1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Pterodactyl Gnus 0.50 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
54 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
56 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
57 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
58 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
59 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
62 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
68 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
69 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
70 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
73 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
75 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
82 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
84 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
86 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
87 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
90 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
91 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
92 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
97 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
99 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
106 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
107 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
110 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
111 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
114 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
115 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
118 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
119 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
122 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
124 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
125 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
129 \newenvironment{codelist}%
134 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
140 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
145 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
150 \newenvironment{samplist}%
155 \newenvironment{varlist}%
160 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
165 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
166 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
167 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
169 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
174 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
178 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
187 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
189 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
194 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
199 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
203 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
211 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
213 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
223 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
227 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
235 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
237 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
242 \pagenumbering{roman}
243 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
253 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
254 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
256 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
258 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
261 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
271 \thispagestyle{empty}
273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Pterodactyl Gnus 0.50 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The Gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Gnus 0.50.
368 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
369 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
371 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
372 being accused of plagiarism:
374 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
375 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
376 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
377 even read news with it!
379 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
380 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
381 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
382 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
383 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
405 @chapter Starting Gnus
410 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
411 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
414 @findex gnus-other-frame
415 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
416 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
417 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
419 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
420 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
421 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
423 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
424 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
434 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
435 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 @node Finding the News
442 @section Finding the News
445 @vindex gnus-select-method
447 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
448 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
449 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
450 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
453 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
454 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
457 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
460 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
463 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
466 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
467 certainly be much faster.
469 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
471 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
472 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
473 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
474 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
475 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
476 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
478 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
479 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
480 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
481 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
483 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
484 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
485 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
486 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
487 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
488 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
490 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
492 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
493 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
494 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
495 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
496 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
497 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
499 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
501 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
502 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
503 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
504 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
505 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
506 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
509 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
510 would typically set this variable to
513 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
518 @section The First Time
519 @cindex first time usage
521 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
522 be subscribed by default.
524 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
525 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
526 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
527 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
530 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
531 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
532 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
534 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
535 help you with most common problems.
537 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
538 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
542 @node The Server is Down
543 @section The Server is Down
544 @cindex server errors
546 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
547 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
548 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
550 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
551 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
552 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
553 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
554 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
555 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
556 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
558 @findex gnus-no-server
559 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
561 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
562 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
563 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
564 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
565 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
566 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
571 @section Slave Gnusae
574 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
575 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
576 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
577 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
579 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
582 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
583 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
584 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
585 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
586 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
587 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
588 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
590 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
591 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
592 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
593 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
594 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
595 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
596 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
597 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
599 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
600 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
603 @node Fetching a Group
604 @section Fetching a Group
605 @cindex fetching a group
607 @findex gnus-fetch-group
608 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
609 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
610 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
611 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
612 It takes the group name as a parameter.
620 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
621 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
622 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
623 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
624 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
625 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
626 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
627 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
628 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
631 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
632 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
633 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
637 @node Checking New Groups
638 @subsection Checking New Groups
640 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
641 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
642 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
643 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
644 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
645 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
646 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
647 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
648 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
649 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
651 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
652 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
653 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
654 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
655 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
656 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
657 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
658 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
659 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
660 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
661 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
663 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
664 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
665 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
666 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
667 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
668 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
671 @node Subscription Methods
672 @subsection Subscription Methods
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
675 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
676 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
678 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
679 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
681 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
685 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
687 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
688 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
689 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
691 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
692 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
693 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
694 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
696 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
698 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
700 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
701 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
702 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
703 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
704 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
705 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
706 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
707 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
708 up. Or something like that.
710 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
711 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
712 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
713 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
714 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
716 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
717 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
723 A closely related variable is
724 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
725 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
726 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
727 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
730 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
731 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
733 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
736 @node Filtering New Groups
737 @subsection Filtering New Groups
739 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
740 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
741 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
744 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
747 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
748 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
749 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
750 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
751 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
752 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
753 subscribing these groups.
754 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
755 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
757 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
758 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
759 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
760 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
761 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
762 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
763 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
764 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
766 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
767 Yet another variable that meddles here is
768 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
769 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
770 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
771 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
772 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
773 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
774 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
775 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
777 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
778 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
781 @node Changing Servers
782 @section Changing Servers
783 @cindex changing servers
785 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
786 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
787 very flaky and you want to use another.
789 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
790 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
794 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
795 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
796 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
797 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
800 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
801 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
802 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
803 functions more than absolutely necessary.
805 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
806 @findex gnus-change-server
807 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
808 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
809 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
810 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
811 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
814 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
815 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
816 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
817 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
819 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
820 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
821 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
822 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
823 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
824 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
826 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
827 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
828 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
832 @section Startup Files
833 @cindex startup files
838 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
839 information is traditionally stored in this file.
841 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
842 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
843 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
844 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
845 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
846 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
847 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
849 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
850 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
851 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
852 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
853 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
854 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
856 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
857 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
858 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
859 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
860 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
861 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
863 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
864 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
865 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
866 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
867 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
868 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
869 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
870 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
871 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
872 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
873 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
874 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
876 @vindex gnus-startup-file
877 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
878 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
879 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
881 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
882 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
883 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
884 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
885 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
886 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
887 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
888 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
889 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
890 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
893 (defun turn-off-backup ()
894 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
896 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
897 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
900 @vindex gnus-init-file
901 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
902 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
903 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
904 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
905 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
906 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
907 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
908 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
909 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
918 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
919 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
920 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
921 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
922 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
925 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
926 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
929 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
930 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
931 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
933 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
934 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
935 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
936 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
937 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
938 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
940 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
941 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
942 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
945 @node The Active File
946 @section The Active File
948 @cindex ignored groups
950 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
951 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
952 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
954 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
955 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
956 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
957 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
958 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
959 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
960 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
963 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
964 @c if you set it to anything else.
966 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
968 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
969 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
970 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
972 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
973 you actually subscribe to.
975 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
976 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
977 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
978 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
980 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
981 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
982 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
983 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
984 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
985 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
987 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
988 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
989 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
990 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
991 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
992 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
994 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
995 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
997 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
998 secondary select methods.
1001 @node Startup Variables
1002 @section Startup Variables
1006 @item gnus-load-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1008 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1009 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1010 times you start Gnus.
1012 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1014 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1016 @item gnus-startup-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1018 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1020 @item gnus-started-hook
1021 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1022 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1025 @item gnus-started-hook
1026 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1027 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1028 generating the group buffer.
1030 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1031 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1032 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1033 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1034 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1035 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1036 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1037 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1039 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1040 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1041 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1042 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1043 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1044 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1046 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1047 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1048 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1050 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1051 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1052 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1054 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1055 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1056 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1057 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1062 @node The Group Buffer
1063 @chapter The Group Buffer
1064 @cindex group buffer
1066 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1067 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1068 long as Gnus is active.
1072 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1073 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1074 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1075 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1076 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1077 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1078 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1079 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1085 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1086 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1087 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1088 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1089 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1090 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1091 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1092 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1093 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1094 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1095 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1096 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1097 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1098 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1099 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1100 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1101 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1105 @node Group Buffer Format
1106 @section Group Buffer Format
1109 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1110 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1111 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1115 @node Group Line Specification
1116 @subsection Group Line Specification
1117 @cindex group buffer format
1119 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1120 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1122 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1125 25: news.announce.newusers
1126 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1131 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1132 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1133 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1134 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1136 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1137 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1138 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1139 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1140 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1141 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1143 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1145 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1146 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1147 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1148 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1151 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1152 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1153 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1155 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1160 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1163 Whether the group is subscribed.
1166 Level of subscribedness.
1169 Number of unread articles.
1172 Number of dormant articles.
1175 Number of ticked articles.
1178 Number of read articles.
1181 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1182 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1185 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1188 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1197 Newsgroup description.
1200 @samp{m} if moderated.
1203 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1212 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1216 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1219 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1220 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1221 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1222 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1223 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1226 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1228 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1232 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1236 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1237 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1238 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1239 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1240 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1241 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1246 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1247 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1248 group, or a bogus native group.
1251 @node Group Modeline Specification
1252 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1253 @cindex group modeline
1255 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1256 The mode line can be changed by setting
1257 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1258 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1262 The native news server.
1264 The native select method.
1268 @node Group Highlighting
1269 @subsection Group Highlighting
1270 @cindex highlighting
1271 @cindex group highlighting
1273 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1274 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1275 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1276 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1277 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1279 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1283 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1284 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1285 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1286 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1287 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1288 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1289 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1290 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1291 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1292 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1294 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1295 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1296 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1297 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1298 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1299 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1302 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1304 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1311 The number of unread articles in the group.
1315 Whether the group is a mail group.
1317 The level of the group.
1319 The score of the group.
1321 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1323 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1324 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1326 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1327 topic being inserted.
1330 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1331 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1332 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1334 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1335 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1336 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1337 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1338 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1341 @node Group Maneuvering
1342 @section Group Maneuvering
1343 @cindex group movement
1345 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1346 expected, hopefully.
1352 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1353 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1354 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1360 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1361 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1362 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1366 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1367 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1372 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1376 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1377 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1378 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1382 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1383 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1384 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1387 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1393 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1394 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1395 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1400 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1401 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1402 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1406 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1407 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1408 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1411 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1412 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1413 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1414 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1418 @node Selecting a Group
1419 @section Selecting a Group
1420 @cindex group selection
1425 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1426 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1427 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1428 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1429 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1430 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1431 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1432 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1433 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1434 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1438 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1439 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1440 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1441 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1442 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1446 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1447 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1448 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1449 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1450 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1451 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1452 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1453 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1454 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1455 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1458 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1459 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1460 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1461 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1462 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1465 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1466 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1467 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1468 doing any processing of its contents
1469 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1470 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1471 manner will have no permanent effects.
1475 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1476 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1477 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1478 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1479 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1480 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1481 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1482 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1485 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1486 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1487 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1488 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1493 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1494 full summary buffer.
1497 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1500 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1505 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1506 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1507 Useful functions include:
1510 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1511 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1512 don't select the article.
1514 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1515 Select the first unread article.
1517 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1518 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1522 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1523 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1524 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1528 @node Subscription Commands
1529 @section Subscription Commands
1530 @cindex subscription
1538 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1539 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1540 Toggle subscription to the current group
1541 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1547 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1548 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1549 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1550 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1556 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1557 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1558 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1564 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1565 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1568 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1569 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1570 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1571 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1572 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1578 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1579 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1583 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1584 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1587 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1588 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1589 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1590 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1591 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1592 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1593 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1594 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1595 @file{.newsrc} file.
1599 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1609 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1610 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1611 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1612 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1613 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1614 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1619 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1620 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1621 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1625 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1626 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1627 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1629 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1630 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1631 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1632 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1633 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1634 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1641 @section Group Levels
1645 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1646 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1647 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1648 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1649 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1651 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1657 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1658 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1659 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1660 prompted for a level.
1663 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1664 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1665 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1666 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1667 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1668 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1669 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1670 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1671 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1672 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1673 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1674 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1675 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1676 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1677 reasons of efficiency.
1679 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1680 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1682 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1683 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1684 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1686 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1687 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1688 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1689 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1690 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1691 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1692 relevant valid ranges.
1694 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1695 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1696 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1697 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1698 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1699 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1702 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1703 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1704 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1707 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1708 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1709 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1710 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1713 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1714 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1715 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1716 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1718 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1719 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1720 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1721 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1722 to 5. The default is 6.
1726 @section Group Score
1731 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1732 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1733 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1736 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1737 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1738 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1739 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1740 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1741 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1742 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1744 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1745 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1746 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1747 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1748 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1749 action after each summary exit, you can add
1750 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1751 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1752 slow things down somewhat.
1755 @node Marking Groups
1756 @section Marking Groups
1757 @cindex marking groups
1759 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1760 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1761 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1762 bidding on those groups.
1764 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1765 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1766 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1774 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1775 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1781 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1782 Remove the mark from the current group
1783 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1787 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1788 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1792 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1793 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1797 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1798 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1802 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1803 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1804 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1807 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1809 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1810 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1811 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1812 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1813 the command to be executed.
1816 @node Foreign Groups
1817 @section Foreign Groups
1818 @cindex foreign groups
1820 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1821 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1822 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1823 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1830 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1831 @cindex making groups
1832 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1833 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1834 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1838 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1839 @cindex renaming groups
1840 Rename the current group to something else
1841 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1842 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1848 @findex gnus-group-customize
1849 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1853 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1854 @cindex renaming groups
1855 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1856 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1860 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1861 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1862 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1866 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1867 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1868 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1872 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1874 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1875 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1880 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1881 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1885 @cindex (ding) archive
1886 @cindex archive group
1887 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1888 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1889 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1890 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1891 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1892 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1893 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1897 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1899 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1900 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1901 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1902 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1906 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1908 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1909 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1910 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1914 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1915 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1917 Make a group based on some file or other
1918 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1919 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1920 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1921 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1922 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1923 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1924 @xref{Document Groups}.
1928 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1929 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1930 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1931 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1935 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1940 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1941 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1942 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1943 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1944 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1945 @xref{Web Searches}.
1947 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1948 to a particular group by using a match string like
1949 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1952 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1953 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1954 This function will delete the current group
1955 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1956 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1957 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1958 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1959 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1963 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1964 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1965 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1969 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1970 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1971 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1974 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1977 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1978 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1979 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1980 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1981 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1982 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1986 @node Group Parameters
1987 @section Group Parameters
1988 @cindex group parameters
1990 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1991 Here's an example group parameter list:
1994 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1998 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1999 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2000 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2001 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2003 The following group parameters can be used:
2008 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2011 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2014 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2015 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2016 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2017 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2018 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2020 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2021 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2022 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2023 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2024 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2025 list address instead.
2029 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2032 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2035 It is totally ignored
2036 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2037 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2039 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2040 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2041 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2042 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2043 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2045 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2046 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2047 sending the message.
2051 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2052 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2053 of whether it has any unread articles.
2055 @item broken-reply-to
2056 @cindex broken-reply-to
2057 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2058 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2059 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2060 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2061 broken behavior. So there!
2065 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2066 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2070 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2071 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2072 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2077 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2078 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2079 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2080 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2081 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2082 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2083 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2087 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2088 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2089 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2092 @cindex total-expire
2093 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2094 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2095 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2096 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2101 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2102 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2103 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2104 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2105 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2106 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2109 @cindex score file group parameter
2110 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2111 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2112 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2115 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2116 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2117 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2118 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2121 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2122 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2123 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2124 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2127 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2128 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2132 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2135 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2140 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2141 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2142 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2146 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2147 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2148 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2150 @item @var{(variable form)}
2151 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2152 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2153 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2154 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2155 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2156 @code{eval}ed there.
2158 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2159 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2160 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2161 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2162 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2166 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2167 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2171 @node Listing Groups
2172 @section Listing Groups
2173 @cindex group listing
2175 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2183 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2184 List all groups that have unread articles
2185 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2186 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2187 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2188 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2195 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2196 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2197 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2198 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2199 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2200 unsubscribed groups).
2204 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2205 List all unread groups on a specific level
2206 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2207 with no unread articles.
2211 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2212 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2213 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2214 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2219 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2220 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2225 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2226 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2231 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2235 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2236 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2237 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2238 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2239 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2240 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2241 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2242 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2246 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2247 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2248 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2253 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2254 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2258 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2259 @cindex visible group parameter
2260 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2261 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2262 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2263 get the same effect.
2265 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2266 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2267 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2268 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2269 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2272 @node Sorting Groups
2273 @section Sorting Groups
2274 @cindex sorting groups
2276 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2277 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2278 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2279 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2280 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2281 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2286 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2287 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2288 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2290 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2291 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2292 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2294 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2295 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2296 Sort by group level.
2298 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2299 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2300 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2302 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2303 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2304 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2305 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2307 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2308 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2309 Sort by number of unread articles.
2311 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2312 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2313 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2318 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2319 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2323 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2324 some sorting criteria:
2328 @kindex G S a (Group)
2329 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2330 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2331 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2334 @kindex G S u (Group)
2335 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2336 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2337 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2340 @kindex G S l (Group)
2341 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2342 Sort the group buffer by group level
2343 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2346 @kindex G S v (Group)
2347 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2348 Sort the group buffer by group score
2349 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2352 @kindex G S r (Group)
2353 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2354 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2358 @kindex G S m (Group)
2359 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2360 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2365 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2366 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2368 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2369 commands will sort in reverse order.
2371 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2375 @kindex G P a (Group)
2376 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2377 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2378 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2381 @kindex G P u (Group)
2382 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2383 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2384 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2387 @kindex G P l (Group)
2388 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2389 Sort the groups by group level
2390 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2393 @kindex G P v (Group)
2394 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2395 Sort the groups by group score
2396 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2399 @kindex G P r (Group)
2400 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2401 Sort the groups by group rank
2402 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2405 @kindex G P m (Group)
2406 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2407 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2408 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2414 @node Group Maintenance
2415 @section Group Maintenance
2416 @cindex bogus groups
2421 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2422 Find bogus groups and delete them
2423 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2427 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2428 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2429 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2430 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2431 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2435 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2436 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2437 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2438 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2441 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2442 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2443 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2444 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2449 @node Browse Foreign Server
2450 @section Browse Foreign Server
2451 @cindex foreign servers
2452 @cindex browsing servers
2457 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2458 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2459 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2460 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2463 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2464 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2465 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2466 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2468 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2473 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2474 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2479 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2482 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2483 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2484 Enter the current group and display the first article
2485 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2488 @kindex RET (Browse)
2489 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2490 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2494 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2495 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2496 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2503 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2507 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2508 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2509 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2514 @section Exiting Gnus
2515 @cindex exiting Gnus
2517 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2522 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2523 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2524 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2525 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2529 @findex gnus-group-exit
2530 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2531 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-quit
2536 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2537 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2540 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2541 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2542 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2543 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2544 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2549 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2550 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2551 trying to customize meta-variables.
2556 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2557 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2558 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2564 @section Group Topics
2567 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2568 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2569 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2570 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2571 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2572 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2576 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2577 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2588 2: alt.religion.emacs
2591 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2593 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2594 13: comp.sources.unix
2597 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2599 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2600 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2601 is a toggling command.)
2603 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2604 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2605 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2606 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2609 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2610 the hook for the group mode:
2613 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2617 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2618 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2619 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2620 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2621 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2625 @node Topic Variables
2626 @subsection Topic Variables
2627 @cindex topic variables
2629 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2630 really neat, I think.
2632 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2633 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2634 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2647 Number of groups in the topic.
2649 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2651 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2654 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2655 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2656 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2659 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2660 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2662 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2663 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2664 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2667 @node Topic Commands
2668 @subsection Topic Commands
2669 @cindex topic commands
2671 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2672 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2673 definitions slightly.
