20727 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20731 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20734 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20735 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20739 @node Image Enhancements
20740 @section Image Enhancements
20742 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20743 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20746 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20747 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20748 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20749 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20762 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20763 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20764 over your shoulder as you read news.
20766 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20775 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20776 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20777 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20778 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20779 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20780 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20781 @code{GIF} formats.
20784 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
20785 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
20786 point your Web browser at
20787 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
20789 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20790 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20792 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
20793 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
20796 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
20800 @item gnus-picon-databases
20801 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
20802 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
20803 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20804 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
20805 "/usr/local/faces")}.
20807 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
20808 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
20809 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
20810 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20812 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
20813 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
20814 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
20815 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
20817 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
20818 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
20819 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
20820 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20821 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20823 @item gnus-picon-file-types
20824 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
20825 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20826 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
20831 @subsection Smileys
20836 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20841 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20842 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20844 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20845 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20848 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20851 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
20852 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20853 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20854 text and maps that to file names.
20856 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
20857 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
20858 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
20859 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
20860 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
20863 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20868 @item smiley-data-directory
20869 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20870 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20872 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
20873 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
20874 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
20883 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20884 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20885 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20889 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20890 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20891 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20892 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20900 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20901 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20902 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20903 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20905 The variable that controls this is the
20906 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20907 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20908 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20909 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20910 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20912 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20913 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20914 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20915 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20918 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20919 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20920 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20921 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20922 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20923 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20924 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20925 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20927 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20930 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20931 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20933 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20934 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
20935 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
20936 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
20937 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20938 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20939 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20940 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
20941 header data as a string.
20943 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
20944 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
20945 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
20946 randomly generated data.
20948 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
20949 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
20950 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20951 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20952 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20954 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
20955 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20958 (setq message-required-news-headers
20959 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20960 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20963 Using the last function would be something like this:
20966 (setq message-required-news-headers
20967 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20968 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20969 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20970 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20975 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20978 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20979 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20980 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20981 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20982 unusual directory structure.
20984 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20985 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20986 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20987 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20989 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20990 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20991 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20992 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20993 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20994 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20996 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20997 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20998 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21003 @subsubsection Toolbar
21007 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21008 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21009 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21010 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21011 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21013 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21014 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21015 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21017 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21018 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21019 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21021 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21022 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21023 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21034 @node Fuzzy Matching
21035 @section Fuzzy Matching
21036 @cindex fuzzy matching
21038 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21039 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21041 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21042 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21043 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21045 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21046 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21047 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21048 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21049 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21052 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21053 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21057 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21059 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21060 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21061 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21062 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21063 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21064 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21065 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21066 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21069 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21070 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21071 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21072 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21073 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21074 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21076 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21079 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21080 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21081 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21082 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21083 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21084 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21087 @node The problem of spam
21088 @subsection The problem of spam
21090 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21091 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21093 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21095 First, some background on spam.
21097 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21098 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21099 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21100 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21101 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21102 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21103 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21104 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21106 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21107 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21108 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21109 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21110 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21111 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21112 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21113 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21114 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21117 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21118 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21119 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21120 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21121 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21122 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21123 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21124 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21125 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21126 mail can be useful.
21128 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21129 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21130 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21131 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21132 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21133 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21134 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21135 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21136 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21138 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21139 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21140 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21141 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21142 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21143 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21144 because of the incident.
21146 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21147 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21148 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21149 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21150 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21151 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21152 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21153 to store the database of spam analyses.
21155 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21156 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21160 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21162 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21163 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21165 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21166 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21167 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21168 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21169 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21170 part of the mail address.)
21173 (setq message-default-news-headers
21174 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21177 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21178 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21183 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21184 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21185 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21191 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21192 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21193 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21194 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21196 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21197 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21198 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21199 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21200 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21201 your fancy split rule in this way:
21206 (to "larsi" "misc")
21210 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21211 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21212 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21213 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21214 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21216 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21217 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21218 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21219 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21220 cosmic balance somewhat.
21222 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21223 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21224 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21225 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21230 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21231 @cindex SpamAssassin
21232 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21235 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21236 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21237 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21238 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21239 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21240 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21241 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21243 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21244 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21245 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21246 Specifiers}) follows.
21250 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21253 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21256 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21257 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21258 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21261 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21265 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21268 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21269 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21273 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21274 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21275 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21276 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21279 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21281 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21283 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21284 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21286 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21288 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21289 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21293 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21294 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21295 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21298 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21299 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21301 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21302 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21303 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21307 @subsection Hashcash
21310 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21311 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21312 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21313 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21314 in smaller communities.
21316 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21317 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21318 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21319 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21320 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21321 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21322 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21323 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21324 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21325 one of them separately.
21328 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21329 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21330 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21331 header. For more details, and for the external application
21332 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21333 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21334 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21336 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21340 (require 'hashcash)
21341 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21344 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21345 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21346 development contrib directory.