2679 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2680 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2681 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2685 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2686 Move the current group to some other topic
2687 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2688 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2692 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2693 Copy the current group to some other topic
2694 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2695 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2699 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2700 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2701 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2702 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2703 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2704 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2705 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2708 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2709 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2713 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2714 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2715 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2719 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2720 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2721 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2725 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2726 Toggle hiding empty topics
2727 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2731 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2732 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2733 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2736 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2737 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2738 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2739 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2743 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2745 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2746 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2747 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2748 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2751 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2752 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2753 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2754 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2758 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2760 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2761 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2762 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2763 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2764 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2765 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2768 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2769 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2770 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2771 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2775 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2776 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2777 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2781 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2782 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2783 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2788 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2789 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2792 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2793 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2794 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2798 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2799 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2800 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2804 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2805 @cindex group parameters
2806 @cindex topic parameters
2808 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2809 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2815 @subsection Topic Sorting
2816 @cindex topic sorting
2818 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2824 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2825 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2826 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2827 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2830 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2831 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2832 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2833 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2836 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2837 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2838 Sort the current topic by group level
2839 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2842 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2843 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2844 Sort the current topic by group score
2845 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2848 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2849 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2850 Sort the current topic by group rank
2851 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2854 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2855 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2856 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2857 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2861 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2864 @node Topic Topology
2865 @subsection Topic Topology
2866 @cindex topic topology
2869 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2875 2: alt.religion.emacs
2878 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2880 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2881 13: comp.sources.unix
2884 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2885 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2886 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2891 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2892 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2896 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2897 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2898 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2899 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2900 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2901 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2903 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2904 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2905 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2908 @node Topic Parameters
2909 @subsection Topic Parameters
2910 @cindex topic parameters
2912 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2913 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2914 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2916 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2917 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2918 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2919 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2925 2: alt.religion.emacs
2929 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2931 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2932 13: comp.sources.unix
2936 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2937 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2938 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2939 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2940 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2941 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2943 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2944 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2945 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2946 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2947 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2949 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2950 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2951 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2952 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2953 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2954 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2955 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2956 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2959 @node Misc Group Stuff
2960 @section Misc Group Stuff
2963 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2964 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2965 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2966 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2973 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2974 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2975 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2979 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2980 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2981 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2985 @findex gnus-group-mail
2986 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2990 Variables for the group buffer:
2994 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2995 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2996 is called after the group buffer has been
2999 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3000 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3001 is called after the group buffer is
3002 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3005 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3006 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3007 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3008 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3010 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3011 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3012 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3013 whether they are empty or not.
3018 @node Scanning New Messages
3019 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3020 @cindex new messages
3021 @cindex scanning new news
3027 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3028 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3029 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3030 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3031 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3032 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3037 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3038 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3039 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3040 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3041 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3042 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3043 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3045 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3046 @cindex activating groups
3048 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3049 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3054 @findex gnus-group-restart
3055 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3056 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3057 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3061 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3062 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3064 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3065 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3069 @node Group Information
3070 @subsection Group Information
3071 @cindex group information
3072 @cindex information on groups
3079 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3080 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3083 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3084 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3085 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3086 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3087 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3088 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3089 for fetching the file.
3091 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3092 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3096 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3098 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3099 @cindex describing groups
3100 @cindex group description
3101 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3102 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3103 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3107 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3108 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3109 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3116 @findex gnus-version
3117 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3121 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3122 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3125 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3128 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3129 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3133 @node Group Timestamp
3134 @subsection Group Timestamp
3136 @cindex group timestamps
3138 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3139 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3140 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3143 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3146 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3148 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3149 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3152 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3153 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3156 This will result in lines looking like:
3159 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3160 0: custom 19961002T012713
3163 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3164 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3168 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3169 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3174 @subsection File Commands
3175 @cindex file commands
3181 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3182 @vindex gnus-init-file
3183 @cindex reading init file
3184 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3185 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3189 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3190 @cindex saving .newsrc
3191 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3192 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3193 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3196 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3197 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3198 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3203 @node The Summary Buffer
3204 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3205 @cindex summary buffer
3207 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3208 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3210 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3211 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3213 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3216 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3217 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3218 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3219 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3220 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3221 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3222 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3223 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3224 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3225 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3226 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3227 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3228 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3229 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3230 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3231 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3232 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3233 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3234 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3235 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3236 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3237 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3238 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3239 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3240 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3241 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3242 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3243 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3247 @node Summary Buffer Format
3248 @section Summary Buffer Format
3249 @cindex summary buffer format
3253 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3254 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3255 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3261 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3262 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3263 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3264 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3267 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3268 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3269 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3270 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3271 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3272 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3273 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3274 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3275 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3276 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3277 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3280 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3281 'mail-extract-address-components)
3284 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3285 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3286 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3287 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3290 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3291 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3293 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3294 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3295 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3296 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3297 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3299 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3301 The following format specification characters are understood:
3309 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3310 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3311 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3313 Full @code{From} header.
3315 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3317 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3318 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3320 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3321 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3322 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3323 may be more thorough.
3325 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3328 Number of lines in the article.
3330 Number of characters in the article.
3332 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3334 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3335 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3337 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3338 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3340 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3341 for adopted articles.
3343 One space for each thread level.
3345 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3350 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3351 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3355 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3357 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3358 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3359 default level. If the difference between
3360 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3361 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3369 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3371 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3377 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3378 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3380 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3381 article has any children.
3387 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3388 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3389 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3390 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3391 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3392 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3395 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3396 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3397 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3398 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3399 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3400 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3402 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3403 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3405 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3408 @node To From Newsgroups
3409 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3413 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3414 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3415 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3416 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3417 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3421 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3422 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3423 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3427 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3428 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3431 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3432 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3435 @findex gnus-extra-header
3436 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3437 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3438 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3441 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3445 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3446 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3447 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3448 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3449 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3450 headers are used instead.
3454 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3455 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3456 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
3458 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3461 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3463 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3464 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3465 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3466 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3471 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3472 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3474 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3475 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3476 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3477 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3479 Here are the elements you can play with:
3485 Unprefixed group name.
3487 Current article number.
3489 Current article score.
3493 Number of unread articles in this group.
3495 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3498 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3499 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3500 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3501 and no unselected ones.
3503 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3504 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3506 Subject of the current article.
3508 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3510 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3512 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3514 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3516 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3518 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3522 @node Summary Highlighting
3523 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3527 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3528 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3529 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3530 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3531 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3533 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3534 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3535 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3536 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3538 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3539 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3540 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3541 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3543 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3544 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3545 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3546 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3547 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3548 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3550 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3551 ((> score default) . bold))
3553 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3554 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3558 @node Summary Maneuvering
3559 @section Summary Maneuvering
3560 @cindex summary movement
3562 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3563 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3565 None of these commands select articles.
3570 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3571 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3572 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3573 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3574 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3578 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3579 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3580 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3581 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3582 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3587 @kindex G j (Summary)
3588 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3589 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3590 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3593 @kindex G g (Summary)
3594 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3595 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3596 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3599 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3600 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3601 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3602 to the group buffer.
3604 Variables related to summary movement:
3608 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3609 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3610 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3611 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3612 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3613 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3614 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3615 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3616 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3617 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3618 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3619 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3620 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3621 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3623 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3624 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3625 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3626 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3627 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3628 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3629 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3631 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3633 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3634 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3635 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3636 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3637 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3639 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3640 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3641 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3642 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3643 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3644 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3645 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3646 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3649 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3650 the given number of lines from the top.
3655 @node Choosing Articles
3656 @section Choosing Articles
3657 @cindex selecting articles
3660 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3661 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3665 @node Choosing Commands
3666 @subsection Choosing Commands
3668 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3669 and they all select and display an article.
3673 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3674 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3675 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3676 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3681 @kindex G n (Summary)
3682 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3683 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3684 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3689 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3690 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3691 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3696 @kindex G N (Summary)
3697 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3698 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3703 @kindex G P (Summary)
3704 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3705 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3708 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3709 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3710 Go to the next article with the same subject
3711 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3714 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3715 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3716 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3717 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3721 @kindex G f (Summary)
3723 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3724 Go to the first unread article
3725 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3729 @kindex G b (Summary)
3731 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3732 Go to the article with the highest score
3733 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3738 @kindex G l (Summary)
3739 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3740 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3743 @kindex G o (Summary)
3744 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3746 @cindex article history
3747 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3748 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3749 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3750 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3751 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3752 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3756 @node Choosing Variables
3757 @subsection Choosing Variables
3759 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3762 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3763 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3764 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3765 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3766 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3767 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3769 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3770 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3771 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3772 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3774 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3775 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3776 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3777 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3778 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3779 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3780 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3781 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3782 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3783 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3784 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3785 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3786 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3787 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3792 @node Paging the Article
3793 @section Scrolling the Article
3794 @cindex article scrolling
3799 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3800 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3801 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3802 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3803 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3806 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3807 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3808 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3811 @kindex RET (Summary)
3812 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3813 Scroll the current article one line forward
3814 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3817 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3818 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3819 Scroll the current article one line backward
3820 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3824 @kindex A g (Summary)
3826 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3827 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3828 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3829 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3830 the way it came from the server.
3835 @kindex A < (Summary)
3836 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3837 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3838 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3843 @kindex A > (Summary)
3844 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3845 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3849 @kindex A s (Summary)
3851 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3852 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3853 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3857 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3858 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3863 @node Reply Followup and Post
3864 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3867 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3868 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3872 @node Summary Mail Commands
3873 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3875 @cindex composing mail
3877 Commands for composing a mail message:
3883 @kindex S r (Summary)
3885 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3886 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3887 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3888 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3889 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3894 @kindex S R (Summary)
3895 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3896 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3897 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3898 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3899 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3902 @kindex S w (Summary)
3903 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3904 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3905 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3906 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3907 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3910 @kindex S W (Summary)
3911 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3912 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3913 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3914 the process/prefix convention.
3917 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3918 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3919 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3920 Forward the current article to some other person
3921 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3922 headers of the forwarded article.
3927 @kindex S m (Summary)
3928 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3929 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3930 Send a mail to some other person
3931 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3934 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3935 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3936 @cindex bouncing mail
3937 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3938 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3939 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3940 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3941 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3942 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3943 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3944 very well fail, though.
3947 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3948 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3949 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3950 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3951 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3952 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3953 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3954 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3955 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3956 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3958 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3959 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3960 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3961 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3962 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3964 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3965 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3968 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3969 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3970 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3971 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3972 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3975 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3976 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3977 @cindex crossposting
3978 @cindex excessive crossposting
3979 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3980 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3982 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3983 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3984 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3985 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3986 command understands the process/prefix convention
3987 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3991 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3994 @node Summary Post Commands
3995 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3997 @cindex composing news
3999 Commands for posting a news article:
4005 @kindex S p (Summary)
4006 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4007 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4008 Post an article to the current group
4009 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4014 @kindex S f (Summary)
4015 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4016 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4017 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4021 @kindex S F (Summary)
4023 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4024 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4025 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4026 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4027 process/prefix convention.
4030 @kindex S n (Summary)
4031 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4032 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4033 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4036 @kindex S N (Summary)
4037 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4038 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4039 message through mail and include the original message
4040 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4041 the process/prefix convention.
4044 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4045 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4046 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4047 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4048 headers of the forwarded article.
4051 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4052 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4054 @cindex making digests
4055 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4056 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4057 process/prefix convention.
4060 @kindex S u (Summary)
4061 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4062 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4063 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4064 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4067 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4070 @node Canceling and Superseding
4071 @section Canceling Articles
4072 @cindex canceling articles
4073 @cindex superseding articles
4075 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4076 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4078 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4080 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4082 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4083 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4084 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4085 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4086 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4087 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4089 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4090 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4093 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4094 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4095 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4097 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4098 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4099 your original article.
4101 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4103 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4104 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4105 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4108 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4109 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4110 have posted almost the same article twice.
4112 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4113 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4114 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4115 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4116 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4117 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4118 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4119 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4120 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4121 canceled/superseded.
4123 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4126 @node Marking Articles
4127 @section Marking Articles
4128 @cindex article marking
4129 @cindex article ticking
4132 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4134 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4135 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4136 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4138 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4141 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4142 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4143 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4147 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4151 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4152 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4156 @node Unread Articles
4157 @subsection Unread Articles
4159 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4164 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4165 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4167 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4168 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4169 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4170 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4171 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4175 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4176 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4178 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4179 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4180 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4183 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4184 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4186 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4191 @subsection Read Articles
4192 @cindex expirable mark
4194 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4199 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4200 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4201 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4204 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4205 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4208 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4209 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4210 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4213 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4214 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4217 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4218 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4221 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4222 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4225 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4226 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4229 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4230 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4233 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4234 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4237 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4238 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4242 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4243 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4244 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4248 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4249 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4251 One more special mark, though:
4255 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4256 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4258 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4259 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4260 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4261 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4267 @subsection Other Marks
4268 @cindex process mark
4271 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4277 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4278 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4279 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4280 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4281 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4284 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4285 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4286 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4287 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4290 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4291 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4292 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4295 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4296 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4297 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4298 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4301 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4302 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4303 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4304 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4305 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4308 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4309 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4310 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4311 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4312 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4313 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4317 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4318 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4319 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4321 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4322 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4323 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4327 @subsection Setting Marks
4328 @cindex setting marks
4330 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4335 @kindex M c (Summary)
4336 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4337 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4338 @cindex mark as unread
4339 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4340 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4346 @kindex M t (Summary)
4347 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4348 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4349 @xref{Article Caching}.
4354 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4355 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4356 Mark the current article as dormant
4357 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4361 @kindex M d (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4364 Mark the current article as read
4365 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4369 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4370 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4371 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4376 @kindex M k (Summary)
4377 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4378 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4379 and then select the next unread article
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4384 @kindex M K (Summary)
4385 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4387 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4388 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4391 @kindex M C (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4393 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4394 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4397 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4399 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4400 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4403 @kindex M H (Summary)
4404 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4405 Catchup the current group to point
4406 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4409 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4411 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4412 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4415 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4416 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4417 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4418 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4422 @kindex M e (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4425 Mark the current article as expirable
4426 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4429 @kindex M b (Summary)
4430 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4431 Set a bookmark in the current article
4432 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4435 @kindex M B (Summary)
4436 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4437 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4438 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4441 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4442 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4443 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4444 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4447 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4449 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4450 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4453 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4455 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4456 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4457 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4460 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4461 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4462 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4463 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4464 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4465 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4466 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4467 The default is @code{t}.
4470 @node Setting Process Marks
4471 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4472 @cindex setting process marks
4479 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4481 Mark the current article with the process mark
4482 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4483 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4487 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4488 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4489 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4490 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4493 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4494 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4495 Remove the process mark from all articles
4496 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4499 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4500 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4501 Invert the list of process marked articles
4502 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4505 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4507 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4508 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4511 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4512 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4513 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4516 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4517 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4518 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4519 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4522 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4523 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4524 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4525 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4528 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4529 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4530 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4531 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4534 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4535 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4536 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4539 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4541 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4542 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4545 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4546 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4547 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4550 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4552 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4553 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4556 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4557 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4558 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4559 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4562 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4563 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4564 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4565 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4568 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4569 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4570 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4571 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4580 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4581 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4582 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4585 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4586 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4587 additional articles.
4593 @kindex / / (Summary)
4594 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4595 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4596 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4599 @kindex / a (Summary)
4600 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4601 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4602 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4606 @kindex / u (Summary)
4608 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4609 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4610 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4611 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4612 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4615 @kindex / m (Summary)
4616 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4617 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4618 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4621 @kindex / t (Summary)
4622 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4623 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4624 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4625 articles younger than that number of days.
4628 @kindex / n (Summary)
4629 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4630 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4631 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4632 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4635 @kindex / w (Summary)
4636 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4637 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4638 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4642 @kindex / v (Summary)
4643 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4644 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4645 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4649 @kindex M S (Summary)
4650 @kindex / E (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4652 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4653 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4656 @kindex / D (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4658 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4659 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4662 @kindex / * (Summary)
4663 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4664 Include all cached articles in the limit
4665 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4668 @kindex / d (Summary)
4669 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4670 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4671 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4674 @kindex / T (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4676 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4679 @kindex / c (Summary)
4680 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4681 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4682 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4685 @kindex / C (Summary)
4686 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4687 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4688 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4689 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4697 @cindex article threading
4699 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4700 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4701 hierarchical fashion.
4703 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4704 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4705 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4706 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4707 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4708 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4709 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4711 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4715 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4718 A tree-like article structure.
4721 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4724 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4725 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4726 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4727 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4728 called loose threads.
4730 @item thread gathering
4731 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4733 @item sparse threads
4734 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4735 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4741 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4742 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4746 @node Customizing Threading
4747 @subsection Customizing Threading
4748 @cindex customizing threading
4751 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4752 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4753 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4754 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4759 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4762 @cindex loose threads
4765 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4766 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4767 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4768 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4769 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4770 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4772 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4773 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4774 There are four possible values:
4778 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4779 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4780 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4781 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4782 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4787 @cindex adopting articles
4792 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4793 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4794 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4795 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4798 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4799 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4800 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4801 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4802 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4803 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4804 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4807 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4808 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4809 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4813 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4814 display them after one another.
4817 Don't gather loose threads.
4820 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4821 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4822 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4823 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4824 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4825 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4826 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4827 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4828 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4829 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4830 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4832 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4833 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4834 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4837 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4838 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4839 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4840 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4841 simplification is used.
4843 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4844 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4845 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4846 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4848 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4850 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4856 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4857 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4858 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4859 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4864 (mapconcat 'identity
4865 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4867 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4870 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4873 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4874 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4875 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4876 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4877 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4878 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4880 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4883 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4884 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4885 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4887 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4888 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4891 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4892 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4893 Remove excessive whitespace.
4896 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4899 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4900 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4901 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4902 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4903 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4904 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4905 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4906 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4908 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4909 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4910 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4911 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4912 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4913 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4914 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4915 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4916 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4920 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4921 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4922 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4923 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4925 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4926 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4927 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4930 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4934 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4935 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4941 @node Filling In Threads
4942 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4945 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4946 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4947 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4948 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4949 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4950 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4951 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4952 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4953 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4954 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4955 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4956 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4958 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4959 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4960 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4962 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4963 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4964 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4965 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4966 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4967 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4968 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4969 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4970 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4971 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4972 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4973 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4974 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4975 @code{nil} by default.
4980 @node More Threading
4981 @subsubsection More Threading
4984 @item gnus-show-threads
4985 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4986 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4987 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4988 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4989 slower and more awkward.
4991 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4992 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4993 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4996 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4997 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4998 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4999 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5000 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5001 threads are expunged.
5003 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5004 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5005 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5008 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5009 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5010 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5011 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5012 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5015 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5016 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5017 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5023 @node Low-Level Threading
5024 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5028 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5029 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5030 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5032 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5033 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5034 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5035 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5036 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5037 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5038 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5039 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5040 meaningful. Here's one example:
5043 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5045 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5046 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5048 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5050 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5057 @node Thread Commands
5058 @subsection Thread Commands
5059 @cindex thread commands
5065 @kindex T k (Summary)
5066 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5067 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5068 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5069 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5070 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5075 @kindex T l (Summary)
5076 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5078 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5082 @kindex T i (Summary)
5083 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5084 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5085 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5088 @kindex T # (Summary)
5089 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5090 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5091 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5094 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5096 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5097 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5100 @kindex T T (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5102 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5105 @kindex T s (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5107 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5108 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5111 @kindex T h (Summary)
5112 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5113 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5116 @kindex T S (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5118 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5121 @kindex T H (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5123 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5126 @kindex T t (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5128 Re-thread the current article's thread
5129 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5130 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5133 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5135 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5140 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5141 understand the numeric prefix.
5146 @kindex T n (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5148 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5151 @kindex T p (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5153 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5156 @kindex T d (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5158 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5161 @kindex T u (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5163 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5166 @kindex T o (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5168 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5171 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5172 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5173 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5174 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5175 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5176 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5177 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5178 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5179 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5180 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5181 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5182 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5189 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5190 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5191 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5192 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5193 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5194 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5195 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5196 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5197 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5198 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5199 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5201 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5202 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5203 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5204 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5205 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5207 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5208 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5209 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5211 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5212 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5213 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5214 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5215 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5216 ascending article order.
5218 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5219 by number, you could do something like:
5222 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5223 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5224 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5225 (reverse gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5228 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5229 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5230 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5231 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5232 which the articles arrived.
5234 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5238 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5240 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5241 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5244 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5245 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5246 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5247 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5250 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5251 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5252 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5253 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5254 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5255 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5256 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5257 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5258 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5259 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5260 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5261 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5262 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5264 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5268 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5269 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5270 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5275 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5276 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5277 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5278 @cindex article pre-fetch
5281 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5282 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5283 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5284 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5285 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5287 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5288 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5290 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5291 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5292 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5293 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5294 connection is blocked.