21348 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21352 @item hashcash-default-payment
21353 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21354 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21355 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21356 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21358 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21359 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21360 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21361 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21362 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21363 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21364 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21365 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21369 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21373 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21374 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21375 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21376 a useful contribution, however.
21378 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21379 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21380 @cindex spam filtering
21383 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21384 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21385 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21386 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21389 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21390 the following keyboard commands:
21400 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21401 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21403 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
21404 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21405 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21406 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21412 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21413 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21415 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
21421 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21422 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21425 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21426 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21427 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21428 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21429 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21430 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21431 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21432 will be detected later.
21434 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21435 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21436 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21437 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21438 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21439 by customizing the corresponding variable
21440 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21441 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21442 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21443 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21444 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21445 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21446 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21449 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21450 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21451 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
21452 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
21453 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21454 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21455 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21456 will study them as spam samples.
21458 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21459 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21460 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21461 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21462 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21463 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21464 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21465 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21467 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21468 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21469 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21470 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21473 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21474 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21475 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21478 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21479 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21480 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21481 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21482 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21483 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
21486 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21487 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21488 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21489 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21490 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21491 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
21492 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
21493 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
21494 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
21495 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21496 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21498 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21499 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21501 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21502 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21503 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
21504 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
21505 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
21506 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
21507 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
21508 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
21509 the spam articles are only expired.
21511 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21512 must add the following to your fancy split list
21513 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21519 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21520 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21521 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21523 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21524 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21525 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21526 but you can customize it.
21528 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
21530 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
21531 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
21532 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
21533 message headers. If you use spam-check-bogofilter, spam-check-ifile,
21534 or spam-check-stat (the splitters that can benefit from the full
21535 message body), you should set this variable. It is not set by default
21536 because it will slow IMAP down.
21538 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
21540 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
21541 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
21542 longer spam or ham.}
21544 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
21545 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
21548 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21549 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21552 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21553 * BBDB Whitelists::
21555 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
21557 * ifile spam filtering::
21558 * spam-stat spam filtering::
21559 * Extending the spam elisp package::
21562 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21563 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21564 @cindex spam filtering
21565 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21566 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21569 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21571 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
21572 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
21573 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
21574 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
21579 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21581 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
21582 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
21583 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21584 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
21585 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21589 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
21591 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
21592 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21593 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
21597 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21599 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21600 customizing the group parameters or the
21601 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21602 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21603 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21607 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21609 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21610 customizing the group parameters or the
21611 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21612 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21613 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21614 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21615 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21619 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21620 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21621 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21622 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21623 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21625 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21626 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
21627 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
21628 Emacs regular expression syntax.
21630 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21631 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21632 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21633 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21634 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21635 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21637 @node BBDB Whitelists
21638 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21639 @cindex spam filtering
21640 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21641 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21644 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21646 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21647 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
21648 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
21649 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
21650 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21651 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
21652 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21656 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
21658 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
21659 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21660 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
21661 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
21662 classified as spammers.
21666 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21668 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21669 customizing the group parameters or the
21670 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21671 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21672 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21673 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21674 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21679 @subsubsection Blackholes
21680 @cindex spam filtering
21681 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21684 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21686 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21687 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21688 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21689 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21690 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21691 contains outdated servers.
21693 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21694 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21695 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21696 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21697 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21698 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21702 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21704 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21708 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
21710 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
21711 blackhole server list. When set to nil, it has no effect.
21715 @defvar spam-use-dig
21717 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
21718 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
21722 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
21723 ham processor for blackholes.
21725 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
21726 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
21727 @cindex spam filtering
21728 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
21731 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
21733 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
21734 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
21735 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
21736 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
21737 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
21738 message is spam or ham, respectively.
21742 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
21744 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
21745 the message, positively identify it as spam.
21749 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
21751 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
21752 the message, positively identify it as ham.
21756 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
21757 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
21760 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21761 @cindex spam filtering
21762 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21765 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21767 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21770 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
21771 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21772 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21773 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
21774 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
21775 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
21777 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
21778 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
21781 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
21782 processing will be turned off.
21784 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
21788 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
21790 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21791 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
21792 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
21793 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
21794 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
21795 installation documents for details.
21797 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
21801 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
21802 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21803 customizing the group parameters or the
21804 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21805 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
21806 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
21809 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
21810 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21811 customizing the group parameters or the
21812 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21813 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
21814 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
21815 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
21816 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21819 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
21821 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
21822 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
21823 database directory.
21827 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
21828 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
21829 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
21830 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
21831 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
21832 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
21834 @node ifile spam filtering
21835 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
21836 @cindex spam filtering
21837 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21840 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21842 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
21843 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
21847 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
21849 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
21850 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
21851 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
21855 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
21857 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
21858 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
21859 the default value of @samp{spam}.