5296 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5297 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5298 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5299 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5301 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5302 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5303 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5304 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5307 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5310 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5311 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5312 happen automatically.
5314 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5315 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5316 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5317 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5318 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5319 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5320 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5322 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5323 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5324 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5325 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5326 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5327 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5328 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5329 data structure as the only parameter.
5331 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5334 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5335 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5336 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5337 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5340 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5343 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5344 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5345 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5347 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5348 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5349 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5350 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5354 Remove articles when they are read.
5357 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5360 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5362 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5363 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5364 @c from the next group.
5367 @node Article Caching
5368 @section Article Caching
5369 @cindex article caching
5372 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5373 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5374 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5375 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5376 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5378 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5380 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5381 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5382 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5383 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5384 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5385 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5386 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5387 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5389 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5390 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5391 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5392 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5393 as dormant, and don't worry.
5395 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5397 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5398 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5399 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5400 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5401 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5402 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5403 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5404 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5405 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5406 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5408 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5409 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5410 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5411 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5412 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5413 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5414 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5415 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5416 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5417 not then be downloaded by this command.
5419 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5420 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5421 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5422 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5423 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5424 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5426 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5427 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5428 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5429 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5430 variables, the group is not cached.
5432 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5433 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5434 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5435 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5436 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5437 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5438 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5439 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5440 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5444 @node Persistent Articles
5445 @section Persistent Articles
5446 @cindex persistent articles
5448 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5449 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5450 useful in my opinion.
5452 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5453 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5454 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5455 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5456 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5457 the expiry going on at the news server.
5459 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5460 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5461 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5467 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5468 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5471 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5473 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5474 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5478 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5480 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5481 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5482 interested in persistent articles:
5485 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5489 @node Article Backlog
5490 @section Article Backlog
5492 @cindex article backlog
5494 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5495 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5496 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5497 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5498 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5499 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5500 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5501 increase memory usage some.
5503 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5504 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5505 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5506 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5507 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5508 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5509 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5511 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5514 @node Saving Articles
5515 @section Saving Articles
5516 @cindex saving articles
5518 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5519 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5520 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5521 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5522 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5524 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5525 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5526 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5528 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5529 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5530 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5531 deleted before saving.
5537 @kindex O o (Summary)
5539 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5540 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5541 Save the current article using the default article saver
5542 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5545 @kindex O m (Summary)
5546 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5547 Save the current article in mail format
5548 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5551 @kindex O r (Summary)
5552 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5553 Save the current article in rmail format
5554 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5557 @kindex O f (Summary)
5558 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5559 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5560 Save the current article in plain file format
5561 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5564 @kindex O F (Summary)
5565 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5566 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5567 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5570 @kindex O b (Summary)
5571 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5572 Save the current article body in plain file format
5573 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5576 @kindex O h (Summary)
5577 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5578 Save the current article in mh folder format
5579 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5582 @kindex O v (Summary)
5583 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5584 Save the current article in a VM folder
5585 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5588 @kindex O p (Summary)
5589 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5590 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5591 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5594 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5595 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5596 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5597 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5598 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5599 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5600 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5601 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5602 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5603 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5604 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5605 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5609 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5610 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5611 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
5612 functions below, or you can create your own.
5616 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5617 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5618 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5619 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5620 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5621 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5622 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5624 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5625 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5626 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5627 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5628 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5629 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5631 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5632 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5633 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5634 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5635 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5636 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5637 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5639 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5640 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5641 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5642 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5643 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5645 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5646 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5647 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5648 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5649 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5652 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5653 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5654 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5655 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5656 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5658 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5659 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5660 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5661 reader to use this setting.
5664 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5665 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5666 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5667 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5670 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5671 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5672 available functions that generate names:
5676 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5677 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5678 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5680 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5681 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5682 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5684 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5685 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5686 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5688 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5689 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5690 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5693 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5694 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5695 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5696 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5697 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5701 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5702 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5703 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5704 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5707 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5708 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5709 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5710 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5711 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5712 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5713 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5714 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5715 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5717 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5718 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5719 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5720 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5722 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5723 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5724 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5727 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5728 lots of mail groups called things like
5729 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5730 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5731 following will do just that:
5734 (defun my-save-name (group)
5735 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5736 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5738 (setq gnus-split-methods
5739 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5744 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5745 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5746 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5747 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5748 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5749 all the files in the top level directory
5750 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5751 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5752 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5753 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5755 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5756 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5757 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5758 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5759 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5762 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5766 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5767 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5770 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5771 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5772 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5773 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5776 @node Decoding Articles
5777 @section Decoding Articles
5778 @cindex decoding articles
5780 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5781 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5784 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5785 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5786 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5787 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5788 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5789 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5793 @cindex article series
5794 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5795 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5796 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5797 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5798 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5800 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5801 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5802 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5804 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5805 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5806 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5808 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5809 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5810 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5813 @node Uuencoded Articles
5814 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5816 @cindex uuencoded articles
5821 @kindex X u (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5823 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5824 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5827 @kindex X U (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5829 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5830 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5833 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5835 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5838 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5840 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5841 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5845 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5846 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5847 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5848 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5849 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5851 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5852 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5853 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5854 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5857 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5858 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5859 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5860 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5861 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5862 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5866 @node Shell Archives
5867 @subsection Shell Archives
5869 @cindex shell archives
5870 @cindex shared articles
5872 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5873 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5874 some commands to deal with these:
5879 @kindex X s (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5881 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5884 @kindex X S (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5886 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5889 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5891 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5894 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5895 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5896 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5897 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5901 @node PostScript Files
5902 @subsection PostScript Files
5908 @kindex X p (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5910 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5913 @kindex X P (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5915 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5916 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5919 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5921 View the current PostScript series
5922 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5925 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5927 View and save the current PostScript series
5928 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5933 @subsection Other Files
5937 @kindex X o (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5939 Save the current series
5940 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5943 @kindex X b (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5945 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5946 doesn't really work yet.
5950 @node Decoding Variables
5951 @subsection Decoding Variables
5953 Adjective, not verb.
5956 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5957 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5958 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5962 @node Rule Variables
5963 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5964 @cindex rule variables
5966 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5967 variables are of the form
5970 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5977 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5978 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5980 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5981 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5984 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5985 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5988 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5989 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5990 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5991 user and default view rules.
5993 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5994 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5995 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6000 @node Other Decode Variables
6001 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6004 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6006 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6007 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6008 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6009 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6010 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6014 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6015 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6018 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6019 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6020 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6023 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6024 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6025 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6026 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6027 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6030 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6031 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6032 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6034 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6035 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6036 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6037 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6038 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6041 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6042 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6043 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6045 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6046 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6047 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6048 looking for files to display.
6050 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6051 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6052 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6055 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6056 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6057 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6060 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6061 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6062 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6065 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6066 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6067 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6070 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6071 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6072 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6073 decoded articles as unread.
6075 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6076 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6077 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6078 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6080 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6081 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6082 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6084 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6085 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6087 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6088 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6089 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6090 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6092 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6093 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6094 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6095 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6096 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6097 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6098 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6099 simply dropped them.
6104 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6105 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6109 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6110 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6111 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6112 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6113 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6114 for you when you post the article.
6116 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6117 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6118 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6119 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6121 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6122 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6123 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6124 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6125 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6126 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6127 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6129 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6130 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6131 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6132 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6133 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6134 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6135 Default is @code{t}.
6141 @subsection Viewing Files
6142 @cindex viewing files
6143 @cindex pseudo-articles
6145 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6146 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6147 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6148 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6149 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6150 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6151 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6153 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6154 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6155 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6156 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6158 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6159 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6160 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6162 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6163 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6164 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6165 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6166 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6168 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6169 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6170 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6171 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6172 a list of parameters to that command.
6174 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6175 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6176 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6178 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6179 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6180 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6183 @node Article Treatment
6184 @section Article Treatment
6186 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6187 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6188 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6189 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6190 these articles easier.
6193 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6194 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6195 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6196 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6197 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6198 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6199 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6203 @node Article Highlighting
6204 @subsection Article Highlighting
6205 @cindex highlighting
6207 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6208 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6213 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6215 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6216 Do much highlighting of the current article
6217 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6218 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6220 Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
6221 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
6222 This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
6223 signature and adds buttons.
6226 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6227 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6228 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6229 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6230 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6231 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6232 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6233 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6234 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6235 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6236 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6239 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6241 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6243 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6246 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6248 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6249 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6250 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6252 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6253 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6254 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6256 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6257 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6258 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6260 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6261 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6262 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6263 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6264 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6265 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6267 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6268 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6269 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6271 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6272 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6273 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6275 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6276 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6277 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6278 that it's a citation.
6280 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6281 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6282 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6284 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6285 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6286 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6288 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6289 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6290 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6291 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6297 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6298 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6299 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6300 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6301 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6302 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6303 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6304 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6309 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6312 @node Article Fontisizing
6313 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6315 @cindex article emphasis
6317 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6318 @kindex W e (Summary)
6319 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6320 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6321 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6322 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6324 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6325 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6326 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6327 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6328 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6329 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6330 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6331 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6335 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6336 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6337 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6340 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6341 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6342 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6343 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6344 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6345 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6346 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6347 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6348 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6349 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6350 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6351 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6352 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6354 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6355 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6356 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6360 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6363 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6366 @node Article Hiding
6367 @subsection Article Hiding
6368 @cindex article hiding
6370 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6371 too much cruft in most articles.
6376 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-article-hide
6378 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6379 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6380 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6383 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6385 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6389 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6390 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6391 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6392 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6395 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6397 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6401 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6402 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6403 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6404 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6405 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6406 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6407 articles that have signatures in them do:
6409 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6411 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp)
6413 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6414 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6416 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6419 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6424 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6426 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6427 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6430 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6432 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6433 customizing the hiding:
6437 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6438 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6439 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6440 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6441 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6442 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6443 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6448 Starting point of the hidden text.
6450 Ending point of the hidden text.
6452 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6454 Number of lines of hidden text.
6457 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6458 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6459 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6464 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6465 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6467 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6468 following two variables:
6471 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6472 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6473 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6474 50), hide the cited text.
6476 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6477 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6478 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6483 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6485 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6486 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6487 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6488 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6492 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6493 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6494 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6496 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6497 citation customization.
6499 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6503 @node Article Washing
6504 @subsection Article Washing
6506 @cindex article washing
6508 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6509 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6511 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6512 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6518 @kindex W l (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6520 Remove page breaks from the current article
6521 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6525 @kindex W r (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6527 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6528 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6529 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6530 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6531 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6533 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6534 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6535 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6536 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6539 @kindex W t (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6541 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6542 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6545 @kindex W v (Summary)
6546 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6547 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6548 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6551 @kindex W m (Summary)
6552 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6553 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6554 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6557 @kindex W o (Summary)
6558 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6559 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6562 @kindex W d (Summary)
6563 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6564 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6566 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6568 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6569 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6570 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6573 @kindex W w (Summary)
6574 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6575 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6576 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6577 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6579 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6583 @kindex W c (Summary)
6584 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6585 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6586 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6587 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6588 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6591 @kindex W q (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6593 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6594 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6595 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6596 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6600 @kindex W f (Summary)
6602 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6603 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6604 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6605 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6611 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6612 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6613 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6614 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6615 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6616 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6617 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6618 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6619 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6620 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6621 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6622 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6623 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6624 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6628 @kindex W b (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6630 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6631 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6634 @kindex W B (Summary)
6635 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6636 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6637 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6640 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6641 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6642 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6643 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6646 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6647 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6648 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6649 lines with a single empty line.
6650 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6653 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6655 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6656 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6659 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6661 Do all the three commands above
6662 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6665 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6666 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6667 Remove all blank lines
6668 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6671 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6672 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6673 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6674 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6678 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6681 @node Article Buttons
6682 @subsection Article Buttons
6685 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6686 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6687 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6688 button on these references.
6690 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6691 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6692 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6697 @item gnus-button-alist
6698 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6699 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6702 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6708 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6709 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6710 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6713 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6714 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6715 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6718 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6719 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6720 avoid false matches.
6723 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6726 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6727 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6731 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6734 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6737 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6738 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6739 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6740 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6741 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6744 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6747 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6749 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6750 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6751 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6752 default values of the variables above.
6754 @item gnus-article-button-face
6755 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6756 Face used on buttons.
6758 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6759 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6760 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6764 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6768 @subsection Article Date
6770 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6771 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6772 when the article was sent.
6777 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6778 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6779 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6780 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6783 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6784 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6786 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6787 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6790 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6791 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6792 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6795 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6796 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6797 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6798 @findex format-time-string
6799 Display the date using a user-defined format
6800 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6801 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6802 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6803 for a list of possible format specs.
6806 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6807 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6808 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6809 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6810 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6811 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6812 updated continually, you can put
6815 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6818 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6819 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6823 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6824 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6825 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6826 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6827 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6828 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6829 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6833 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6834 preferred format automatically.
6837 @node Article Signature
6838 @subsection Article Signature
6840 @cindex article signature
6842 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6843 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6844 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6845 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6846 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6847 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6848 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6849 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6850 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6853 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6854 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6855 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6856 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6857 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6858 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6859 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6860 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6863 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6866 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6867 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6872 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6875 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6878 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6879 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6881 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6882 in question is not a signature.
6885 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6886 listed above. Here's an example:
6889 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6890 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6893 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6894 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6895 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6896 signature after all.
6900 @section MIME Commands
6901 @cindex MIME decoding
6905 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6906 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6907 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6910 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6911 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6912 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6914 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6915 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6916 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6917 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6918 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6919 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
6922 @kindex W M v (Summary)
6923 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
6924 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
6931 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
6932 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
6933 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
6934 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
6937 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
6940 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
6944 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
6945 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
6946 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
6947 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
6948 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
6949 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
6950 save all jpegs into some directory).
6952 Here's an example function the does the latter:
6955 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
6956 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
6958 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
6959 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
6960 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
6961 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
6962 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
6968 @node Article Commands
6969 @section Article Commands
6976 @kindex A P (Summary)
6977 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6978 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6979 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6980 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6981 run just before printing the buffer.
6986 @node Summary Sorting
6987 @section Summary Sorting
6988 @cindex summary sorting
6990 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6991 can't really see why you'd want that.
6996 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6998 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7001 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7002 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7003 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7006 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7007 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7008 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7011 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7012 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7013 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7016 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7017 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7018 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7021 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7022 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7023 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7026 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7027 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7028 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7029 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7030 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7034 @node Finding the Parent
7035 @section Finding the Parent
7036 @cindex parent articles
7037 @cindex referring articles
7042 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7043 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7044 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7045 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7046 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7047 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7048 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7049 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7050 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7052 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7053 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7054 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7055 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7056 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7060 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7061 @kindex A R (Summary)
7062 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7063 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7066 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7067 @kindex A T (Summary)
7068 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7069 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7070 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7071 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7072 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7073 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7074 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7076 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7077 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7078 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7079 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7080 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7081 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7084 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7085 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7087 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7088 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7089 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7090 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7091 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7092 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7093 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7096 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7097 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7098 by giving this command a prefix.
7100 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7101 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7102 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7103 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7104 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7105 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7108 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7109 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7110 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7111 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7112 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7113 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7116 @node Alternative Approaches
7117 @section Alternative Approaches
7119 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7120 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7123 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7124 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7129 @subsection Pick and Read
7130 @cindex pick and read
7132 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7133 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7134 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7135 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7137 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7138 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7139 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7140 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7141 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7142 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7144 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7149 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7150 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7151 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7152 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7153 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7154 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7155 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7156 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7159 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7160 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7161 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7162 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7166 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7167 Unpick the thread or article
7168 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7169 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7170 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7171 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7172 the thread or article at that line.
7176 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7177 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7178 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7179 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7180 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7181 will still be visible when you are reading.
7185 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7186 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7187 which is mapped to the same function
7188 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7190 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7193 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7196 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7197 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7199 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7200 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7201 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7203 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7204 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7205 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7206 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7207 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7208 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7209 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7213 @subsection Binary Groups
7214 @cindex binary groups
7216 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7217 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7218 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7219 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7220 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7221 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7222 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7225 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7226 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7227 command, when you have turned on this mode
7228 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7230 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7231 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7235 @section Tree Display
7238 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7239 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
7240 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7241 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7244 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7247 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7248 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7249 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7251 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7252 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7253 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7254 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7255 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7257 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7258 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7259 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7260 default is @code{modeline}.
7262 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7263 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7264 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7265 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7266 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7267 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7268 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7274 The name of the poster.
7276 The @code{From} header.
7278 The number of the article.
7280 The opening bracket.
7282 The closing bracket.
7287 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7289 Variables related to the display are:
7292 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7293 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7294 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7295 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7296 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7297 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7299 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7300 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7301 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7302 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7306 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7307 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7308 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7309 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7310 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7311 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7312 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7313 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7314 other windows displayed next to it.
7316 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7317 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7318 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7319 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7320 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7321 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7322 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7326 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7329 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7339 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7343 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7344 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7346 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7348 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7353 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7354 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7355 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7358 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7359 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7360 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7361 (gnus-add-configuration
7365 (summary 0.75 point)
7370 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7373 @node Mail Group Commands
7374 @section Mail Group Commands
7375 @cindex mail group commands
7377 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7378 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7380 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7381 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7386 @kindex B e (Summary)
7387 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7388 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7389 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7392 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7393 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7394 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7395 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7396 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7397 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7400 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7402 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7403 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7404 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7405 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7408 @kindex B m (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7411 Move the article from one mail group to another
7412 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7415 @kindex B c (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7418 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7419 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7420 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7423 @kindex B B (Summary)
7424 @cindex crosspost mail
7425 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7426 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7427 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7428 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7429 be properly updated.
7432 @kindex B i (Summary)
7433 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7434 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7435 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7436 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7439 @kindex B r (Summary)
7440 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7441 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7442 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7443 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7444 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7448 @kindex B w (Summary)
7450 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7451 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7452 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7453 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7454 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7455 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7458 @kindex B q (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7460 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7461 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7462 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7465 @kindex B t (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7467 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7468 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7471 @kindex B p (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7473 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7474 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7475 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7476 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7477 article from your news server (or rather, from
7478 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7479 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7480 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7481 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7482 just not have arrived yet.
7486 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7487 @cindex moving articles
7488 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7489 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7490 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7491 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7492 suggestions you find reasonable.
7495 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7496 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7497 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7498 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7502 @node Various Summary Stuff
7503 @section Various Summary Stuff
7506 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7507 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7508 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7509 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7513 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7514 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7515 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7517 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7518 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7519 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7520 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7521 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7522 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7525 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7526 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7527 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7528 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7529 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7531 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7532 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7533 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7536 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7537 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7538 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7539 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7540 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7541 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7542 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7543 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7544 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7545 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7550 @node Summary Group Information
7551 @subsection Summary Group Information
7556 @kindex H f (Summary)
7557 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7558 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7559 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7560 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7561 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7562 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7563 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7564 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7565 be used for fetching the file.
7568 @kindex H d (Summary)
7569 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7570 Give a brief description of the current group
7571 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7572 rereading the description from the server.
7575 @kindex H h (Summary)
7576 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7577 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7578 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7581 @kindex H i (Summary)
7582 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7583 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7587 @node Searching for Articles
7588 @subsection Searching for Articles
7593 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7594 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7595 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7596 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7599 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7600 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7601 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7602 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7606 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7607 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7608 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7609 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7613 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7614 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7615 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7616 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7619 @node Summary Generation Commands
7620 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7625 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7626 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7627 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7630 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7631 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7632 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7633 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7638 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7639 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7644 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7645 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7646 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7647 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7648 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7649 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7650 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7651 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7652 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7656 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7657 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7658 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7659 several documents into one biiig group
7660 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7661 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7662 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7663 command understands the process/prefix convention
7664 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7667 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7668 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7669 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7670 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7671 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7672 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7676 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7677 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7678 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7681 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7682 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7683 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7684 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7689 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7690 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7691 @cindex summary exit
7692 @cindex exiting groups
7694 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7695 group and return you to the group buffer.
7701 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7704 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7705 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7706 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7707 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7708 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7709 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7710 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7711 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7712 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7713 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7717 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7719 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7720 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7721 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7725 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7727 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7728 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7729 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7730 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7733 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7734 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7735 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7736 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7739 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7740 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7741 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7742 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7745 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7746 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7747 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7748 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7749 all articles, both read and unread.
7753 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7754 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7755 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7756 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7757 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7758 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7759 articles, both read and unread.
7762 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7763 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7764 Exit the group and go to the next group
7765 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7768 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7769 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7770 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7771 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7774 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7775 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7776 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7777 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7778 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7779 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7782 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7783 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7786 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7787 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7788 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7789 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7790 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7791 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7792 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7793 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7794 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7795 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7796 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7797 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7799 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7801 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7802 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7803 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7804 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7805 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7806 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7807 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7808 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7809 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7812 @node Crosspost Handling
7813 @section Crosspost Handling
7817 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7818 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7819 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7820 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7821 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7822 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7825 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7826 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7827 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7828 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7829 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7831 @cindex cross-posting
7834 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7835 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7836 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7837 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7838 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7839 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7840 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7841 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7842 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7843 the cross reference mechanism.
7845 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7846 @cindex overview.fmt
7847 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7848 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7849 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7850 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7851 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7852 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7855 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7856 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7857 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7862 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7865 @node Duplicate Suppression
7866 @section Duplicate Suppression
7868 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7869 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7870 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7871 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7876 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7877 is evil and not very common.
7880 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7881 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7884 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7885 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7888 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7891 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7892 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7894 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7895 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7896 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7897 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7898 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7899 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7900 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7903 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7904 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7905 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7906 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7907 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7911 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7912 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7913 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7915 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7916 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7917 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7918 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7919 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7920 session are suppressed.
7922 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7923 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7924 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7925 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7927 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7928 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7929 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7930 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7933 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7934 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7935 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7936 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7937 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7938 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7939 to you to figure out, I think.
7942 @node The Article Buffer
7943 @chapter The Article Buffer
7944 @cindex article buffer
7946 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7947 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7948 tell Gnus otherwise.
7951 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7952 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7953 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7954 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7955 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7959 @node Hiding Headers
7960 @section Hiding Headers
7961 @cindex hiding headers
7962 @cindex deleting headers
7964 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7965 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7967 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7968 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7969 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7970 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7971 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7972 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7973 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7974 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7975 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7977 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7981 @item gnus-visible-headers
7982 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7983 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7984 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7985 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7987 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7988 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7991 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7994 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7997 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7998 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7999 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8000 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8001 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8002 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8004 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
8005 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8008 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8011 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8014 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8015 variable will have no effect.
8019 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8020 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8021 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8022 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8023 the headers are to be displayed.
8025 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8026 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8029 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8032 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8033 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8035 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8036 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8037 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8038 You can hide further boring headers by entering
8039 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
8040 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
8041 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
8042 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
8043 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
8045 These conditions are:
8048 Remove all empty headers.
8050 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8051 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8053 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8056 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8059 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8062 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8064 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8067 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8070 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8071 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8074 This is also the default value for this variable.
8078 @section Using @sc{mime}
8081 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8082 while people stand around yawning.
8084 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8085 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8087 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8088 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8089 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8091 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
8092 @findex gnus-display-mime
8093 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
8094 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
8095 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
8096 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
8098 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
8102 @findex gnus-article-press-button
8104 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
8105 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
8106 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
8108 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
8109 @item M-RET (Article)
8111 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
8112 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
8114 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
8116 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
8117 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
8119 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
8121 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
8122 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
8124 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
8126 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
8129 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
8130 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
8133 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
8134 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
8135 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
8136 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
8137 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
8138 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
8139 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
8140 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
8141 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
8143 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8146 @node Customizing Articles
8147 @section Customizing Articles
8148 @cindex article customization
8150 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8151 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
8152 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
8153 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
8155 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8156 @findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
8157 By default this hook just contains
8158 @code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
8159 @code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
8160 and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
8161 @code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
8162 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
8163 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
8164 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
8165 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
8166 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
8168 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
8169 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
8170 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
8171 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
8172 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8175 @node Article Keymap
8176 @section Article Keymap
8178 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8179 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8180 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8181 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8184 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8189 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8190 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8191 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8194 @kindex DEL (Article)
8195 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8196 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8199 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8200 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8201 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8202 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8203 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8206 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8207 @findex gnus-article-mail
8208 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8209 given a prefix, include the mail.
8213 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8214 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8215 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8219 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8220 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8221 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8224 @kindex TAB (Article)
8225 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8226 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8227 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8230 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8231 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8232 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8238 @section Misc Article
8242 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8243 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8244 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8245 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8248 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8249 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8251 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8252 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8254 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8255 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8256 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8257 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8258 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8259 the contents of the article buffer.
8261 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8262 @item gnus-article-display-hook
8263 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
8264 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
8265 hiding headers, and the like.
8267 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8268 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8269 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8271 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8272 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8273 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8274 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8276 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8277 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8278 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8279 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8280 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8285 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8286 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8290 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8292 @item gnus-break-pages
8293 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8294 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8295 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8296 paging will not be done.
8298 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8299 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8300 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8305 @node Composing Messages
8306 @chapter Composing Messages
8307 @cindex composing messages
8310 @cindex sending mail
8315 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8316 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8317 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8318 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8319 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8320 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8321 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8324 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8325 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8326 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8327 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8328 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8329 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8330 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8331 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8334 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8335 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8341 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8344 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8345 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8346 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8347 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8349 @item gnus-add-to-list
8350 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8351 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8352 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8360 Variables for composing news articles:
8363 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8364 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8365 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8366 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8367 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8368 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8369 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8370 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8371 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8374 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8375 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8376 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8377 file. It is 1000 by default.
8382 @node Posting Server
8383 @section Posting Server
8385 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8386 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8388 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8390 @vindex gnus-post-method
8392 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8393 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8394 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8395 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8396 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8399 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8402 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8403 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8404 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8405 the ``current'' server for posting.
8407 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8408 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8410 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8411 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8414 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8415 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8416 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8421 @section Mail and Post
8423 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8427 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8428 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8429 @cindex mailing lists
8431 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8432 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8433 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8434 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8435 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8436 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8437 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8438 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8439 still a pain, though.
8443 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8444 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8445 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8448 @findex ispell-message
8450 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8454 @node Archived Messages
8455 @section Archived Messages
8456 @cindex archived messages
8457 @cindex sent messages
8459 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8460 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8461 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8462 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8465 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8466 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8467 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8471 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8472 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8473 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8474 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8477 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8478 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8479 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8480 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8483 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8484 '(nnfolder "archive"
8485 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8486 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8487 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8490 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8492 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8493 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8494 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8496 This variable can be used to do the following:
8500 Messages will be saved in that group.
8501 @item a list of strings
8502 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8503 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8504 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8506 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8511 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8513 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8516 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8518 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8521 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8523 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8524 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8525 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8526 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8531 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8532 '((if (message-news-p)
8537 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8538 messages in one file per month:
8541 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8542 '((if (message-news-p)
8544 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8545 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8548 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8549 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8551 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8552 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8553 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8554 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8555 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8556 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8557 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8558 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8559 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8560 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8562 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8563 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8564 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8565 this will disable archiving.
8568 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8569 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8570 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8571 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8572 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8575 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8576 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8577 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8580 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8581 but the latter is the preferred method.
8585 @node Posting Styles
8586 @section Posting Styles
8587 @cindex posting styles
8590 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8592 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8593 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8594 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8597 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8598 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8599 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8600 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8601 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8606 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8607 (organization "What me?"))
8609 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8610 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8611 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8614 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8615 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8616 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8617 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8618 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8619 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8620 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8621 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8623 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8624 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8625 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8626 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8627 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8628 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8631 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8632 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8633 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8634 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8635 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8636 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8639 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8640 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8641 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8643 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8644 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8645 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8646 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8648 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8649 @vindex message-this-is-news
8651 So here's a new example:
8654 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8656 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8658 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8659 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8661 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8662 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8663 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8664 (message-this-is-news
8665 (signature my-news-signature))
8666 (posting-from-work-p
8667 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8668 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8669 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8670 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8672 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8680 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8681 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8682 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8683 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8684 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8686 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8687 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8688 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8689 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8690 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8694 @vindex nndraft-directory
8695 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8696 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8697 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8698 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8699 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8700 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8702 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8703 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8706 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8707 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8708 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8709 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8710 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8711 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8712 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8713 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8714 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8715 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8716 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8717 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8718 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8719 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8721 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8722 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8723 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8725 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8727 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8728 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8729 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8731 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8734 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8735 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8736 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8737 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8738 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8739 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8740 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8743 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8744 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8745 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8748 @node Rejected Articles
8749 @section Rejected Articles
8750 @cindex rejected articles
8752 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8753 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8754 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8755 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8757 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8758 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8759 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8760 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8761 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8763 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8764 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8765 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8768 @node Select Methods
8769 @chapter Select Methods
8770 @cindex foreign groups
8771 @cindex select methods
8773 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8774 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8775 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8776 personal mail group.
8778 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8779 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8780 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8781 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8782 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8783 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8785 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8786 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8788 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8791 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8792 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8793 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8794 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8795 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8797 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8800 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8801 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8802 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8803 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8804 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8805 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8809 @node The Server Buffer
8810 @section The Server Buffer
8812 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8813 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8814 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8815 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8816 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8817 backend represents a virtual server.
8819 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8820 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8821 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8822 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8824 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8825 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8826 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8827 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8828 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8829 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8830 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8832 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8833 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8836 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8837 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8838 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8839 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8840 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8841 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8842 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8845 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8846 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8849 @node Server Buffer Format
8850 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8851 @cindex server buffer format
8853 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8854 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8855 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8856 variable, with some simple extensions:
8861 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8864 The name of this server.
8867 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8870 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8873 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8874 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8875 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8876 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8886 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8889 @node Server Commands
8890 @subsection Server Commands
8891 @cindex server commands
8897 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8898 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8902 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8903 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8906 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8907 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8908 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8912 @findex gnus-server-exit
8913 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8917 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8918 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8922 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8923 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8927 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8928 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8932 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8933 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8937 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8938 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8939 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8944 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8945 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8946 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8947 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8952 @node Example Methods
8953 @subsection Example Methods
8955 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8958 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8961 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8967 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8968 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8971 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8972 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8974 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8975 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8979 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8982 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8983 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8985 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8986 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8987 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8991 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8994 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8997 Here's the method for a public spool:
9001 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9002 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9005 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9006 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9007 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9008 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9009 should probably look something like this:
9013 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9014 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9015 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9016 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9017 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9020 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9021 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9022 server that would look something like this:
9026 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9027 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9028 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9029 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9030 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9031 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9034 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9035 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9036 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9037 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9040 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9041 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9043 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9044 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9046 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9047 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9048 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9050 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9052 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9053 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9054 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9055 will contain the following:
9065 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9066 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9067 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9070 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9071 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9072 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9075 @node Server Variables
9076 @subsection Server Variables
9078 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9079 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9080 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9081 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9082 won't change the "derived" variables.
9084 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9085 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9086 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9087 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9088 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9089 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9090 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9091 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9092 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9096 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9097 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9098 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9102 @node Servers and Methods
9103 @subsection Servers and Methods
9105 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9106 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9107 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9108 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9112 @node Unavailable Servers
9113 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9115 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9116 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9117 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9118 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9119 actually the case or not.
9121 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9122 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9123 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9124 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9125 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9126 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9127 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9128 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9130 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9131 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9133 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9134 with the following commands:
9140 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9141 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9142 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9146 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9147 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9148 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9152 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9153 Mark the current server as unreachable
9154 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9157 @kindex M-o (Server)
9158 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9159 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9160 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9163 @kindex M-c (Server)
9164 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9165 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9166 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9170 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9171 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9172 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9178 @section Getting News
9179 @cindex reading news
9180 @cindex news backends
9182 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9183 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9184 or it can read from a local spool.
9187 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9188 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9193 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9196 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9197 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9198 server as the, uhm, address.
9200 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9201 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9202 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9203 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9205 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9206 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9207 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9209 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9214 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9215 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9216 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9218 @cindex authentification
9219 @cindex nntp authentification
9220 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9221 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9222 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9223 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9224 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9225 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9226 present in this hook.
9228 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9229 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9230 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9231 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9232 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9233 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9234 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9235 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9236 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9237 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9238 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9239 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9243 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9246 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9247 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9248 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9249 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9250 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9255 Here's an example file:
9258 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9259 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9262 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9263 have to be first, for instance.
9265 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9266 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9267 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9268 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9269 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9270 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9271 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9273 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9274 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9280 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9281 previously mentioned.
9283 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9285 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9286 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9287 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9288 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9289 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9292 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9296 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9298 The default value is
9301 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9302 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9305 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9306 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9308 @item nntp-maximum-request
9309 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9310 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9311 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9312 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9313 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9314 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9315 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9317 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9318 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9319 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9320 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9321 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9322 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9323 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9324 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9325 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9326 no timeouts are done.
9328 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9329 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9330 @c @cindex PPP connections
9331 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9332 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9333 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9334 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9335 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9336 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9337 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9338 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9339 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9340 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9342 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9343 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9344 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9345 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9348 @item nntp-server-hook
9349 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9350 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9353 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9354 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9355 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9356 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9357 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9358 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9359 functions are supplied:
9362 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9363 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9366 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9367 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9368 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9371 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9375 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9376 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9377 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9378 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9380 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9381 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9382 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9384 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9385 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9386 User name on the remote system.
9390 @item nntp-open-telnet
9391 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9392 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9394 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9397 @item nntp-telnet-command
9398 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9399 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9401 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9402 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9403 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9405 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9406 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9407 User name for log in on the remote system.
9409 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9410 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9411 Password to use when logging in.
9413 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9414 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9415 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9418 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9419 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9420 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9421 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9423 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9424 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9425 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9426 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9427 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9431 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9432 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9433 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9434 you must have SSLay installed
9435 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9436 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9437 define a server as follows:
9440 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9442 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9444 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9445 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9446 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9447 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9452 @item nntp-end-of-line
9453 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9454 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9455 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9456 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9458 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9459 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9460 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9464 @vindex nntp-address
9465 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9467 @item nntp-port-number
9468 @vindex nntp-port-number
9469 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9472 @item nntp-buggy-select
9473 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9474 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9476 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9477 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9478 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9479 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9482 @item nntp-xover-commands
9483 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9486 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9487 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9491 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9492 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9493 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9494 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9495 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9496 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9497 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9498 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9499 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9500 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9501 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9503 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9504 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9505 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9507 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9508 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9509 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9510 server closes connection.
9512 @item nntp-record-commands
9513 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9514 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9515 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9516 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9517 that doesn't seem to work.
9523 @subsection News Spool
9527 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9528 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9529 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9532 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9533 anything else) as the address.
9535 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9536 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9537 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9538 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9542 @item nnspool-inews-program
9543 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9544 Program used to post an article.
9546 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9547 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9548 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9550 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9551 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9552 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9553 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9555 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9556 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9557 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9558 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9560 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9561 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9562 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9564 @item nnspool-active-file
9565 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9566 The path to the active file.
9568 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9569 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9570 The path to the group descriptions file.
9572 @item nnspool-history-file
9573 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9574 The path to the news history file.
9576 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9577 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9578 The path to the active date file.
9580 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9581 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9582 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9585 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9586 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9588 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9589 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9590 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9596 @section Getting Mail
9597 @cindex reading mail
9600 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9604 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9605 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9606 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9607 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9608 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9609 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9610 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9611 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9612 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9613 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9614 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9618 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9619 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9621 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9622 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9623 and things will happen automatically.
9625 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9626 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9629 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9630 '((nnml "private")))
9633 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9634 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9635 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9636 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9637 like any other group.
9639 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9642 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9643 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9644 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9648 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9649 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9650 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9653 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9654 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9655 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9658 @node Splitting Mail
9659 @subsection Splitting Mail
9660 @cindex splitting mail
9661 @cindex mail splitting
9663 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9664 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9665 to be split into groups.
9668 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9669 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9670 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9674 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9675 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9676 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9677 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9678 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9679 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9680 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9683 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9686 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9687 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9688 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9689 mail belongs in that group.
9691 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9692 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9693 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9694 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9695 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9696 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9698 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9699 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9700 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9701 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9702 thinks should carry this mail message.
9704 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9705 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9706 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9707 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9709 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9710 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9711 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9712 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9713 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9715 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9718 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9719 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9720 links. If that's the case for you, set
9721 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9722 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9724 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9725 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9726 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9727 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9729 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9730 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9731 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9732 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9733 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9734 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9735 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9736 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9740 @node Mail Backend Variables
9741 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9743 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9747 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9748 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9749 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9750 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9752 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9753 @item nnmail-spool-file
9757 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9758 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9759 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9760 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9761 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9762 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9763 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9764 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9765 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9766 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9767 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9768 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9769 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9770 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9771 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9773 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9775 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9776 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9779 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9780 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9781 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9782 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9783 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9784 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9786 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9787 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9788 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9789 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9790 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9791 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9792 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9795 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9796 @item nnmail-crash-box
9797 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9798 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9799 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9802 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9803 @item nnmail-split-hook
9804 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
9805 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9806 @findex RFC2047 decoding
9807 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9808 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9809 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9810 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9811 in the buffer will show up in any files.
9812 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
9815 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9816 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9817 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9818 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9819 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9820 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9821 starting to handle the new mail) and
9822 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9823 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9824 default file modes the new mail files get:
9827 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9828 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9830 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9831 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9834 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9835 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9836 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9837 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9838 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9839 it will be used instead.
9841 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9842 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9843 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9844 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9846 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9847 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9850 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9851 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9852 @cindex incoming mail files
9853 @cindex deleting incoming files
9854 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9855 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9858 @c This is @code{nil} by
9859 @c default for reasons of security.
9861 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9862 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9863 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9864 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9865 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9868 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9870 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9871 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9872 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9873 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9874 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9875 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9876 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9878 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9879 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9881 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9883 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9884 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9885 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9886 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9887 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9892 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9893 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9894 @cindex mail splitting
9895 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9897 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9898 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9899 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9900 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9901 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9902 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9904 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9907 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9908 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9909 ;; from real errors.
9910 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9912 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9913 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9914 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9915 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9916 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9917 ;; Other mailing lists...
9918 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9919 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9921 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9922 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9926 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9927 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9928 the five possible split syntaxes:
9933 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9934 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9938 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9939 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9940 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9943 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9944 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9945 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9946 be stored in one or more groups.
9949 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9950 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9953 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9954 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9957 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9958 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9959 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9963 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
9967 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9968 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9969 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9970 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9971 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9973 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9974 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9975 are expanded as specified by the variable
9976 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9977 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9980 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9981 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9982 when all this splitting is performed.
9984 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9985 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9986 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9989 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9992 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9993 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
9994 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9995 groupings 1 through 9.
9998 @node Mail and Procmail
9999 @subsection Mail and Procmail
10004 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
10005 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
10006 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
10007 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
10008 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
10010 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
10011 something like the following:
10013 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
10015 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
10016 (setq nnmail-spool-file
10017 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
10020 This also means that you probably don't want to set
10021 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
10024 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
10025 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
10026 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
10027 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
10028 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
10029 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
10031 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
10034 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
10036 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
10037 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
10039 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
10040 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
10041 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
10042 to include all your mail groups.
10044 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
10045 method will be created automatically.
10047 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
10048 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
10049 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
10050 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
10051 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
10052 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
10053 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
10054 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
10056 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
10057 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
10058 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
10059 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
10060 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
10062 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10063 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
10064 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
10065 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
10066 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
10067 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
10069 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
10070 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
10071 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
10072 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
10073 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
10076 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
10077 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
10078 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
10079 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
10080 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
10084 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10085 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10087 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10088 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10089 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10092 Doing so can be quite easy.