21862 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
21864 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
21865 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
21869 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
21870 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
21871 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
21872 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
21875 @node spam-stat spam filtering
21876 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
21877 @cindex spam filtering
21878 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
21882 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
21884 @defvar spam-use-stat
21886 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
21887 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
21891 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
21892 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21893 customizing the group parameters or the
21894 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21895 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
21896 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
21899 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
21900 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21901 customizing the group parameters or the
21902 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21903 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
21904 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
21905 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
21906 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21909 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
21910 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
21911 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
21912 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
21915 @node Extending the spam elisp package
21916 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
21917 @cindex spam filtering
21918 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
21919 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
21921 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
21922 incoming mail, provide the following:
21930 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21931 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21936 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21938 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21943 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21944 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21945 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21948 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
21955 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
21956 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
21959 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21960 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
21961 Only applicable to spam groups.")
21963 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21964 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
21965 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
21973 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
21974 (spam-generic-register-routine
21975 ;; the spam function
21977 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21978 (when (stringp from)
21979 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
21980 ;; the ham function
21983 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
21984 (spam-generic-register-routine
21985 ;; the spam function
21987 ;; the ham function
21989 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21990 (when (stringp from)
21991 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
21994 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
21995 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
21996 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
21997 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
21998 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
21999 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22004 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22005 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22006 @cindex Paul Graham
22007 @cindex Graham, Paul
22008 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22009 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22010 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22012 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22013 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22014 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22015 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22016 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22017 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22018 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22019 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22020 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22023 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22024 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22025 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22026 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22027 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22028 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22029 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22030 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22032 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22033 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22034 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22035 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22036 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22039 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22040 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22041 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22044 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22045 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22047 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22048 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22049 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22050 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22051 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22053 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22054 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22055 per mail. Use the following:
22057 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22058 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22059 is treated as one spam mail.
22062 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22063 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22064 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22067 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22068 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22069 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22070 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22071 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22072 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22074 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
22075 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
22076 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22077 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22078 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22081 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
22082 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22083 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22084 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22087 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22088 reset the dictionary.
22090 @defun spam-stat-reset
22091 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22094 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22095 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22096 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22097 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22098 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22099 only non-spam mails.
22101 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22102 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22103 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22106 @defun spam-stat-save
22107 Save the dictionary.
22110 @defvar spam-stat-file
22111 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22112 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22115 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22116 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22118 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22119 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22122 (require 'spam-stat)
22126 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22129 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22130 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22131 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22132 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22134 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22135 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22136 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22137 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22140 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22141 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22145 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22146 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22149 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22150 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22151 expression are considered potential spam.
22154 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22155 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22156 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22160 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22161 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22162 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22163 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22164 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22167 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22168 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22169 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22173 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22174 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22175 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22176 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22177 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22181 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22182 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22183 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22184 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22189 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22190 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22192 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22194 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22195 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22196 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22199 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22200 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22201 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22204 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22205 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22206 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22207 already been processed as non-spam.
22210 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22211 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22212 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22213 been processed as spam.
22216 @defun spam-stat-save
22217 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22218 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22221 @defun spam-stat-load
22222 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22223 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22226 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22227 Return the spam score for a word.
22230 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22231 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22234 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22235 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22236 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22239 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22240 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22243 (require 'spam-stat)
22247 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22250 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22251 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22252 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22253 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22254 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22255 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22256 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22257 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22258 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22259 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22260 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22261 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22262 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22263 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22266 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22269 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22270 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22271 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22272 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22273 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22274 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22277 @node Various Various
22278 @section Various Various
22284 @item gnus-home-directory
22285 @vindex gnus-home-directory
22286 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
22287 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
22289 @item gnus-directory
22290 @vindex gnus-directory
22291 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
22292 this variable, which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment
22293 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22295 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22296 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22297 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22298 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22300 @item gnus-default-directory
22301 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22302 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22303 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22304 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22305 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22306 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22307 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22310 @vindex gnus-verbose
22311 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22312 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22313 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22314 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22315 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22317 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22318 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22319 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22320 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22322 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22323 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22324 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22325 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22326 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22327 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22328 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22329 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22330 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22331 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22333 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22334 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22335 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22336 read when doing the operation described above.
22338 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22339 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22341 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22342 @cindex characters in file names
22343 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22344 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22345 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22348 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22352 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22353 Windows (phooey) systems.
22355 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22356 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22357 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22358 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22359 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22361 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22362 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22363 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22364 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22365 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22367 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22368 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22369 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22371 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22372 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22374 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22375 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22376 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22377 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22380 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22388 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22389 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22391 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22393 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22399 Not because of victories @*
22402 but for the common sunshine,@*
22404 the largess of the spring.