10094 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10095 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10096 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10097 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10098 your @code{nnml} groups.
10104 Go to the group buffer.
10107 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10108 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10111 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10114 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10115 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10118 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10119 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10122 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10123 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10124 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10125 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10126 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10128 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10129 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10130 using the new mail backend.
10133 @node Expiring Mail
10134 @subsection Expiring Mail
10135 @cindex article expiry
10137 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10138 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10139 different approach to mail reading.
10141 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10142 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10143 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10144 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10145 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10146 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10149 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10150 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10151 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10152 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10153 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10154 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10155 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10156 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10158 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10159 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10160 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10161 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10162 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10163 column in the summary buffer.
10165 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10166 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10167 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10168 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10171 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10173 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10174 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10175 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10178 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10179 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10180 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10181 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10182 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10184 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10185 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10188 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10189 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10192 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10193 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10195 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10196 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10197 don't really mix very well.
10199 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10200 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10201 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10202 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10205 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10206 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10207 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10208 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10211 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10213 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10215 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10217 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10219 ((string= group "important")
10225 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10226 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10228 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10229 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10230 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10233 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10234 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10236 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10237 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10238 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10239 easier for procmail users.
10241 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10242 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10243 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10244 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10245 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10246 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10247 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10248 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10249 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10250 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10251 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10252 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10253 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10256 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10258 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
10259 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
10260 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
10261 auto-expire turned on.
10265 @subsection Washing Mail
10266 @cindex mail washing
10267 @cindex list server brain damage
10268 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10270 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10271 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10272 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10273 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10274 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10275 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10277 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10278 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10279 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10282 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10283 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10284 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10285 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10288 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10289 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10290 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10291 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10292 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10295 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10296 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10297 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10298 Emacs running on MS machines.
10302 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10303 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10304 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10305 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10308 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10309 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10310 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10311 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10313 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10314 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10315 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10316 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10317 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10318 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10319 also be a list of regexp.
10321 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10322 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10325 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10326 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10329 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10330 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10331 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10335 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10336 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10337 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10341 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10342 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10343 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10350 @subsection Duplicates
10352 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10353 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10354 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10355 @cindex duplicate mails
10356 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10357 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10358 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10359 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10360 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10361 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10362 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10363 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10364 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10365 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10366 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10367 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10368 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10370 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10371 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10372 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10373 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10375 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10378 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10379 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10383 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10384 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10385 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10386 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10387 (any mail "mail.misc")
10394 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10395 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10400 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10401 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10402 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10403 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10404 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10407 @node Not Reading Mail
10408 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10410 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10411 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10412 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10414 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10415 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10417 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10418 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10419 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10420 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10421 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10422 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10423 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10424 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10425 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10426 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10427 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10429 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10430 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10434 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10435 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10437 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10438 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10439 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10442 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10443 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10444 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10445 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10446 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10450 @node Unix Mail Box
10451 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10453 @cindex unix mail box
10455 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10456 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10457 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10458 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10459 which group it belongs in.
10461 Virtual server settings:
10464 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10465 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10466 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10468 @item nnmbox-active-file
10469 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10470 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10472 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10473 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10474 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10480 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10484 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10485 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10486 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10487 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10488 article to say which group it belongs in.
10490 Virtual server settings:
10493 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10494 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10495 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10497 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10498 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10499 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10501 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10502 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10503 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10508 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10510 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10512 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10513 format. It should be used with some caution.
10515 @vindex nnml-directory
10516 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10517 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10518 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10519 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10521 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10524 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10525 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10526 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10527 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10528 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10529 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10530 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10531 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10533 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10534 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10535 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10536 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10538 Virtual server settings:
10541 @item nnml-directory
10542 @vindex nnml-directory
10543 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10545 @item nnml-active-file
10546 @vindex nnml-active-file
10547 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10549 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10550 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10551 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10554 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10555 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10556 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10558 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10559 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10560 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10562 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10563 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10564 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10566 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10567 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10568 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10572 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10573 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10574 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10575 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10576 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10577 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10578 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10583 @subsubsection MH Spool
10585 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10587 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10588 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10589 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10590 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10592 Virtual server settings:
10595 @item nnmh-directory
10596 @vindex nnmh-directory
10597 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10599 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10600 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10601 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10604 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10605 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10606 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10607 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10608 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10609 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10610 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10615 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10617 @cindex mbox folders
10618 @cindex mail folders
10620 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10621 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10622 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10625 Virtual server settings:
10628 @item nnfolder-directory
10629 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10630 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10632 @item nnfolder-active-file
10633 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10634 The name of the active file.
10636 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10637 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10638 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10640 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10641 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10642 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10644 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10645 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10646 @cindex backup files
10647 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10648 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10649 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10650 your @file{.emacs} file:
10653 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10654 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10656 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10659 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10660 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10661 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10662 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10663 extract some information from it before removing it.
10668 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10669 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10670 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10671 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10672 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10673 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10676 @node Other Sources
10677 @section Other Sources
10679 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10680 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10684 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10685 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10686 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10687 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10688 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10689 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10693 @node Directory Groups
10694 @subsection Directory Groups
10696 @cindex directory groups
10698 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10699 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10702 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10703 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10704 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10705 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10707 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10708 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10709 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10710 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10711 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10713 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10715 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10716 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10717 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10718 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10721 @node Anything Groups
10722 @subsection Anything Groups
10725 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10726 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10727 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10730 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10731 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10732 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10733 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10734 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10735 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10736 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10737 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10738 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10739 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10742 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10743 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10744 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10745 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10747 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10748 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10749 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10750 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10752 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10753 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10754 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10755 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10756 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10757 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10758 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10759 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10764 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10765 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10766 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10767 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10769 @item nneething-exclude-files
10770 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10771 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10772 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10774 @item nneething-map-file
10775 @vindex nneething-map-file
10776 Name of the map files.
10780 @node Document Groups
10781 @subsection Document Groups
10783 @cindex documentation group
10786 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10787 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10794 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10799 The standard Unix mbox file.
10801 @cindex MMDF mail box
10803 The MMDF mail box format.
10806 Several news articles appended into a file.
10809 @cindex rnews batch files
10810 The rnews batch transport format.
10811 @cindex forwarded messages
10814 Forwarded articles.
10817 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
10821 @cindex MIME digest
10822 @cindex 1153 digest
10823 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10824 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10825 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10827 @item standard-digest
10828 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10831 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10834 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10835 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10836 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10839 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10840 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10841 group. And that's it.
10843 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10844 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10845 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10846 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10847 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10848 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10849 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10850 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10851 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10852 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10854 Virtual server variables:
10857 @item nndoc-article-type
10858 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10859 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10860 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10861 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
10862 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
10865 @item nndoc-post-type
10866 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10867 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10868 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10873 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10877 @node Document Server Internals
10878 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10880 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10881 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10882 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10883 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10885 First, here's an example document type definition:
10889 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10890 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10893 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10894 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10895 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10896 types can be defined with very few settings:
10899 @item first-article
10900 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10901 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10904 @item article-begin
10905 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10906 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10908 @item head-begin-function
10909 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10912 @item nndoc-head-begin
10913 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10916 @item nndoc-head-end
10917 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10918 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10920 @item body-begin-function
10921 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10925 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10928 @item body-end-function
10929 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10933 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10936 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10937 regexp will be totally ignored.
10941 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10942 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10943 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10944 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10945 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10948 @item prepare-body-function
10949 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10950 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10951 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10953 @item article-transform-function
10954 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10955 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10956 body of the article.
10958 @item generate-head-function
10959 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10960 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10961 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10962 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10966 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10971 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10972 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10973 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10974 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10975 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10976 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10977 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10978 (subtype digest guess))
10981 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10982 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10983 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10984 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10985 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10987 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10988 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10989 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10990 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10991 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
10992 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10993 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10994 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10995 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10996 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
11004 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
11005 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
11006 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
11008 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
11009 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
11010 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
11013 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
11014 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
11015 that interested in doing things properly.
11017 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
11018 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
11021 First some terminology:
11026 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
11027 get news and/or mail from.
11030 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
11031 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
11034 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
11038 @item message packets
11039 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
11040 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
11041 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11043 @item response packets
11044 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
11045 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
11046 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11056 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
11057 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
11058 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
11059 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11062 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11065 You put the packet in your home directory.
11068 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11069 the native or secondary server.
11072 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11073 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11076 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11080 You transfer this packet to the server.
11083 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11086 You then repeat until you die.
11090 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11091 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11094 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11095 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11096 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11100 @node SOUP Commands
11101 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11103 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11107 @kindex G s b (Group)
11108 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11109 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11110 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11111 process/prefix convention.
11114 @kindex G s w (Group)
11115 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11116 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11119 @kindex G s s (Group)
11120 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11121 Send all replies from the replies packet
11122 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11125 @kindex G s p (Group)
11126 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11127 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11130 @kindex G s r (Group)
11131 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11132 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11135 @kindex O s (Summary)
11136 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11137 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11138 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11139 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11144 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11149 @item gnus-soup-directory
11150 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11151 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11152 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11154 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11155 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11156 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11157 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11159 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11160 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11161 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11162 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11164 @item gnus-soup-packer
11165 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11166 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11167 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11169 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11170 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11171 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11172 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11174 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11175 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11176 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11178 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11179 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11180 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11181 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11187 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11190 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11191 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11192 you can read them at leisure.
11194 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11198 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11199 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11200 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11201 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11203 @item nnsoup-directory
11204 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11205 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11206 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11208 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11209 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11210 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11211 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11213 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11214 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11215 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11216 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11217 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11219 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11220 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11221 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11222 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11224 @item nnsoup-active-file
11225 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11226 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11227 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11228 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11229 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11231 @item nnsoup-packer
11232 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11233 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11234 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11236 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11237 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11238 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11239 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11241 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11242 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11243 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11246 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11247 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11248 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11251 @item nnsoup-always-save
11252 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11253 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11259 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11261 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11262 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11263 more for that to happen.
11265 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11266 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11267 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11270 In specific, this is what it does:
11273 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11274 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11277 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11278 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11279 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11283 @subsection Web Searches
11287 @cindex InReference
11288 @cindex Usenet searches
11289 @cindex searching the Usenet
11291 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11292 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11293 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11294 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11295 searches without having to use a browser.
11297 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11298 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11299 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11300 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11301 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11303 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11304 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11305 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11306 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11307 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11308 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11309 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11310 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11311 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11312 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11315 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11316 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11317 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11318 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11319 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11320 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11322 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11323 to use @code{nnweb}.
11325 Virtual server variables:
11330 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11331 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11335 @vindex nnweb-search
11336 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11338 @item nnweb-max-hits
11339 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11340 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11343 @item nnweb-type-definition
11344 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11345 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11346 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11351 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11355 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11358 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11361 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11365 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11372 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11373 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11374 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11377 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11378 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11379 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11381 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11387 @item nngateway-address
11388 @vindex nngateway-address
11389 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11391 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11392 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11393 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11394 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11395 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11396 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11397 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11400 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11401 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11402 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11405 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11408 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11411 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11414 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11416 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11419 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11420 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11421 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11423 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11425 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11426 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11427 @code{nngateway-address}.
11432 (setq gnus-post-method
11433 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11434 (nngateway-header-transformation
11435 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11443 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11446 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11450 @node Combined Groups
11451 @section Combined Groups
11453 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11457 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11458 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11462 @node Virtual Groups
11463 @subsection Virtual Groups
11465 @cindex virtual groups
11466 @cindex merging groups
11468 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11471 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11472 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11473 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11475 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11476 regexp to match component groups.
11478 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11479 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11480 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11481 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11482 the virtual group.)
11484 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11485 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11488 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11491 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11492 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11494 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11495 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11496 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11497 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11500 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11503 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11504 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11505 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11507 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11508 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11509 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11510 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11511 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11513 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11514 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11515 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11517 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11518 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11519 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11520 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11521 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11522 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11523 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11524 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11525 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11526 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11527 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11529 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11530 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11531 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11532 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11533 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11534 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11535 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11537 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11538 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11542 @node Kibozed Groups
11543 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11547 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11548 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11549 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11550 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11552 @kindex G k (Group)
11553 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11556 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11557 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11558 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11559 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11561 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11562 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11563 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11565 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11566 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11567 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11568 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11569 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11570 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11571 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11572 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11574 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11575 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11576 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11577 Stranger things have happened.
11579 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11580 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11582 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11583 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11584 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11585 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11586 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11587 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11589 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11590 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11593 @node Gnus Unplugged
11594 @section Gnus Unplugged
11599 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11601 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11602 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11603 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11604 read news. Believe it or not.
11606 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11607 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11608 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11609 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11610 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11612 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11613 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11614 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11615 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11616 reading news on a machine.
11618 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11622 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11623 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11627 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11628 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11635 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11637 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11640 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11641 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11642 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11643 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11644 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11645 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11646 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11647 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11648 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
11653 @subsection Agent Basics
11655 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11657 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11658 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11659 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11660 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11662 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11663 connected to the net continuously.
11665 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11666 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11668 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11673 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11674 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11675 already fetched while in this mode.
11678 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11679 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11680 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11683 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11684 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11685 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11686 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11689 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11690 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11691 then you read the news offline.
11694 And then you go to step 2.
11697 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11703 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11704 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11705 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11706 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11707 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11708 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11711 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
11718 @node Agent Categories
11719 @subsection Agent Categories
11721 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11722 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11723 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11724 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11725 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11726 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11727 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11729 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11730 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11731 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11734 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11735 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11736 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11740 @node Category Syntax
11741 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11743 A category consists of two things.
11747 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11748 are eligible for downloading; and
11751 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11752 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11753 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
11756 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
11757 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
11758 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
11759 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
11761 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
11762 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
11763 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
11765 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
11766 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
11767 operators sprinkled in between.
11769 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11771 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11772 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11778 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11779 short (for some value of ``short'').
11781 Here's a more complex predicate:
11790 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11791 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11794 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11795 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11796 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11798 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11799 you want to do, you can write your own.
11803 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11804 lines; default 100.
11807 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11808 lines; default 200.
11811 True iff the article has a download score less than
11812 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11815 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11816 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11819 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11820 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11821 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11830 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11831 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11832 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11835 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
11836 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
11837 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
11838 something along the lines of the following:
11841 (defun my-article-old-p ()
11842 "Say whether an article is old."
11843 (< (time-to-day (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
11844 (- (time-to-day (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
11847 with the predicate then defined as:
11850 (not my-article-old-p)
11853 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
11854 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
11855 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
11856 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
11859 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
11860 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
11861 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
11864 and simply specify your predicate as:
11870 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
11871 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
11872 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
11873 just don't give a damm.
11876 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
11877 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
11878 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
11879 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
11880 parameters like so:
11883 (agent-predicate . short)
11886 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
11887 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
11888 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
11891 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
11894 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
11897 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
11898 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
11899 predicate is assumed to be a list.
11902 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11903 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11904 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11905 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
11906 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
11907 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
11909 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
11910 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
11911 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
11912 if it's to be specific to that group.
11914 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
11921 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
11922 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
11928 Category specification
11932 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11938 Group Parameter specification
11941 (agent-score ("from"
11942 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11947 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
11953 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
11960 Category specification
11963 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
11969 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
11973 Group Parameter specification
11976 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
11979 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
11984 Use @code{normal} score files
11986 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
11987 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
11988 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
11989 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
11991 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
11992 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
11993 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
11994 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
11998 Category Specification
12005 Group Parameter specification
12008 (agent-score . file)
12013 @node The Category Buffer
12014 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
12016 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
12017 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
12018 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
12020 The following commands are available in this buffer:
12024 @kindex q (Category)
12025 @findex gnus-category-exit
12026 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
12029 @kindex k (Category)
12030 @findex gnus-category-kill
12031 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
12034 @kindex c (Category)
12035 @findex gnus-category-copy
12036 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
12039 @kindex a (Category)
12040 @findex gnus-category-add
12041 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
12044 @kindex p (Category)
12045 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
12046 Edit the predicate of the current category
12047 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
12050 @kindex g (Category)
12051 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
12052 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
12053 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
12056 @kindex s (Category)
12057 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
12058 Edit the download score rule of the current category
12059 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12062 @kindex l (Category)
12063 @findex gnus-category-list
12064 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12068 @node Category Variables
12069 @subsubsection Category Variables
12072 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12073 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12074 Hook run in category buffers.
12076 @item gnus-category-line-format
12077 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12078 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12079 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12083 The name of the category.
12086 The number of groups in the category.
12089 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12090 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12091 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12093 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12094 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12095 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12097 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12098 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12099 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12101 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12102 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12103 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12106 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12107 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12108 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12114 @node Agent Commands
12115 @subsection Agent Commands
12117 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12118 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12119 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12123 * Group Agent Commands::
12124 * Summary Agent Commands::
12125 * Server Agent Commands::
12128 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12129 following incantation:
12131 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12133 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12138 @node Group Agent Commands
12139 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12143 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12144 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12145 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12146 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12149 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12150 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12151 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12154 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12155 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12156 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12157 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12160 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12161 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12162 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12163 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12166 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12167 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12168 Add the current group to an Agent category
12169 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
12174 @node Summary Agent Commands
12175 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12179 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12180 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12181 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12184 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12185 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12186 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12187 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12190 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12191 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12192 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12195 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12196 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12197 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12202 @node Server Agent Commands
12203 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12207 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12208 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12209 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12210 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12213 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12214 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12215 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12216 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12222 @subsection Agent Expiry
12224 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12225 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12226 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12227 @cindex Agent expiry
12228 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12231 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12232 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12233 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12234 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12235 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12236 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12238 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12239 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12240 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12241 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12242 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12245 @node Outgoing Messages
12246 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12248 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12249 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12250 after posting, and edit them at will.
12252 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12253 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12254 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12255 messages in the draft group.
12259 @node Agent Variables
12260 @subsection Agent Variables
12263 @item gnus-agent-directory
12264 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12265 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12266 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12268 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12269 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12270 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12271 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12272 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12275 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12276 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12277 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12279 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12280 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12281 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12286 @node Example Setup
12287 @subsection Example Setup
12289 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12290 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12291 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12294 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12295 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12296 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
12298 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12299 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12300 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
12301 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
12303 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12304 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12306 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12310 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12311 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12314 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12315 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12316 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12317 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12318 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12321 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12322 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12323 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12324 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12325 back all the killed groups.)
12327 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12328 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12329 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12332 @node Batching Agents
12333 @subsection Batching Agents
12335 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12336 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12337 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12341 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12345 @node Agent Caveats
12346 @subsection Agent Caveats
12348 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
12349 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
12353 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
12358 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
12359 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
12365 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
12366 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
12373 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
12374 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
12375 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
12378 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
12379 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
12380 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
12381 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
12382 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
12384 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
12385 before generating the summary buffer.
12387 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
12388 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12389 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12391 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12392 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12393 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12394 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12397 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12398 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12399 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12400 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12401 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12402 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12403 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12404 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12405 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12406 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12407 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12408 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12409 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12410 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12411 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12412 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12416 @node Summary Score Commands
12417 @section Summary Score Commands
12418 @cindex score commands
12420 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12421 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12422 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12423 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12424 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12426 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12427 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12428 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12429 score file the current one.
12431 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12436 @kindex V s (Summary)
12437 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12438 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12441 @kindex V S (Summary)
12442 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12443 Display the score of the current article
12444 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12447 @kindex V t (Summary)
12448 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12449 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12450 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12453 @kindex V R (Summary)
12454 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12455 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12456 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12457 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12458 effect you're having.
12461 @kindex V c (Summary)
12462 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12463 Make a different score file the current
12464 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12467 @kindex V e (Summary)
12468 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12469 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12470 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12474 @kindex V f (Summary)
12475 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12476 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12477 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12480 @kindex V F (Summary)
12481 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12482 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12483 after editing score files.