22408 but for the day's work done@*
22409 as well as I was able;@*
22410 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22411 but at the common table.@*
22416 @chapter Appendices
22419 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22420 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22421 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22422 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22423 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22424 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22425 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22426 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22427 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22434 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22436 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22437 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22438 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22439 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22440 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22441 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22448 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22449 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22451 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22452 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22453 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22454 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22455 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22457 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22458 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22459 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22460 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22461 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22462 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22464 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22465 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22466 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22467 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22470 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22471 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22472 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22473 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22474 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22475 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22476 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22477 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22478 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22482 @node Gnus Versions
22483 @subsection Gnus Versions
22485 @cindex September Gnus
22487 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22488 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22492 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22493 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22494 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22496 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22497 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22499 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22500 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22502 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22503 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22505 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22506 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22509 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22511 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22512 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22513 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22514 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22515 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22516 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22519 @node Other Gnus Versions
22520 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22523 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22524 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22525 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22526 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22528 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22529 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22530 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22531 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22538 What's the point of Gnus?
22540 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22541 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22542 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22543 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22544 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22545 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22546 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22547 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22548 keep track of millions of people who post?
22550 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22551 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22552 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22553 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22554 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22555 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22556 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22557 every one of you to explore and invent.
22559 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22560 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22563 @node Compatibility
22564 @subsection Compatibility
22566 @cindex compatibility
22567 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22568 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22569 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22574 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22578 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22581 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22584 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22585 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22586 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22587 important variables have their values copied into their global
22588 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22589 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22591 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22592 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22593 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22594 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22595 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22599 @cindex highlighting
22600 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22601 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22602 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22603 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22604 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22605 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22608 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22609 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22610 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22611 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22613 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22614 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22615 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22616 to stop doing it the old way.
22618 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22620 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22622 @cindex reporting bugs
22624 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22625 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22626 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22628 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22629 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22630 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22631 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22636 @subsection Conformity
22638 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22639 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22647 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22651 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22653 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22654 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22655 We do have some breaches to this one.
22661 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22662 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22663 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22664 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22665 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22670 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22671 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22672 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22673 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22675 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22677 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22679 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22680 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22682 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22685 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22686 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22687 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22688 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22689 decoding (verification and decryption).
22691 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22692 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22693 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22694 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22696 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22697 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22699 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22700 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22701 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22702 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22703 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22704 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22705 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22709 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22710 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22715 @subsection Emacsen
22721 Gnus should work on :
22729 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
22733 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22734 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22735 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
22736 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
22737 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
22739 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22740 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22741 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22745 @node Gnus Development
22746 @subsection Gnus Development
22748 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22749 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22750 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22751 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22752 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22753 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22754 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22755 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22757 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22758 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22759 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22760 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22761 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22764 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22765 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22766 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22767 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22768 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22770 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22771 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22772 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22773 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22774 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22775 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22776 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22777 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22778 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22779 can't be assumed to do so.
22784 @subsection Contributors
22785 @cindex contributors
22787 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22788 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22789 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22790 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22791 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22792 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22793 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22794 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22795 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22796 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22798 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22804 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22807 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22808 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22809 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22810 functionality and stuff.
22813 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22814 well as numerous other things).
22817 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22820 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22823 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22826 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22829 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22830 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22833 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22836 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22837 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22840 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22843 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22846 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22849 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22852 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22853 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22856 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22859 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22862 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22865 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22869 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22872 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22875 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22878 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22879 well as autoconf support.
22883 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22884 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22886 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22895 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22899 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22909 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22924 Massimo Campostrini,
22929 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22930 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22934 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22937 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22943 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22948 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22952 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22960 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22962 Michelangelo Grigni,
22966 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22968 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22970 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22977 François Felix Ingrand,
22978 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22979 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22981 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22992 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22993 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22995 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22996 Thor Kristoffersen,
22999 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23017 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23018 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23025 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23030 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23034 John McClary Prevost,
23040 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23045 Christian von Roques,
23048 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23055 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23057 Randal L. Schwartz,
23071 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23076 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23092 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
23097 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23098 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23099 (550kB and counting).
23101 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23104 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23105 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23109 @subsection New Features
23110 @cindex new features
23113 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23114 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23115 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23116 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23117 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23120 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23121 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23122 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23125 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23127 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23132 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23133 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23136 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23137 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23140 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23143 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23144 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23145 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23148 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23149 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23150 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23151 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23154 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23155 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23158 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23159 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23160 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23163 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23164 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23167 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23168 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23169 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23172 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23173 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23174 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23177 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23178 the @file{.emacs} file.
23181 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23182 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23185 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23186 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23189 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23190 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23193 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23194 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23197 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23198 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23201 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23204 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23205 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23208 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23209 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23212 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23213 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23216 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23219 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23220 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23223 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23227 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23231 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23232 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23235 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23241 @node September Gnus
23242 @subsubsection September Gnus
23246 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23250 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23255 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23256 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23260 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23261 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23265 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23269 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23270 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23273 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23277 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23280 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23283 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23286 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23290 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23291 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23294 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23298 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23302 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23306 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23310 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23313 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23314 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23317 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23321 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23322 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23325 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23328 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23329 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23330 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23333 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23337 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23340 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23344 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23345 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23348 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23349 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23352 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23353 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23356 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23357 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23358 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23361 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23362 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23365 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23368 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23371 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23374 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23377 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23378 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23381 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23385 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23388 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23393 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23396 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23400 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23403 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23407 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23410 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23413 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23414 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23417 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23418 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23422 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23423 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23426 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23430 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23431 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23434 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23437 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23441 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23445 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23446 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23449 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23453 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23454 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23457 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23458 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23461 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23465 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23468 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23471 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23477 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23479 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23483 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23490 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23493 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23494 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23497 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23498 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23502 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23503 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23506 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23509 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23510 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23513 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23517 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23518 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23522 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23523 Server Internals}).
23526 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23530 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23533 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23534 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23537 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23538 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23539 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23542 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23543 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23546 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23547 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23550 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23554 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23555 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23558 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23559 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23562 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23566 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23569 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23573 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23574 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23577 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23578 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23581 A new command for reading collections of documents
23582 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23583 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23586 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23590 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23591 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23594 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23595 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23596 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23599 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23600 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23604 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23608 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23612 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23617 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23621 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23625 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23626 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23629 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23635 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23637 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23642 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23643 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23644 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23647 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23648 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23649 group, which is created automatically.
23652 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23656 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23659 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23660 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23663 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23667 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23670 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23671 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23674 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23677 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23678 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23681 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23682 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23685 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23686 control over simplification.
23689 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23692 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23696 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23699 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23702 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23703 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23704 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23707 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23708 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23711 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23715 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23716 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23719 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23720 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23723 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23727 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23730 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23733 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23734 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23737 A new function for citing in Message has been
23738 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23741 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23744 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23748 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23749 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23752 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23753 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23756 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23759 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23763 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23764 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23766 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23771 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23772 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23774 If you used procmail like in
23777 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23778 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23779 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23780 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23783 this now has changed to
23787 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23791 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23792 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23795 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23796 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23799 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23800 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23803 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23804 called to position point.
23807 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23808 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23811 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23812 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23815 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23816 subtly different manner.
23819 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23820 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23821 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23824 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23832 @section The Manual
23836 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23837 either @code{texi2dvi}
23839 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23840 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23842 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23844 The following conventions have been used:
23849 This is a @samp{string}
23852 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23855 This is a @file{file}
23858 This is a @code{symbol}
23862 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23866 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23869 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23872 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23875 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23876 ever get them confused.
23880 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23881 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23882 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23883 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23884 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23885 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23886 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23892 @node On Writing Manuals
23893 @section On Writing Manuals
23895 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23896 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23897 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23898 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23899 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23900 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23903 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23904 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23905 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23908 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23909 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23914 @section Terminology
23916 @cindex terminology
23921 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23922 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23923 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23924 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23925 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23929 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23930 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23931 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23932 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23936 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23940 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23945 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23946 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23947 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23948 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23949 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23950 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23951 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23952 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23953 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23955 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23956 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23957 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23958 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23959 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23962 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23963 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23964 access the articles.
23966 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23967 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23968 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23973 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23974 default, way of getting news.
23978 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23979 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23984 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23985 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23989 A message that has been posted as news.
23992 @cindex mail message
23993 A message that has been mailed.
23997 A mail message or news article
24001 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24006 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24011 A line from the head of an article.
24015 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24016 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
24020 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24021 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24022 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24023 normal @sc{head} format.
24027 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24028 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24029 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24030 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24031 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24032 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24034 @item killed groups
24035 @cindex killed groups
24036 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24037 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24039 @item zombie groups
24040 @cindex zombie groups
24041 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24044 @cindex active file
24045 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24046 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24047 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24050 @cindex bogus groups
24051 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24052 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24053 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24056 @cindex activating groups
24057 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24058 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24059 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24063 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24065 @item select method
24066 @cindex select method
24067 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24070 @item virtual server
24071 @cindex virtual server
24072 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24073 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24074 whole is a virtual server.
24078 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24079 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24082 @item ephemeral groups
24083 @cindex ephemeral groups
24084 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24085 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24086 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24089 @cindex solid groups
24090 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24091 group buffer are solid groups.
24093 @item sparse articles
24094 @cindex sparse articles
24095 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24096 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24100 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24101 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24105 @cindex thread root
24106 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24107 articles in the thread.
24111 An article that has responses.
24115 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24119 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24120 specified by RFC 1153.
24126 @node Customization
24127 @section Customization
24128 @cindex general customization
24130 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24131 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24132 for some quite common situations.
24135 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24136 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24137 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24138 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24142 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24143 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24145 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24146 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24147 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24151 @item gnus-read-active-file
24152 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24153 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24154 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24155 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24156 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24158 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24159 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24160 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24161 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24165 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24166 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24168 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24169 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24170 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24174 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24175 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24176 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24177 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24178 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24180 @item gnus-visible-headers
24181 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24182 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24183 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24184 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24186 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24188 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24189 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24190 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24193 @item gnus-use-full-window
24194 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24195 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24196 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24197 want to read them anyway.
24199 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24200 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24204 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24205 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24206 lines, which might save some time.