12486 @kindex V C (Summary)
12487 @findex gnus-score-customize
12488 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12489 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12493 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12498 @kindex V m (Summary)
12499 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12500 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12501 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12504 @kindex V x (Summary)
12505 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12506 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12507 expunge all articles below this score
12508 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12511 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12512 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12515 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12516 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12520 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12521 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12523 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12524 keys are available:
12528 Score on the author name.
12531 Score on the subject line.
12534 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12537 Score on the References line.
12543 Score on the number of lines.
12546 Score on the Message-ID.
12549 Score on followups.
12563 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12564 what headers you are scoring on.
12576 Substring matching.
12579 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12608 Greater than number.
12613 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12614 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12615 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12619 Temporary score entry.
12622 Permanent score entry.
12625 Immediately scoring.
12630 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12631 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12632 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12633 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12635 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12636 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12637 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12638 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12639 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12641 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12642 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12643 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12644 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12645 current score file.
12647 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12648 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12649 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12652 @node Group Score Commands
12653 @section Group Score Commands
12654 @cindex group score commands
12656 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12661 @kindex W f (Group)
12662 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12663 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12664 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12665 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12669 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12671 @findex gnus-batch-score
12672 @cindex batch scoring
12674 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
12678 @node Score Variables
12679 @section Score Variables
12680 @cindex score variables
12684 @item gnus-use-scoring
12685 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12686 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12687 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12689 @item gnus-kill-killed
12690 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12691 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12692 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12693 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12694 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12695 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12696 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12698 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12699 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12700 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12701 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12702 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12704 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12705 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12706 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12707 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12709 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12710 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12711 @cindex score cache
12712 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12713 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12714 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
12715 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12716 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12717 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12720 @item gnus-save-score
12721 @vindex gnus-save-score
12722 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12723 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12724 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12726 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12727 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12728 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12729 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12730 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12731 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12732 manually entered data.
12734 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12735 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12736 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12738 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12739 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12740 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12741 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12742 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12743 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12745 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12746 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12747 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12748 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12750 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12751 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12752 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12753 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12755 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12756 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12757 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12758 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12760 Predefined functions available are:
12763 @item gnus-score-find-single
12764 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12765 Only apply the group's own score file.
12767 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12768 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12769 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12770 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12771 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12772 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12773 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12774 then a regexp match is done.
12776 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12777 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12779 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12780 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12781 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12782 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12784 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12785 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12786 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12787 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12788 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12791 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12792 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12793 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12794 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12795 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12796 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12799 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12800 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12801 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12802 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12803 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12805 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12806 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12807 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12808 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12809 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12810 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12811 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12814 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12815 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12816 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12818 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12819 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12820 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12821 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12822 threading---according to the current value of
12823 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12824 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12825 simplified in this manner.
12830 @node Score File Format
12831 @section Score File Format
12832 @cindex score file format
12834 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12835 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12836 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12838 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12842 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12844 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12846 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12848 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12853 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12857 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12858 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12859 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12860 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12864 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12865 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12867 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12868 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12869 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12871 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12876 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12877 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12878 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12879 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12880 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12881 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12882 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12883 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12884 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12885 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12886 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12887 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12888 to articles that matches these score entries.
12890 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12891 score entry has one to four elements.
12895 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12896 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12900 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12901 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12902 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12903 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12904 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12905 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12908 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12909 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12910 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12911 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12912 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12915 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12916 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12917 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12918 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12921 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12922 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12923 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12924 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12925 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12926 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12927 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12928 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12929 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12930 instead, if you feel like.
12933 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12934 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12936 These predicates are true if
12939 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12942 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12943 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12950 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12951 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12952 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12953 it's not. I think.)
12955 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12956 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12957 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12958 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12961 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12962 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12963 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12964 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12965 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12966 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12967 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12971 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12972 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12973 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12974 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12975 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12976 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12977 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12978 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12981 @item Head, Body, All
12982 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12986 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12987 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12988 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12989 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12990 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12991 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12992 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12996 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12997 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12998 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12999 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
13000 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
13001 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
13002 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
13003 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
13004 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
13005 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
13009 @cindex Score File Atoms
13011 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13012 lower than this number will be marked as read.
13015 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13016 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
13018 @item mark-and-expunge
13019 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13020 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
13023 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
13024 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
13025 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
13026 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
13027 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
13030 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
13031 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
13034 @item exclude-files
13035 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
13036 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
13040 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
13041 ignored when handling global score files.
13044 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
13045 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
13046 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
13047 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
13050 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
13051 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
13052 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
13053 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
13055 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
13059 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13062 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13063 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13064 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13065 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13066 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13068 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13069 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13070 ordinary scoring rules.
13073 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13074 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13075 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13076 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13077 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13078 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13079 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13080 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13081 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13082 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13083 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13087 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13088 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13089 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13090 file for a number of groups.
13093 @cindex local variables
13094 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13095 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13096 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13097 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13098 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13102 @node Score File Editing
13103 @section Score File Editing
13105 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13106 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13107 with a mode for that.
13109 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13110 additional commands:
13115 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13116 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13117 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13118 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13121 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13122 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13123 Insert the current date in numerical format
13124 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13125 you were wondering.
13128 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13129 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13130 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13131 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13132 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13137 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13139 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13140 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13142 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13143 e} to begin editing score files.
13146 @node Adaptive Scoring
13147 @section Adaptive Scoring
13148 @cindex adaptive scoring
13150 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13151 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13152 stupidity, to be precise.
13154 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13155 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13156 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13157 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13158 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13159 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13160 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13161 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13162 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13164 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13165 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13166 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13167 might look something like this:
13170 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13171 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13172 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13173 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13174 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13175 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13176 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13177 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13178 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13179 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13180 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13181 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13184 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13185 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13186 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13187 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13188 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13189 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13192 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13193 will be applied to each article.
13195 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13196 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13197 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13198 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13200 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13201 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13202 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13203 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13205 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13206 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13207 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13208 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13210 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13211 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13212 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13213 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13214 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13215 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13217 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13218 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13219 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13220 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13221 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13222 aspirins afterwards.)
13224 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13225 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13226 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13228 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13229 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13230 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13232 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13233 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13234 let you use different rules in different groups.
13236 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13237 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13238 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13241 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13242 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13243 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13244 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13245 the length of the match is less than
13246 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13247 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13250 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13251 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13252 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13253 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13254 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13257 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13258 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13259 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13260 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13261 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13264 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13265 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13266 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13267 score with 30 points.
13269 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13270 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13271 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13272 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13273 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13275 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13276 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13277 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13278 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13280 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13281 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13282 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13283 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13285 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13286 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13287 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13288 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13289 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13291 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13292 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13293 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13295 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13296 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13297 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13298 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13301 @node Home Score File
13302 @section Home Score File
13304 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13305 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13306 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13307 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13309 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13310 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13311 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13313 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13314 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13319 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13323 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13324 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13328 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13332 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13333 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13336 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13337 the home score file.
13340 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13343 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
13348 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
13351 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13352 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
13355 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
13356 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
13358 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
13360 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13361 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
13364 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
13365 Other functions include
13368 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
13369 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
13370 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
13371 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
13375 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
13376 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
13377 their own home score files:
13380 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13381 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
13382 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
13383 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
13384 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
13387 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
13388 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
13389 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
13390 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
13391 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
13393 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
13394 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13395 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13396 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13397 precedence over this variable.
13400 @node Followups To Yourself
13401 @section Followups To Yourself
13403 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13404 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13405 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13406 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13407 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13408 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13412 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13413 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13414 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13417 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13418 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13419 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13423 @vindex message-sent-hook
13424 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13425 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13427 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13428 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13432 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13433 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13436 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13437 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13442 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13446 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13447 is system-dependent.
13451 @section Scoring Tips
13452 @cindex scoring tips
13458 @cindex scoring crossposts
13459 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13460 the @code{Xref} header.
13462 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13465 @item Multiple crossposts
13466 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13467 more than, say, 3 groups:
13469 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13472 @item Matching on the body
13473 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13474 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13475 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13476 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13477 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13478 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13479 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13482 @item Marking as read
13483 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13484 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13485 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13489 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13491 @item Negated character classes
13492 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13493 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13494 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13498 @node Reverse Scoring
13499 @section Reverse Scoring
13500 @cindex reverse scoring
13502 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13503 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13504 like this in your score file:
13508 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13513 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13514 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13517 @node Global Score Files
13518 @section Global Score Files
13519 @cindex global score files
13521 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13522 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13523 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13525 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13526 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13527 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13529 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13530 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13531 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13532 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13533 files are applicable to which group.
13535 Say you want to use the score file
13536 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13537 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13540 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13541 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13542 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13545 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13546 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13547 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13548 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13549 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13551 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13552 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13554 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13555 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13556 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13557 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13558 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13559 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13561 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13567 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13569 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13571 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13573 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13574 lowered out of existence.
13576 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13577 articles completely.
13580 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13581 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13582 old articles for a long time.
13585 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13586 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13587 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13588 holding our breath yet?
13592 @section Kill Files
13595 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13596 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13597 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13599 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13600 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13601 files into score files.
13603 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13604 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13605 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13606 that isn't a very good idea.
13608 Normal kill files look like this:
13611 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13612 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13616 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13617 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13619 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13620 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13623 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13628 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13629 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13630 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13633 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13634 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13635 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13638 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13643 @kindex M-k (Group)
13644 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13645 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13648 @kindex M-K (Group)
13649 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13650 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13653 Kill file variables:
13656 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13657 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13658 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13659 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13660 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13661 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13662 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13664 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13665 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13666 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13667 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13670 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13671 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13672 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13673 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13674 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13675 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13676 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13677 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13678 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13680 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13681 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13682 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13687 @node Converting Kill Files
13688 @section Converting Kill Files
13690 @cindex converting kill files
13692 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13693 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13694 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13697 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13698 You can fetch it from
13699 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13701 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13702 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13703 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13711 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13712 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13713 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13715 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13716 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13717 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13718 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13719 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13720 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13721 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13722 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13726 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13727 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13728 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13729 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13733 @node Using GroupLens
13734 @subsection Using GroupLens
13736 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13738 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13739 better bit in town at the moment.
13741 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13745 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13746 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13747 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13748 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13750 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13751 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13752 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13753 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13755 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13756 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13757 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13761 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13762 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13763 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13764 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13765 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13766 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13769 @node Rating Articles
13770 @subsection Rating Articles
13772 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13773 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13774 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13775 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13778 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13783 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13784 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13785 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13788 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13789 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13790 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13791 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13792 threads in rec.humor.
13796 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13797 the score of the article you're reading.
13802 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13803 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13804 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13807 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13808 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13809 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13813 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13814 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13817 @node Displaying Predictions
13818 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13820 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13821 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13822 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13823 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13824 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13826 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13827 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13828 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13829 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13830 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13831 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13832 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13833 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13834 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13835 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13836 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13837 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13838 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13840 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13841 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13842 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13843 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13845 The following are valid values for that variable.
13848 @item prediction-spot
13849 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13852 @item confidence-interval
13853 A numeric confidence interval.
13855 @item prediction-bar
13856 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13858 @item confidence-bar
13859 Numerical confidence.
13861 @item confidence-spot
13862 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13864 @item prediction-num
13865 Plain-old numeric value.
13867 @item confidence-plus-minus
13868 Prediction +/- confidence.
13873 @node GroupLens Variables
13874 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13878 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13879 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13880 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13881 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13884 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13885 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13888 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13889 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13891 @item grouplens-score-offset
13892 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13893 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13896 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13897 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13898 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13903 @node Advanced Scoring
13904 @section Advanced Scoring
13906 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13907 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13908 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13909 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13910 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13912 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13916 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13917 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13918 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13922 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13923 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13925 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13926 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13927 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13928 non-@code{nil} value.
13930 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13931 operator, and various match operators.
13938 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13939 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13940 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13945 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13946 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13947 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13952 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13953 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13957 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13958 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13959 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13960 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13961 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13962 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13963 the ancestry you want to go.
13965 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13966 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13967 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13968 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13969 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13972 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13973 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13975 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13976 when he's talking about Gnus:
13980 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13981 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13987 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13991 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13998 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13999 really don't want to read what he's written:
14003 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14004 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
14008 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
14009 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
14010 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
14017 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
14018 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
14019 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
14020 ("body" "white.*socks"))
14024 The possibilities are endless.
14027 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
14028 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
14030 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
14031 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
14032 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
14033 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
14034 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
14035 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
14036 @samp{subject}) first.
14038 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
14039 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
14050 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
14051 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
14057 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14064 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14065 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14070 @section Score Decays
14071 @cindex score decays
14074 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14075 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14076 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14077 use them in any sensible way.
14079 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14080 @findex gnus-decay-score
14081 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14082 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14083 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14084 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14085 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14086 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14087 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14088 definition of that function:
14091 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14093 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14094 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14097 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14099 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14101 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14104 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14105 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14106 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14107 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14111 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14114 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14117 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14121 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14122 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14123 the new score, which should be an integer.
14125 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14126 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14133 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14134 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14135 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14136 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14137 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14138 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14139 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14140 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14141 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14142 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14143 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14144 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14145 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14146 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14147 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14148 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14149 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14150 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14154 @node Process/Prefix
14155 @section Process/Prefix
14156 @cindex process/prefix convention
14158 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14159 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14161 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14162 command to be performed on.
14166 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14167 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14168 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14169 with the current one.
14171 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14172 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14173 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14175 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14176 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14179 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14180 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14182 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14185 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14186 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14187 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14188 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14190 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14191 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14192 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14193 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14194 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14195 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14196 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14197 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14201 @section Interactive
14202 @cindex interaction
14206 @item gnus-novice-user
14207 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14208 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14209 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14210 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14211 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14214 @item gnus-expert-user
14215 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14216 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14217 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14218 matter how strange.
14220 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14221 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14222 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14223 is @code{t} by default.
14225 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14226 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14227 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14232 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14233 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14234 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14236 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14237 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14238 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14239 rule of 900 to the current article.
14241 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14242 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14243 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14244 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14245 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14246 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14247 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14249 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14250 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14251 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14252 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14253 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14254 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14255 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14256 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14257 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14259 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14260 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14261 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14263 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14267 @node Formatting Variables
14268 @section Formatting Variables
14269 @cindex formatting variables
14271 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14272 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14273 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14274 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14275 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14278 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14279 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14280 lots of percentages everywhere.
14283 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14284 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14285 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14286 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14287 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14290 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14291 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14292 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14293 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14294 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14295 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14296 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14297 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14299 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14300 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14302 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14303 @findex gnus-update-format
14304 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14305 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14306 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14307 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14311 @node Formatting Basics
14312 @subsection Formatting Basics
14314 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14315 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14316 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14318 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14319 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14320 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14321 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14322 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14325 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14326 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14327 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14328 less than 4 characters wide.
14331 @node Mode Line Formatting
14332 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14334 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14335 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14336 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14337 with the following two differences:
14342 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
14345 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
14346 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
14347 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
14348 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
14349 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
14350 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
14351 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
14356 @node Advanced Formatting
14357 @subsection Advanced Formatting
14359 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
14360 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
14361 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
14362 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
14364 These are the valid modifiers:
14369 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
14373 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
14378 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
14381 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
14386 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
14389 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
14392 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14395 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14399 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14400 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14401 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14402 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14403 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14404 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14405 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14407 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14408 last operation, padding.
14410 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14411 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14412 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14413 @xref{Compilation}.
14416 @node User-Defined Specs
14417 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14419 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14420 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14421 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14422 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14423 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14424 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14425 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14426 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14427 should protect against that.
14429 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14430 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14431 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14432 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14436 @node Formatting Fonts
14437 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14439 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14440 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14441 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14442 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14445 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14446 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14447 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14448 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14449 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14450 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14452 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
14453 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
14454 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
14455 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
14456 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
14457 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
14458 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
14459 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
14461 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14464 ;; Create three face types.
14465 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14466 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14468 ;; We want the article count to be in
14469 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14470 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14471 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14473 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14474 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14476 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14477 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14478 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14481 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14482 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14484 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14485 mode-line variables.
14488 @node Windows Configuration
14489 @section Windows Configuration
14490 @cindex windows configuration
14492 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14494 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14495 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14496 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14497 @code{t} by default.
14499 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
14500 glitches. Use at your own peril.
14502 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14503 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14504 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14507 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14508 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14509 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14513 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14514 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14515 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14516 possible names is listed below.
14518 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14519 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14522 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14526 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14527 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14528 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14529 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14530 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14531 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14532 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14533 size spec per split.
14535 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14536 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14537 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14538 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14539 present) gets focus.
14541 Here's a more complicated example:
14544 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14545 (summary 0.25 point)
14546 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14550 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14551 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14552 occupy, not a percentage.
14554 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14555 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14556 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14557 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14558 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14561 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14564 (article (horizontal 1.0
14569 (summary 0.25 point)
14574 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14575 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14577 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14578 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14579 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14580 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14581 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14583 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14584 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14585 lines from the splits.
14587 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14591 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14592 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14593 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14594 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14595 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14596 size = number | frame-params
14597 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14600 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14601 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14602 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14603 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14605 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14606 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14607 @cindex window height
14608 @cindex window width
14609 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14610 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14611 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14612 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14613 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14614 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14616 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14617 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14618 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14619 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14621 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14622 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14623 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14624 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14625 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14626 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14627 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14628 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14629 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14630 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14631 configuration list.
14634 (gnus-configure-frame
14638 (article 0.3 point))
14646 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14647 @code{frame} split:
14650 (gnus-configure-frame
14653 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14655 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14656 (user-position . t)
14657 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14662 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14663 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14664 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14665 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14666 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14667 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14668 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14669 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14672 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14673 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14675 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14676 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14677 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14678 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14679 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14680 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14682 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14683 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14684 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14688 (message (horizontal 1.0
14689 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14691 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14696 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14697 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14698 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14699 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14700 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14703 (gnus-add-configuration
14704 '(article (vertical 1.0
14706 (summary .25 point)
14710 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14711 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14712 Gnus has been loaded.
14714 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14715 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14716 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14717 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14718 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14720 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
14721 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
14722 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
14726 @node Faces and Fonts
14727 @section Faces and Fonts
14732 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14733 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14734 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14739 @section Compilation
14740 @cindex compilation
14741 @cindex byte-compilation
14743 @findex gnus-compile
14745 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14746 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14747 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14748 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14749 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14750 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14753 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14754 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14755 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14756 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14757 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14758 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14759 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14763 @section Mode Lines
14766 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14767 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14768 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14769 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14770 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14771 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14772 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14775 @cindex display-time
14777 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14778 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14779 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14780 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14781 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14782 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14783 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14784 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14787 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14789 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14790 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14792 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14793 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14794 (length display-time-string)))))
14797 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14798 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14799 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14800 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14801 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14804 @node Highlighting and Menus
14805 @section Highlighting and Menus
14807 @cindex highlighting
14810 @vindex gnus-visual
14811 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14812 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14813 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14816 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14817 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14820 @item group-highlight
14821 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14822 @item summary-highlight
14823 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14824 @item article-highlight
14825 Do highlights according to @code{gnus-article-display-hook} in the
14828 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14830 Create menus in the group buffer.
14832 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14834 Create menus in the article buffer.
14836 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14838 Create menus in the server buffer.
14840 Create menus in the score buffers.
14842 Create menus in all buffers.
14845 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14846 buffers, you could say something like:
14849 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14852 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14855 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14858 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14859 in all Gnus buffers.
14861 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14864 @item gnus-mouse-face
14865 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14866 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14867 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14871 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14875 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14876 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14877 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14879 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14880 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14881 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14883 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14884 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14885 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14887 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14888 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14889 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14891 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14892 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14893 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14895 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14896 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14897 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14908 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14909 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14910 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14911 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14912 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14916 @vindex gnus-carpal
14917 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14918 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14919 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14924 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14925 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14926 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14928 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14929 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14930 Face used on buttons.
14932 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14933 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14934 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14936 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14937 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14938 Buttons in the group buffer.
14940 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14941 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14942 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14944 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14945 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14946 Buttons in the server buffer.
14948 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14949 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14950 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14953 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14954 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14955 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14963 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14964 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14965 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14966 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14967 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14969 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14970 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14971 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14973 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14974 been idle for thirty minutes:
14977 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14980 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14984 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14987 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14988 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14989 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14991 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14992 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14993 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14994 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14996 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14997 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14998 @var{idle} minutes.
15000 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
15001 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
15004 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
15005 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
15006 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
15008 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
15009 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
15010 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
15011 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
15013 @vindex gnus-use-demon
15014 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
15015 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
15017 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
15018 your @file{.gnus} file:
15020 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
15022 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
15025 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
15026 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
15027 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
15028 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
15029 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
15030 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
15031 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
15032 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
15033 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
15034 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
15035 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
15037 @findex gnus-demon-init
15038 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
15039 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
15040 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
15041 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
15042 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
15044 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
15045 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
15046 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
15055 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
15056 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
15058 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
15059 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
15060 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
15061 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
15064 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
15065 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
15066 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
15067 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
15069 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15070 this will make spam disappear.
15072 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15075 @item gnus-use-nocem
15076 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15077 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15080 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15081 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15082 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15083 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15084 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15086 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15087 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15088 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15089 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15090 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15091 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15092 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15094 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15097 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15098 @cindex Chris Lewis
15099 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15100 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15103 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15104 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15105 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15107 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15109 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15112 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15113 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15114 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15117 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15118 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15119 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15120 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15121 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15122 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15123 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15124 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15125 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15126 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15128 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15129 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15132 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15135 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15136 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15139 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15142 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15145 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15146 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15148 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15149 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15150 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15151 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15153 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15154 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15157 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15159 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15167 This might be dangerous, though.
15169 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15170 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15171 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15172 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15174 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15175 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15176 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15177 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15178 might then see old spam.
15182 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15183 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15184 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15185 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15192 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15193 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15194 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15196 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15197 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15198 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15199 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15200 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15201 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15202 @code{undo} function.
15204 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15205 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15206 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15207 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15208 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15209 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15210 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15211 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15212 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15213 never be totally undoable.
15215 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15216 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15218 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15219 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15220 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15221 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15226 @section Moderation
15229 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15230 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15231 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15234 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15238 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15241 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15243 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15248 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15249 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15250 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15253 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15254 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15257 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15258 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15262 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15265 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15266 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15270 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15271 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15274 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15278 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15279 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15280 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15281 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15294 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15295 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15296 over your shoulder as you read news.
15299 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15300 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15301 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15302 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15303 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15308 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15310 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15319 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15320 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15321 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15322 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15323 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15324 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15325 @code{GIF} formats.
15328 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15329 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15330 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15331 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15332 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15334 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15335 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15336 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15337 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15338 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15339 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15342 @node Picon Requirements
15343 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
15345 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
15346 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
15349 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
15350 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
15351 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
15353 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15354 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
15355 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
15356 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
15357 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
15361 @subsubsection Easy Picons
15363 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
15364 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
15367 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
15368 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15369 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15370 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15371 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
15374 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
15375 containing the Picons databases.
15377 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
15380 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15381 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
15386 @subsubsection Hard Picons
15394 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
15395 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
15396 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
15397 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
15398 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
15403 @item gnus-picons-database
15404 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15405 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
15406 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
15407 subdirectories. This is only useful if
15408 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
15409 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
15411 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15412 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15413 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15414 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15415 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15416 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15417 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15419 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15420 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15421 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15422 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15423 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15424 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15425 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15426 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15428 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15429 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15430 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15435 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15436 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15438 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15439 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15442 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
15443 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15445 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15446 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15447 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15448 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
15449 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15451 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15452 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15453 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
15454 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15458 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
15459 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
15462 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15466 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15467 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15475 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15476 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15477 don't need to worry about.
15481 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15482 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15483 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15484 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15486 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15487 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15488 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15489 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15491 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15492 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15493 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15494 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15495 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15497 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15498 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15499 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15500 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15501 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15502 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15503 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15505 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15506 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15507 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15508 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15510 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15511 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15512 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15513 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15514 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15515 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15516 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15518 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15519 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15520 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15521 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15523 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15524 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15525 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15526 Defaults to @code{t}.
15528 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15529 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15530 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15531 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15533 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15534 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15535 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15536 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15538 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15539 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15540 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15541 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15542 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15543 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15544 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15545 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15556 @subsection Smileys
15561 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15566 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15567 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15569 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15570 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15573 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
15576 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15577 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15578 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15579 text and maps that to file names.
15581 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15582 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15583 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15584 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15585 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15586 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15588 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15589 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15591 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15592 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15593 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15595 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15596 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15600 @item smiley-data-directory
15601 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15602 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15604 @item smiley-flesh-color
15605 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15606 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15608 @item smiley-features-color
15609 @vindex smiley-features-color
15610 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15612 @item smiley-tongue-color
15613 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15614 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15616 @item smiley-circle-color
15617 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15618 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15620 @item smiley-mouse-face
15621 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15622 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15628 @subsection Toolbar
15638 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15639 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15640 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15641 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15642 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15644 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15645 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15646 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15648 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15649 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15650 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15652 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15653 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15654 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15660 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15663 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15664 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15665 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15666 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15667 unusual directory structure.
15669 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15670 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15671 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15672 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15674 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15675 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15676 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15677 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15678 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15679 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15681 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15682 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15683 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15697 @node Fuzzy Matching
15698 @section Fuzzy Matching
15699 @cindex fuzzy matching
15701 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15702 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15704 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15705 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15706 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15708 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15709 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15710 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15711 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15712 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15715 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15716 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15720 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15722 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15723 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15724 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15725 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15726 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15727 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15728 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15729 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15732 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15733 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15734 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15735 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15736 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15737 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15741 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15742 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15744 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15745 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15746 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15747 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15748 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15749 part of the mail address.)
15752 (setq message-default-news-headers
15753 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15756 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15757 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15762 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15763 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15764 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15770 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15771 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15772 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15773 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15775 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15776 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15777 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15778 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15779 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15780 your fancy split rule in this way:
15785 (to "larsi" "misc")
15789 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15790 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15791 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15792 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15793 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15795 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15796 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15797 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15798 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15799 cosmic balance somewhat.
15801 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15802 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15803 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15804 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15807 @node Various Various
15808 @section Various Various
15814 @item gnus-home-directory
15815 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15816 defaults to @file{~/}.
15818 @item gnus-directory
15819 @vindex gnus-directory
15820 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15821 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15822 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15824 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15825 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15826 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15827 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15829 @item gnus-default-directory
15830 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15831 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15832 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15833 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15834 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15835 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15836 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15839 @vindex gnus-verbose
15840 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15841 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15842 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15843 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15844 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15846 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15847 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15848 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15849 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15851 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15852 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15853 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15854 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15855 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15856 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15857 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15858 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15859 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15860 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15862 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15863 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15864 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15865 read when doing the operation described above.
15867 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15868 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15870 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15871 @cindex characters in file names
15872 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15873 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15874 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15877 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15881 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15882 Windows (phooey) systems.
15884 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15885 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15886 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15887 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15888 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15890 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15891 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15892 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15893 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15894 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15896 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15897 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15898 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15907 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15908 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15910 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15912 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15918 Not because of victories @*
15921 but for the common sunshine,@*
15923 the largess of the spring.
15927 but for the day's work done@*
15928 as well as I was able;@*
15929 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15930 but at the common table.@*
15935 @chapter Appendices
15938 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15939 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15940 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15941 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15942 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15943 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15944 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15952 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15953 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15955 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15956 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15957 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15958 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15959 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15961 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15962 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15963 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15964 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15965 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15966 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15968 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15969 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15970 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15971 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15973 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15974 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15975 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15977 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15978 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15980 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15981 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15983 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15984 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
15986 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15987 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15988 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15989 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15990 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15994 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15995 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15996 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15997 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15998 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15999 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
16000 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
16007 What's the point of Gnus?
16009 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
16010 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
16011 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
16012 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
16013 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
16014 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
16015 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
16016 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
16017 keep track of millions of people who post?
16019 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
16020 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
16021 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
16022 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
16023 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
16024 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
16025 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
16026 every one of you to explore and invent.
16028 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
16029 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
16032 @node Compatibility
16033 @subsection Compatibility
16035 @cindex compatibility
16036 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
16037 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
16038 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
16043 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
16047 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
16050 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
16053 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
16054 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
16055 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
16056 important variables have their values copied into their global
16057 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
16058 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
16060 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
16061 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
16062 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
16063 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
16064 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
16068 @cindex highlighting
16069 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16070 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16071 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16072 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16073 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16074 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16077 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16078 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16079 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16080 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16082 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16083 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16084 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16085 to stop doing it the old way.
16087 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16089 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16091 @cindex reporting bugs
16093 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16094 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16095 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16097 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16098 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16099 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16100 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16105 @subsection Conformity
16107 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16108 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16115 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16119 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16121 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16122 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16123 We do have some breaches to this one.
16128 Gnus does not yet fully handle MIME, and this standard-to-be seems to
16129 think that MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
16132 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
16133 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
16134 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
16135 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
16136 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16141 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16142 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16143 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16144 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16148 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16149 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16154 @subsection Emacsen
16160 Gnus should work on :
16168 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16172 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
16173 reliably, at least.
16175 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16176 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16177 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16182 @subsection Contributors
16183 @cindex contributors
16185 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16186 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16187 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16188 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16189 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16190 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16191 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16192 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16193 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16194 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16196 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16202 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16205 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16206 well as numerous other things).
16209 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16212 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16215 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16216 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16219 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16220 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16223 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16226 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16227 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16230 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16233 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16236 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16239 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16242 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16243 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16246 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16249 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16252 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16255 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16259 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16262 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16265 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16268 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16269 well as autoconf support.
16273 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16274 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16276 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16285 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16289 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16311 Massimo Campostrini,
16319 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
16325 Michael Welsh Duggan,
16328 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
16332 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
16339 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
16341 Michelangelo Grigni,
16344 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
16346 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
16348 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
16353 François Felix Ingrand,
16354 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
16356 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
16365 Peter Skov Knudsen,
16366 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
16367 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
16368 Thor Kristoffersen,
16371 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
16388 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
16389 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
16396 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
16400 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
16403 John McClary Prevost,
16409 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
16414 Christian von Roques,
16416 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16423 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16425 Randal L. Schwartz,
16455 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka.
16457 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16458 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16459 (550kB and counting).
16461 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16464 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16465 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16469 @subsection New Features
16470 @cindex new features
16473 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16474 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16475 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16476 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16479 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16480 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16481 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16485 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16487 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16492 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16493 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16496 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16497 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16500 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16503 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16504 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16505 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16508 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16509 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16510 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16511 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16514 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16515 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16518 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16519 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16520 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16523 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16524 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16527 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16528 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16529 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16532 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16533 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16534 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16537 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16538 the @file{.emacs} file.
16541 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16542 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16545 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16546 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16549 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16550 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16553 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16554 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16557 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16558 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16561 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16564 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16565 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16568 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16569 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16572 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16573 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16576 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16579 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16580 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16583 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16587 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16591 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16592 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16595 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16601 @node September Gnus
16602 @subsubsection September Gnus
16606 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16610 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16615 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16616 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16620 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16621 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16625 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16629 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16630 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16633 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16637 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16640 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16643 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16646 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16650 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16651 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16654 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16658 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16662 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16666 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16670 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16673 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16674 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16677 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16681 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16682 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16685 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16688 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16689 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16690 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16693 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16697 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16700 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16704 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16705 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16708 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16709 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16712 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16713 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16716 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16717 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16718 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16721 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16722 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16725 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16728 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16731 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16732 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16736 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16739 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16742 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16743 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16746 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16750 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16753 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16758 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16761 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16765 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16768 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16772 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16775 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16778 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16779 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16782 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16783 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16787 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16788 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16791 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16795 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16796 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16799 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16802 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16806 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16810 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16811 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16814 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16818 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16819 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16822 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16823 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16826 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16830 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16833 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16834 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16838 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16841 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16847 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16849 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16853 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16860 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16863 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16864 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16867 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16868 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16872 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16873 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16876 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16879 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16880 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16883 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16887 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16888 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16892 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16893 Server Internals}).
16896 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16900 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16903 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16904 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16907 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16908 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16909 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16912 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16913 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16916 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16917 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16920 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16924 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16925 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16928 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16929 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16932 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16936 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16939 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16943 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16944 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16947 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16948 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16951 A new command for reading collections of documents
16952 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16953 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16956 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16960 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16961 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16964 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16965 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16966 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16969 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16970 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16974 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16978 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16982 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16987 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16991 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16995 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16996 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16999 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
17002 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
17003 'gnus-article-emphasize)
17010 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
17012 New features in Gnus 5.6:
17017 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
17018 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
17019 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
17022 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
17023 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
17024 group, which is created automatically.
17027 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
17031 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
17034 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
17035 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
17038 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
17042 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
17045 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
17046 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
17049 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
17052 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
17053 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
17056 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
17057 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
17060 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
17061 control over simplification.
17064 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
17067 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17071 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17074 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17077 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17078 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17079 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17082 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17083 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17086 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17090 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17091 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17094 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17095 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17098 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17102 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17105 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17108 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17109 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17112 A new function for citing in Message has been
17113 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17116 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17119 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17123 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17124 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17127 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17128 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17131 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17134 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17139 @node Newest Features
17140 @subsection Newest Features
17143 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17146 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17148 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17149 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17152 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17157 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
17160 Really do unbinhexing.
17163 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17164 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17167 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17170 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17173 facep is not declared.
17176 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17177 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17180 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17185 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17186 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17187 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17188 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17189 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17190 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17191 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17196 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17199 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17202 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17204 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17205 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17207 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17209 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17211 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17212 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17214 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17216 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17217 be marked as unread.
17219 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17221 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17223 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17224 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17226 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17228 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17230 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17231 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17233 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17234 articles aren't displayed.
17236 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17238 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17239 make the mail groups killed.
17241 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17243 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17244 and articles have to be removed.
17246 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17249 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17251 finding short score file names takes forever.
17253 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17255 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17257 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17259 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17261 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17263 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17265 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17266 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17270 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17272 really unbinhex binhex files.
17274 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17275 bar and the Gnus bar.
17278 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17279 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17280 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17281 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17282 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17283 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17288 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17292 postponed commands.
17294 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17296 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17299 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17300 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17302 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
17303 inherit copy prompts and save files.
17305 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
17307 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
17308 for backends that support that.
17310 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
17312 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
17313 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
17315 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
17316 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
17318 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
17320 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
17322 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
17324 server mode command: close/open all connections
17326 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
17327 has been changed before using it.
17329 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
17331 hide (sub)threads with low score.
17333 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
17335 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
17337 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
17338 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
17340 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
17341 contain groups that match a regexp.
17343 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
17346 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
17349 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
17350 from subject lines.
17352 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
17354 nntp-ping-before-connect
17356 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
17358 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
17359 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
17361 message annotations.
17363 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
17365 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
17366 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
17368 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
17373 support qmail maildir spools
17375 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
17377 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
17379 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
17381 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
17382 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
17384 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
17386 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
17388 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
17389 finds and generate proper active ranges.
17391 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
17392 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
17394 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
17396 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
17398 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
17399 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
17401 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
17403 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
17405 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
17406 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
17409 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
17411 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
17413 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
17414 `C-c C-c' when posting.
17416 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17419 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17420 should be marker as expirable.
17422 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17424 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17425 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17427 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17428 Also consult Date headers.
17430 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17432 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17434 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17435 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17437 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17438 into a See-Also header.
17440 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17442 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17444 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17445 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17447 generate font names dynamically.
17449 score file mode auto-alist.
17451 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17452 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17454 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17455 absolutely all headers there is.
17457 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17458 and pipe them to the process.
17460 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17461 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17462 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17464 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17465 the current mail group.
17467 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17469 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17470 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17472 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17473 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17475 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17477 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17478 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17480 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17481 groups it has been mailed to.
17483 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17485 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17487 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17489 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17490 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17492 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17493 newlines) should be ignored.
17495 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17496 groups in subtopics as well.
17498 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17500 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17503 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17505 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17507 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17509 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17511 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17513 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17515 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17516 or the formatted article.
17518 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17520 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17521 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17523 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17525 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17527 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17529 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17530 even unread articles.
17532 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17534 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17536 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17538 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17540 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17542 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17545 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17546 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17548 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17549 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17551 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17553 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17555 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17556 from a particular server? Hm.
17558 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17559 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17561 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17563 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17564 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17566 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17567 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17569 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17570 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17571 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17574 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17575 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17577 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17579 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17581 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17583 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17586 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17589 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17590 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17592 command to show and edit group scores
17594 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17597 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17599 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17601 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17602 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17605 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17606 that are of that length.
17608 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17610 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17612 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17614 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17616 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17618 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17620 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17621 a score lower than this number.
17623 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17625 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17627 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17628 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17630 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17632 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17633 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17635 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17638 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17639 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17640 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17641 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17643 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17646 command to remove all topic stuff.
17648 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17649 and splitting the resulting digests.
17651 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17653 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17655 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17656 matches an alist -- before saving.
17658 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17660 variable to activate each group before entering them
17661 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17663 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17664 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17666 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17667 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17669 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17671 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17672 of several groups at once.
17674 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17675 matches some regexp(s).
17677 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17679 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17681 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17683 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17685 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17687 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17689 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17691 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17692 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17693 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17694 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17696 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17697 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17699 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17701 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17702 recently cited text.
17704 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17706 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17709 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17710 server and just read the articles in the server
17712 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17713 value of nnoo variables.
17715 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17717 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17718 listed in each group info.
17720 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17723 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17724 should only be applied to some groups.
17726 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17727 mail-copies-to: never.
17729 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17730 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17732 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
17734 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17737 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17740 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17742 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17745 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17749 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17751 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17752 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17753 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17754 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17755 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17757 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17758 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17765 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17766 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17768 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17769 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17771 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17772 "Return the date the group was last read."
17773 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17778 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17779 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17780 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17781 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17785 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17786 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17788 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17791 They could be used like this:
17795 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17796 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17797 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17799 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17801 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17804 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17807 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17808 affect the summary line format.
17812 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17814 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17815 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17817 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17820 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17822 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17824 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17826 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17828 - For other files, just find them normally.
17830 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17831 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17834 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17835 tell him what you are doing.
17838 Currently, I get prompted:
17842 decend into sci.something ?
17846 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17847 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17848 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17849 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17852 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17853 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17854 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17855 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17858 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17859 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17865 more than n blank lines
17867 more than m identical lines
17868 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17870 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17874 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17875 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17876 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17877 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17880 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17881 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17882 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17883 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17886 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17889 soup - bowl of soup
17890 score below - dim light bulb
17891 score over - bright light bulb
17894 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17899 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17900 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17901 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17902 if (articles-selected)
17903 start-reading-selected-articles;
17904 junk-unread-articles;
17909 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17910 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17911 select-thread-under-cursor;
17913 select-article-under-cursor;
17917 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17918 if (more-pages-in-article)
17920 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17927 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17928 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17929 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17932 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17933 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17934 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17935 the wildcard expression).
17938 It would be nice if it also handled
17940 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17942 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17947 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17948 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17949 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17950 article versions) variable.
17952 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17954 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17955 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17959 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17962 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17963 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17964 (message-sent-hook).
17966 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17969 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17973 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17974 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17977 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17978 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17979 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17982 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17983 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17987 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17990 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17994 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17995 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17998 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17999 value of the signature file.
18002 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
18003 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
18006 (setq message-tab-alist
18007 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
18008 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
18010 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
18014 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
18017 a command to import a buffer into a group.
18020 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
18023 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
18024 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
18027 a command to process mark all unread articles.
18030 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
18031 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
18032 do more gathering by subject.
18035 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
18036 article numerical order.
18039 (gnus-thread-total-score
18040 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
18044 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
18047 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
18048 in the summary buffer.
18051 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
18052 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
18055 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
18056 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
18057 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
18058 and/or newsgroup name.
18061 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
18064 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
18067 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18070 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18071 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18072 will automatically get the process mark.
18075 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18076 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18077 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18080 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18084 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18085 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18088 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18089 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18093 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18094 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18097 be able to post via DejaNews.
18100 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18103 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18104 allow them to be displayed separately.
18107 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18108 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18111 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18112 articles that match a certain From header.
18115 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18116 saving living summary buffers.
18119 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18120 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18123 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18124 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18127 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18128 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18131 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18132 (goto-char (point-min))
18133 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18134 (replace-match "`" t t))
18135 (goto-char (point-min))
18136 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18137 (replace-match "'" t t))
18138 (goto-char (point-min))
18139 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18140 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18141 (goto-char (point-min))
18142 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18143 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18148 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18150 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18151 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18152 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18153 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18157 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18160 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18161 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18165 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18166 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18167 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18169 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18170 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18172 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18173 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18178 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18179 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18182 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18183 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
18185 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18187 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18188 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18191 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18192 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18195 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18199 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18200 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18203 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18206 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18209 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18212 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18216 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18222 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18225 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18229 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18230 X characters in the body.
18233 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18236 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18239 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18242 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18245 command to display all dormant articles.
18248 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18251 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18252 to something someone else has said.
18255 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18256 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18259 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18260 the displayed version.
18263 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18267 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18270 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18271 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18272 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18276 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18277 in the head or body.
18280 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18283 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18286 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18287 in a special, unique buffer.
18290 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18293 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18294 is less than a certain number of days old.
18297 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18300 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18303 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18304 file, for instance.
18307 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
18308 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
18309 dummy root instead of the first article.
18312 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
18313 topics for displaying.
18316 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
18317 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
18320 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
18323 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
18324 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
18325 summary buffer for each article.
18328 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
18331 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
18335 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
18338 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
18342 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
18345 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
18348 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
18349 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
18352 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
18355 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
18356 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
18359 The documentation should mention pop3.el, fetchmail, smtpmail and why
18360 po:username often fails.
18363 Fetch by Message-ID from dejanews.
18365 <URL:http://search.dejanews.com/msgid.xp?MID=%3C62h9l9$hm4@@basement.replay.com%3E&fmt=raw>
18368 Solve the halting problem.
18377 @section The Manual
18381 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
18382 either @code{texi2dvi}
18384 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
18385 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
18387 to get what you hold in your hands now.
18389 The following conventions have been used:
18394 This is a @samp{string}
18397 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
18400 This is a @file{file}
18403 This is a @code{symbol}
18407 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
18411 (setq flargnoze "yes")
18414 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
18417 (setq flumphel 'yes)
18420 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
18421 ever get them confused.
18425 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
18426 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
18427 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
18428 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
18429 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
18430 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
18431 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
18439 @section Terminology
18441 @cindex terminology
18446 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18447 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18448 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18449 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18450 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18454 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18455 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18456 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18457 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18461 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18465 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18470 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18471 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18472 is all done by the backends.
18476 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18477 default, way of getting news.
18481 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18482 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18487 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18488 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18492 A message that has been posted as news.
18495 @cindex mail message
18496 A message that has been mailed.
18500 A mail message or news article
18504 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18509 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18514 A line from the head of an article.
18518 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18519 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18523 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18524 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18525 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18526 normal @sc{head} format.
18530 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18531 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18532 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18533 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18534 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18535 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18537 @item killed groups
18538 @cindex killed groups
18539 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18540 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18542 @item zombie groups
18543 @cindex zombie groups
18544 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18547 @cindex active file
18548 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18549 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18550 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18553 @cindex bogus groups
18554 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18555 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18556 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18559 @cindex activating groups
18560 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18561 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18562 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18566 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18568 @item select method
18569 @cindex select method
18570 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18573 @item virtual server
18574 @cindex virtual server
18575 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18576 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18577 whole is a virtual server.
18581 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18582 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18585 @item ephemeral groups
18586 @cindex ephemeral groups
18587 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18588 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18589 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18592 @cindex solid groups
18593 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18594 group buffer are solid groups.
18596 @item sparse articles
18597 @cindex sparse articles
18598 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18599 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18603 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18604 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18608 @cindex thread root
18609 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18610 articles in the thread.
18614 An article that has responses.
18618 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18622 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18623 specified by RFC1153.
18629 @node Customization
18630 @section Customization
18631 @cindex general customization
18633 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18634 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18635 for some quite common situations.
18638 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18639 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18640 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18641 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18645 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18646 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18648 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18649 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18650 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18654 @item gnus-read-active-file
18655 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18656 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18657 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18658 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18659 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18661 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18662 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18663 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18664 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18668 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18669 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18671 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18672 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18673 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18677 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18678 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18679 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18680 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18681 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18683 @item gnus-visible-headers
18684 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18685 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18686 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18687 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18689 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18690 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18692 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18693 '(gnus-article-hide-headers
18694 gnus-article-hide-signature
18695 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18698 @item gnus-use-full-window
18699 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18700 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18701 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18702 want to read them anyway.
18704 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18705 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18708 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18709 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18710 lines, which might save some time.
18714 @node Little Disk Space
18715 @subsection Little Disk Space
18718 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18719 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18723 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18724 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18725 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18726 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18729 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18730 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18731 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18732 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18733 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18739 @subsection Slow Machine
18740 @cindex slow machine
18742 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18743 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18745 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18746 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18748 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18749 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18750 summary buffer faster.
18752 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18753 processing a bit faster.
18757 @node Troubleshooting
18758 @section Troubleshooting
18759 @cindex troubleshooting
18761 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18769 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18772 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18773 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18777 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18778 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18779 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18780 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18783 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18787 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18788 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18789 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18790 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18791 something like that.
18794 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18797 @cindex reporting bugs
18799 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18801 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18802 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18803 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18804 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18806 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18807 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18808 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18809 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18812 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18813 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18814 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18815 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18816 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18817 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18819 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18820 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18821 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18824 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18825 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18827 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18828 @cindex ding mailing list
18829 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18830 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18834 @node Gnus Reference Guide
18835 @section Gnus Reference Guide
18837 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18838 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18839 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18840 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18843 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18844 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18845 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18846 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18847 and general methods of operation.
18850 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18851 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18852 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18853 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18854 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18855 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18856 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18857 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18858 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18862 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18863 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18864 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18865 @cindex utility functions
18867 @cindex internal variables
18869 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18870 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18871 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18875 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18876 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18877 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18879 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18880 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18881 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18883 @item gnus-group-real-name
18884 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18885 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18888 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18889 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18890 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18891 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18893 @item gnus-get-info
18894 @findex gnus-get-info
18895 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18897 @item gnus-group-unread
18898 @findex gnus-group-unread
18899 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18903 @findex gnus-active
18904 The active entry for @var{group}.
18906 @item gnus-set-active
18907 @findex gnus-set-active
18908 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18910 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18911 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18912 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18915 @item gnus-continuum-version
18916 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18917 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18918 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18921 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18922 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18923 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18925 @item gnus-news-group-p
18926 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18927 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18929 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18930 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18931 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18933 @item gnus-server-to-method
18934 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18935 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18937 @item gnus-server-equal
18938 @findex gnus-server-equal
18939 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18941 @item gnus-group-native-p
18942 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18943 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18945 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18946 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18947 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18949 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18950 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18951 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18953 @item group-group-find-parameter
18954 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18955 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18956 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18958 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18959 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18960 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18962 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18963 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18964 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18966 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18967 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18968 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18969 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18972 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18976 @item gnus-read-method
18977 @findex gnus-read-method
18978 Prompts the user for a select method.
18983 @node Backend Interface
18984 @subsection Backend Interface
18986 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18987 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18988 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18989 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18990 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18991 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18993 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18994 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18995 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18996 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18997 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18998 been opened, the function should fail.
19000 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
19001 name. Take this example:
19005 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
19006 (nntp-port-number 4324))
19009 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
19010 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
19012 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
19013 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
19014 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
19016 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
19017 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
19018 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
19020 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
19021 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
19022 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
19023 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
19024 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
19025 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
19028 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
19029 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
19030 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
19031 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
19034 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
19037 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
19040 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
19041 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
19042 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
19043 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
19044 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
19045 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
19049 @node Required Backend Functions
19050 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
19054 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
19056 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
19057 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
19058 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
19059 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
19061 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
19062 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
19063 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
19064 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
19066 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
19067 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
19068 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
19069 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
19070 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
19071 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
19072 number, do maximum fetches.
19074 Here's an example HEAD:
19077 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19078 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19079 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19080 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19081 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19082 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19083 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19085 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19086 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19087 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19091 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19092 these in the data buffer.
19094 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19098 head = error / valid-head
19099 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19100 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19101 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19102 header = <text> eol
19105 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19106 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19110 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19111 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19112 field = <text except TAB>
19115 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19119 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19121 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19122 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19124 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19125 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19126 server. In fact, it should do so.
19128 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19129 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19132 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19134 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19135 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19138 There should be no data returned.
19141 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19143 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19144 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19145 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19146 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19148 There should be no data returned.
19151 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19153 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19154 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19155 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19156 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19158 There should be no data returned.
19161 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19163 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19165 There should be no data returned.
19168 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19170 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19171 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19172 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19173 it would be nice if that were possible.
19175 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19176 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19177 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19178 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19179 into its article buffer.
19181 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19182 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19183 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19184 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19185 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19186 on successful article retrieval.
19189 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19191 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19192 making @var{group} the current group.
19194 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19197 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19200 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19203 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19204 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19205 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19206 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19207 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19208 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19209 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19210 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19213 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19214 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19215 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19219 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19221 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19222 a no-op on most backends.
19224 There should be no data returned.
19227 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19229 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19232 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19235 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19236 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19239 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19240 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19243 active-file = *active-line
19244 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19246 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19249 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19250 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19251 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19254 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19256 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
19257 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
19258 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
19259 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
19260 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
19261 clear if the posting could not be completed.
19263 There should be no result data from this function.
19268 @node Optional Backend Functions
19269 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
19273 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
19275 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
19276 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
19277 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
19279 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
19280 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
19281 former is in the same format as the data from
19282 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
19283 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
19286 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
19290 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
19292 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
19293 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
19294 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
19295 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
19296 should return the (altered) group info.
19298 There should be no result data from this function.
19301 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
19303 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
19304 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
19305 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
19306 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
19307 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
19308 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
19309 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
19310 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
19312 There should be no result data from this function.
19315 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
19317 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
19318 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
19319 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
19320 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
19321 the mark information to the server.
19323 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
19326 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
19329 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
19330 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
19331 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
19332 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
19333 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
19334 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
19335 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
19336 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
19337 not limit itself to theese.
19339 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
19340 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
19341 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
19342 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
19344 An example action list:
19347 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
19348 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
19349 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
19352 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
19353 mark on (currently not used for anything).
19355 There should be no result data from this function.
19357 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
19359 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
19360 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
19361 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
19362 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
19363 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
19365 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
19366 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
19367 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
19370 There should be no result data from this function.
19373 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
19375 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
19376 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
19377 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
19378 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
19379 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
19380 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
19381 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
19383 There should be no result data from this function.
19386 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
19388 The result data from this function should be a description of
19392 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
19394 description = <text>
19397 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
19399 The result data from this function should be the description of all
19400 groups available on the server.
19403 description-buffer = *description-line
19407 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
19409 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
19410 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
19411 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
19414 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19416 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
19418 There should be no return data.
19421 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
19423 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
19424 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
19425 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
19426 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
19427 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
19430 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
19433 There should be no result data returned.
19436 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
19439 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
19440 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
19442 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
19443 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
19444 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
19445 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
19446 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
19447 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
19449 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
19450 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
19453 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19454 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19456 There should be no data returned.
19459 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
19461 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
19462 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
19463 this function in short order.
19465 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19466 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19468 There should be no data returned.
19471 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
19473 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
19474 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
19476 There should be no data returned.
19479 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
19481 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
19482 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
19483 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19485 There should be no data returned.
19488 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19490 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19491 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19493 There should be no data returned.
19498 @node Error Messaging
19499 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19501 @findex nnheader-report
19502 @findex nnheader-get-report
19503 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19504 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19505 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19506 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19507 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19508 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19511 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19513 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19516 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19517 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19518 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19519 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19521 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19522 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19523 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19526 @node Writing New Backends
19527 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19529 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19530 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19531 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19532 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19533 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19536 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19537 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19538 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19540 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19541 package called @code{nnoo}.
19543 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19544 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19550 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19551 parameters. For instance:
19554 (nnoo-declare nndir
19558 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19559 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19562 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19563 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19564 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19566 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19567 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19568 a function in those backends.
19571 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19572 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19573 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19576 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19577 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19578 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19580 @item nnoo-define-basics
19581 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19585 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19589 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19590 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19591 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19593 @item nnoo-map-functions
19594 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19595 functions from the parent backends.
19598 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19599 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19600 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19603 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19604 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19605 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19606 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19609 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19610 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19611 haven't already been defined.
19617 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19621 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19622 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19623 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19628 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19631 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19632 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19636 (require 'nnheader)
19640 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19642 (nnoo-declare nndir
19645 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19646 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19647 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19649 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19650 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19653 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19654 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19655 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19657 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19658 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19660 ;;; Interface functions.
19662 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19664 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19665 (setq nndir-directory
19666 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19668 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19669 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19670 (push `(nndir-current-group
19671 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19673 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19674 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19676 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19678 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19679 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19680 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19681 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19682 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19686 nnmh-status-message
19688 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19694 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19695 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19697 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19698 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19699 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19700 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19702 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19703 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19708 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19711 The abilities can be:
19715 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19717 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19719 This backend supports both mail and news.
19721 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19724 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19725 articles and groups.
19727 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19728 true for almost all backends.
19729 @item prompt-address
19730 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19731 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19732 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19736 @node Mail-like Backends
19737 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19739 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19740 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19741 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19742 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19745 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19746 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19747 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19750 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19751 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19754 This function takes four parameters.
19758 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19761 @item exit-function
19762 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19764 @item temp-directory
19765 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19768 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19769 performed for one group only.
19772 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19773 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19774 find the article number assigned to this article.
19776 The function also uses the following variables:
19777 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19778 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19779 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19780 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19784 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19785 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19789 @node Score File Syntax
19790 @subsection Score File Syntax
19792 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19793 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19794 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19796 Here's a typical score file:
19800 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19807 BNF definition of a score file:
19810 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19811 element = rule / atom
19812 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19813 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19814 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19815 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19817 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19818 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19819 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19820 date-header = "date"
19821 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19822 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19823 score = "nil" / <integer>
19824 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19825 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19826 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19827 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19828 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19829 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19830 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19831 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19832 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19833 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19834 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19835 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19836 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19837 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19838 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19839 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19840 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19841 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19842 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19843 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19844 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19845 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19846 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19847 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19848 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19849 eval = "eval" space <form>
19850 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19853 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19856 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19857 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19858 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19859 one looong line, then that's ok.
19861 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19862 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19866 @subsection Headers
19868 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19869 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19870 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19871 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19873 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19874 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19875 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19876 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19877 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19878 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19879 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19881 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19882 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19883 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
19884 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19885 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19887 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
19888 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
19894 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19895 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19897 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19898 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19899 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19900 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19902 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19906 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19909 is transformed into
19912 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19915 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19916 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19919 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19922 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19923 is slightly tricky:
19926 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19932 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19935 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19941 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19948 and is equal to the previous range.
19950 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19951 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19952 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19956 range = simple-range / normal-range
19957 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19958 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19959 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19960 number *[ " " contents ]
19963 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19964 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19965 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19966 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19967 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19972 @subsection Group Info
19974 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19975 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19976 describes the group.
19978 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19979 second is a more complex one:
19982 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
19984 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19985 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19987 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19990 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19991 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19992 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19993 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19994 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19995 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19996 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19997 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19998 this section is about.
20000 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
20001 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
20002 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
20004 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
20007 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
20008 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
20009 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20010 group = quote <string> quote
20011 ralevel = rank / level
20012 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20013 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
20014 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20016 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
20017 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
20018 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
20019 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
20022 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
20023 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
20026 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
20027 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
20030 @item gnus-info-group
20031 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
20032 @findex gnus-info-group
20033 @findex gnus-info-set-group
20034 Get/set the group name.
20036 @item gnus-info-rank
20037 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
20038 @findex gnus-info-rank
20039 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
20040 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
20042 @item gnus-info-level
20043 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
20044 @findex gnus-info-level
20045 @findex gnus-info-set-level
20046 Get/set the group level.
20048 @item gnus-info-score
20049 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
20050 @findex gnus-info-score
20051 @findex gnus-info-set-score
20052 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
20054 @item gnus-info-read
20055 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
20056 @findex gnus-info-read
20057 @findex gnus-info-set-read
20058 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
20060 @item gnus-info-marks
20061 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
20062 @findex gnus-info-marks
20063 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
20064 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
20066 @item gnus-info-method
20067 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
20068 @findex gnus-info-method
20069 @findex gnus-info-set-method
20070 Get/set the group select method.
20072 @item gnus-info-params
20073 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
20074 @findex gnus-info-params
20075 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20076 Get/set the group parameters.
20079 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20080 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20082 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20083 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20084 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20085 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20088 @node Extended Interactive
20089 @subsection Extended Interactive
20090 @cindex interactive
20091 @findex gnus-interactive
20093 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20094 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20095 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20098 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20099 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20104 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20105 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20106 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20107 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20108 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20109 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20110 @code{interactive}.
20112 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20117 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20118 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20122 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20123 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20124 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20127 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20131 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20135 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20141 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20142 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20146 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20147 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20148 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20150 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20151 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20152 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20153 Gnus, that's very useful.
20155 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20156 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20157 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20158 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20159 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20160 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20161 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20162 following function:
20165 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20169 (,function ,@@args))
20173 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20174 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20175 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20178 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20179 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20180 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20182 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20183 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20184 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20187 @node Various File Formats
20188 @subsection Various File Formats
20191 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20192 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20196 @node Active File Format
20197 @subsubsection Active File Format
20199 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20200 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20203 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20206 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20207 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20208 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20209 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20210 no.general 1000 900 y
20213 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20216 active = *group-line
20217 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20218 group = <non-white-space string>
20220 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20221 low-number = <positive integer>
20222 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20225 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20226 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20229 @node Newsgroups File Format
20230 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20232 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20233 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20234 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20237 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20238 Here's the definition:
20242 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20243 group = <non-white-space string>
20245 description = <string>
20250 @node Emacs for Heathens
20251 @section Emacs for Heathens
20253 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20254 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20255 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20256 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
20257 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
20258 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
20259 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
20263 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
20264 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
20269 @subsection Keystrokes
20273 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
20276 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
20279 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
20280 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
20281 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
20282 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
20283 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
20284 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
20286 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
20287 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
20288 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
20289 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
20290 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
20291 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
20292 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
20294 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
20295 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
20296 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
20297 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
20298 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
20299 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
20300 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
20302 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
20303 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
20304 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
20305 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
20306 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
20312 @subsection Emacs Lisp
20314 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
20315 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
20316 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
20317 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
20319 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
20320 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
20321 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
20322 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
20323 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
20324 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
20325 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
20328 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
20329 write the following:
20332 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
20335 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
20336 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
20337 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
20340 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
20341 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
20342 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
20343 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
20344 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
20346 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
20347 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
20348 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
20352 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
20356 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
20359 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
20360 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
20363 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
20366 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
20367 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
20370 @include gnus-faq.texi