24210 @node Little Disk Space
24211 @subsection Little Disk Space
24214 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24215 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24219 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24220 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24221 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24222 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24225 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24226 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24227 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24228 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24231 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24232 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24233 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24234 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24235 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24241 @subsection Slow Machine
24242 @cindex slow machine
24244 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24245 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24247 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24248 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24250 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24251 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24252 summary buffer faster.
24256 @node Troubleshooting
24257 @section Troubleshooting
24258 @cindex troubleshooting
24260 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24268 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24271 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24272 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24276 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24277 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
24278 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
24279 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
24280 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24283 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24287 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24288 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24289 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24290 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24291 something like that.
24294 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24297 @cindex reporting bugs
24299 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24301 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24302 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24303 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24304 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24306 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24307 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24308 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24309 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24312 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24313 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24314 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24315 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24316 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24317 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24319 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24320 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24321 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24325 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24326 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24329 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24330 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24331 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24332 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24333 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24334 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24335 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24336 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24337 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24338 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24339 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24340 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24341 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24342 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24347 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24348 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24349 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
24350 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24351 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24352 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24353 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24354 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24355 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24356 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
24357 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24358 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24359 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24360 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24361 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24362 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24363 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24364 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24366 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24367 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24369 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24370 @cindex ding mailing list
24371 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
24372 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24376 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24377 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24379 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24380 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24381 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24382 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24385 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24386 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24387 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24388 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24389 and general methods of operation.
24392 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24393 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24394 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24395 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24396 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24397 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24398 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24399 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24400 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24404 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24405 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24406 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24407 @cindex utility functions
24409 @cindex internal variables
24411 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24412 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24413 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24417 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24418 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24419 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24421 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24422 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24423 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24425 @item gnus-group-real-name
24426 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24427 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24430 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24431 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24432 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24433 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24435 @item gnus-get-info
24436 @findex gnus-get-info
24437 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24439 @item gnus-group-unread
24440 @findex gnus-group-unread
24441 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24445 @findex gnus-active
24446 The active entry for @var{group}.
24448 @item gnus-set-active
24449 @findex gnus-set-active
24450 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24452 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24453 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24454 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24457 @item gnus-continuum-version
24458 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24459 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24460 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24463 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24464 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24465 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24467 @item gnus-news-group-p
24468 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24469 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24471 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24472 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24473 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24475 @item gnus-server-to-method
24476 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24477 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24479 @item gnus-server-equal
24480 @findex gnus-server-equal
24481 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24483 @item gnus-group-native-p
24484 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24485 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24487 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24488 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24489 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24491 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24492 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24493 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24495 @item group-group-find-parameter
24496 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24497 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24498 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24500 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24501 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24502 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24504 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24505 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24506 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24508 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24509 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24510 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24511 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24514 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24518 @item gnus-read-method
24519 @findex gnus-read-method
24520 Prompts the user for a select method.
24525 @node Back End Interface
24526 @subsection Back End Interface
24528 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24529 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24530 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24531 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24532 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24533 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24535 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24536 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24537 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24538 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24539 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24540 been opened, the function should fail.
24542 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24543 name. Take this example:
24547 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24548 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24551 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24552 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24554 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24555 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24556 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24558 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24559 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24560 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24562 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24563 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24564 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24565 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24566 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24567 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24570 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24571 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24572 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24573 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24576 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24577 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24578 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24579 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24580 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24581 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24582 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24583 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24584 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24585 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24587 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24588 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24589 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24590 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24591 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24592 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24593 of numbers as long as possible.
24595 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24596 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24597 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24599 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24602 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24605 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24606 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24607 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24608 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24609 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24610 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24614 @node Required Back End Functions
24615 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24619 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24621 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24622 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24623 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24624 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24626 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24627 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24628 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24629 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24631 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24632 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24633 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24634 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24635 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24636 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24637 number, do maximum fetches.
24639 Here's an example HEAD:
24642 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24643 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24644 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24645 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24646 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24647 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24648 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24650 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24651 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24652 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24656 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24657 these in the data buffer.
24659 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24663 head = error / valid-head
24664 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24665 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24666 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24667 header = <text> eol
24670 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24671 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24675 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24676 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24677 field = <text except TAB>
24680 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24684 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24686 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24687 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24689 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24690 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24691 server. In fact, it should do so.
24693 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24694 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24697 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24699 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24700 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24703 There should be no data returned.
24706 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24708 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24709 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24710 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24711 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24713 There should be no data returned.
24716 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24718 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24719 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24720 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24721 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24723 There should be no data returned.
24726 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24728 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24730 There should be no data returned.
24733 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24735 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24736 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24737 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24738 it would be nice if that were possible.
24740 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24741 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24742 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24743 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24744 into its article buffer.
24746 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24747 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24748 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24749 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24750 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24751 on successful article retrieval.
24754 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24756 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24757 making @var{group} the current group.
24759 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24762 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24765 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24768 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24769 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24770 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24771 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24772 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24773 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24774 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24775 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24776 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24780 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24781 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24782 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24786 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24788 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24789 a no-op on most back ends.
24791 There should be no data returned.
24794 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24796 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24799 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24802 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24803 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24806 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24807 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24808 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24809 and the highest as 0.
24812 active-file = *active-line
24813 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24815 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24818 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24819 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24820 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24823 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24825 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24826 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24827 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24828 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24829 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24830 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24832 There should be no result data from this function.
24837 @node Optional Back End Functions
24838 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24842 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24844 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24845 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24846 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24848 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24849 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24850 former is in the same format as the data from
24851 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24852 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24855 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24859 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24861 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24862 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24863 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24864 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24865 should return a non-nil value.
24867 There should be no result data from this function.
24870 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24872 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24873 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24874 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24875 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24876 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24877 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24878 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24879 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24881 There should be no result data from this function.
24884 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24886 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24887 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24888 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24889 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24890 propagate the mark information to the server.
24892 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24895 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24898 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
24899 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
24900 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
24901 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
24902 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24903 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24904 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24905 possible, not limit itself to these.
24907 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24908 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24909 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24910 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24912 An example action list:
24915 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24916 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24917 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24920 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24921 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24923 There should be no result data from this function.
24925 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24927 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24928 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24929 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24930 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24931 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24933 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24934 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24935 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24938 There should be no result data from this function.
24941 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24943 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24944 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24945 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24946 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24947 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24948 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24949 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24951 There should be no result data from this function.
24954 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24956 The result data from this function should be a description of
24960 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24962 description = <text>
24965 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24967 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24968 groups available on the server.
24971 description-buffer = *description-line
24975 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24977 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24978 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24979 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24980 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24981 in the active buffer format.
24983 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24984 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24985 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24986 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24987 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24988 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24989 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24992 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24994 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24996 There should be no return data.
24999 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25001 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25002 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25003 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25004 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25005 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25008 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25011 There should be no result data returned.
25014 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
25017 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25018 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25020 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25021 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25022 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25023 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25024 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25025 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25027 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25028 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25031 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25032 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25034 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25035 article for that group.
25037 There should be no data returned.
25040 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25042 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25043 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25044 this function in short order.
25046 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25047 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25049 There should be no data returned.
25052 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25054 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25055 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25057 There should be no data returned.
25060 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25062 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25063 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25064 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25066 There should be no data returned.
25069 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25071 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25072 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25074 There should be no data returned.
25079 @node Error Messaging
25080 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25082 @findex nnheader-report
25083 @findex nnheader-get-report
25084 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25085 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25086 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25087 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25088 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25089 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25092 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25094 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25097 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25098 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25099 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25100 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25102 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25103 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25104 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25107 @node Writing New Back Ends
25108 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25110 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25111 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25112 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25113 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25114 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25117 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25118 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25119 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25121 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25122 package called @code{nnoo}.
25124 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25125 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25131 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25132 parameters. For instance:
25135 (nnoo-declare nndir
25139 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25140 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25143 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25144 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25145 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25147 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25148 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25149 a function in those back ends.
25152 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25153 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25154 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25157 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25158 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25159 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25161 @item nnoo-define-basics
25162 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25166 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25170 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25171 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25172 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25174 @item nnoo-map-functions
25175 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25176 functions from the parent back ends.
25179 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25180 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25181 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25184 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25185 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25186 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25187 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25190 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25191 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25192 haven't already been defined.
25198 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25202 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25203 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25204 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25209 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25212 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25213 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25217 (require 'nnheader)
25221 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25223 (nnoo-declare nndir
25226 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25227 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25228 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25230 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25231 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25234 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25236 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25237 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25238 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25240 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25241 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25243 ;;; Interface functions.
25245 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25247 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25248 (setq nndir-directory
25249 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25251 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25252 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25253 (push `(nndir-current-group
25254 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25255 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25257 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25258 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25260 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25262 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25263 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25264 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25265 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25266 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25270 nnmh-status-message
25272 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25278 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25279 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25281 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25282 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25283 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25284 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25285 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25287 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25288 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25293 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25296 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25298 The abilities can be:
25302 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25304 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25306 This back end supports both mail and news.
25308 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25311 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25312 articles and groups.
25314 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25315 true for almost all back ends.
25316 @item prompt-address
25317 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25318 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25319 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25323 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25324 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25326 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25327 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25328 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25329 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25332 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25333 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25334 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25337 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25338 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25341 This function takes four parameters.
25345 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25348 @item exit-function
25349 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25351 @item temp-directory
25352 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25355 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25356 performed for one group only.
25359 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25360 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25361 find the article number assigned to this article.
25363 The function also uses the following variables:
25364 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25365 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25366 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25367 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25371 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25372 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25376 @node Score File Syntax
25377 @subsection Score File Syntax
25379 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25380 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25381 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25383 Here's a typical score file:
25387 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25394 BNF definition of a score file:
25397 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25398 element = rule / atom
25399 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25400 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25401 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25402 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25404 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25405 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25406 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25407 date-header = "date"
25408 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25409 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25410 score = "nil" / <integer>
25411 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25412 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25413 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25414 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25415 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25416 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25417 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25418 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25419 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25420 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25421 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25422 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25423 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25424 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25425 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25426 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25427 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25428 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25429 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25430 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25431 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25432 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25433 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25434 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25435 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25436 eval = "eval" space <form>
25437 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25440 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25443 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25444 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25445 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25446 one looong line, then that's ok.
25448 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25449 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25453 @subsection Headers
25455 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25456 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25457 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25458 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25460 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25461 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25462 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25463 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25464 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25465 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25466 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25468 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25469 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25470 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25471 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25472 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25474 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25475 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25481 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25482 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25484 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25485 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25486 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25487 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25489 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25493 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25496 is transformed into
25499 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25502 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25503 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25506 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25509 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25510 is slightly tricky:
25513 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25519 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25522 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25528 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25535 and is equal to the previous range.
25537 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25538 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25539 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25543 range = simple-range / normal-range
25544 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25545 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25546 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25547 number *[ " " contents ]
25550 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25551 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25552 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25553 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25554 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25559 @subsection Group Info
25561 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25562 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25563 describes the group.
25565 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25566 second is a more complex one:
25569 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25571 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25572 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25574 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25577 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25578 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25579 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25580 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25581 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25582 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25583 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25584 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25585 this section is about.
25587 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25588 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25589 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25591 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25594 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25595 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25596 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25597 group = quote <string> quote
25598 ralevel = rank / level
25599 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25600 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25601 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25603 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25604 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25605 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25606 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25609 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25610 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25613 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25614 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25617 @item gnus-info-group
25618 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25619 @findex gnus-info-group
25620 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25621 Get/set the group name.
25623 @item gnus-info-rank
25624 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25625 @findex gnus-info-rank
25626 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25627 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25629 @item gnus-info-level
25630 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25631 @findex gnus-info-level
25632 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25633 Get/set the group level.
25635 @item gnus-info-score
25636 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25637 @findex gnus-info-score
25638 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25639 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25641 @item gnus-info-read
25642 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25643 @findex gnus-info-read
25644 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25645 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25647 @item gnus-info-marks
25648 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25649 @findex gnus-info-marks
25650 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25651 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25653 @item gnus-info-method
25654 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25655 @findex gnus-info-method
25656 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25657 Get/set the group select method.
25659 @item gnus-info-params
25660 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25661 @findex gnus-info-params
25662 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25663 Get/set the group parameters.
25666 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25667 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25669 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25670 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25671 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25672 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25675 @node Extended Interactive
25676 @subsection Extended Interactive
25677 @cindex interactive
25678 @findex gnus-interactive
25680 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25681 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25682 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25685 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25686 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25691 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25692 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25693 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25694 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25695 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25696 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25697 @code{interactive}.
25699 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25704 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25705 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25709 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25710 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25711 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25714 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25718 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25722 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25728 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25729 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25733 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25734 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25735 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25737 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25738 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25739 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25740 Gnus, that's very useful.
25742 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25743 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25744 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25745 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25746 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25747 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25748 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25749 following function:
25752 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25756 (,function ,@@args))
25760 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25761 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25762 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25765 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25766 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25767 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25769 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25770 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25771 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25774 @node Various File Formats
25775 @subsection Various File Formats
25778 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25779 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25783 @node Active File Format
25784 @subsubsection Active File Format
25786 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25787 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25790 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25793 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25794 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25795 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25796 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25797 no.general 1000 900 y
25800 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25803 active = *group-line
25804 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25805 group = <non-white-space string>
25807 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25808 low-number = <positive integer>
25809 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25812 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25813 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25816 @node Newsgroups File Format
25817 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25819 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25820 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25821 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25824 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25825 Here's the definition:
25829 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25830 group = <non-white-space string>
25832 description = <string>
25837 @node Emacs for Heathens
25838 @section Emacs for Heathens
25840 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25841 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25842 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25843 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25844 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25845 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25846 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25850 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25851 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25856 @subsection Keystrokes
25860 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25863 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25866 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25867 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25868 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25869 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25870 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25871 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25873 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25874 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25875 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25876 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25877 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25878 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25879 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25881 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25882 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25883 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25884 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25885 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25886 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25887 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25889 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25890 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25891 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25892 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25893 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25899 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25901 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25902 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25903 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25904 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25906 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25907 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25908 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25909 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25910 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25911 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25912 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25915 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25916 write the following:
25919 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25922 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25923 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25924 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25927 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
25928 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25929 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25930 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25931 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25933 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25934 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25935 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25939 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25943 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25946 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25947 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25950 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25953 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25954 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25957 @include gnus-faq.texi
25977 @c Local Variables:
25979 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25981 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25982 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25983 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25984 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25985 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref