4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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281 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
343 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
386 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
387 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
388 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
389 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
390 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
392 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
403 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
404 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
406 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
407 being accused of plagiarism:
409 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
410 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
411 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
412 can even read news with it!
414 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
415 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
416 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
417 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
418 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
424 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
425 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
426 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
427 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
428 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
429 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
430 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
431 * Various:: General purpose settings.
432 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
433 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
434 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
435 * Key Index:: Key Index.
438 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
442 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
443 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
444 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
445 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
446 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
447 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
448 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
449 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
450 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
451 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
452 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
456 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
457 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
458 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
462 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
463 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
464 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
465 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
466 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
467 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
468 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
469 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
470 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
471 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
472 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
473 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
474 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
475 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
476 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
477 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
478 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
482 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
483 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
484 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
488 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
489 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
490 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
491 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
492 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
496 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
497 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
498 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
499 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
500 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
504 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
505 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
506 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
507 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
508 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
511 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
512 * Threading:: How threads are made.
513 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
514 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
515 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
516 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
517 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
518 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
519 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
520 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
521 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
522 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
523 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
524 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
525 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
526 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
527 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
528 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
529 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
530 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
531 or reselecting the current group.
532 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
533 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
534 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
535 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
537 Summary Buffer Format
539 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
540 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
541 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
542 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
546 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
547 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
549 Reply, Followup and Post
551 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
552 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
553 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
554 * Canceling and Superseding::
558 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
559 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
560 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
562 * Generic Marking Commands::
563 * Setting Process Marks::
567 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
568 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
569 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
573 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
574 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
576 Customizing Threading
578 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
579 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
580 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
581 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
585 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
586 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
587 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
588 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
589 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
590 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
594 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
595 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
596 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
600 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
601 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
602 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
603 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
604 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
605 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
606 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
607 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
608 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
609 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
611 Alternative Approaches
613 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
614 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
616 Various Summary Stuff
618 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
619 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
620 * Summary Generation Commands::
621 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
625 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
626 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
627 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
628 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
629 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
633 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
634 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
635 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
636 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
637 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
638 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
639 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
640 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
644 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
645 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
646 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
647 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
648 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
649 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
650 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
651 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
655 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
656 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
657 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
658 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
659 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
660 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
661 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
665 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
666 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
670 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
671 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
672 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
676 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
677 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
678 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
679 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
680 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
681 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
682 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
683 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
684 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
685 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
686 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
687 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
688 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
692 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
693 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
694 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
696 Choosing a Mail Back End
698 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
699 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
700 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
701 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
702 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
703 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
708 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
709 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
710 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
711 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
712 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
713 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
717 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
718 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
719 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
723 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
724 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
725 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
726 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
727 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
731 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
735 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
736 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
737 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
741 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
742 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
751 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
752 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
753 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
754 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
755 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
759 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
760 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
761 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
765 * Group Agent Commands::
766 * Summary Agent Commands::
767 * Server Agent Commands::
771 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
772 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
773 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
774 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
775 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
776 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
777 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
778 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
779 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
780 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
781 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
782 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
783 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
784 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
785 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
786 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
787 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
791 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
792 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
793 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
794 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
798 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
799 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
800 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
804 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
805 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
806 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
807 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
808 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
809 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
810 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
811 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
812 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
813 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
814 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
815 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
816 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
817 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
818 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
819 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
820 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
821 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
822 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
826 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
827 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
828 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
829 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
830 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
831 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
832 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
833 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
837 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
839 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
840 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
846 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
847 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
848 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
849 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
853 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
854 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
855 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
859 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
860 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
861 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
862 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
863 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
864 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
865 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
866 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
867 * Frequently Asked Questions::
871 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
872 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
873 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
874 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
875 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
876 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
877 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
878 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
879 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
883 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
884 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
885 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
886 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
887 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
891 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
892 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
893 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
894 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
898 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
899 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
900 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
901 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
902 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
903 * Group Info:: The group info format.
904 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
905 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
906 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
910 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
911 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
912 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
913 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
914 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
915 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
919 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
920 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
924 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
925 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
931 @chapter Starting gnus
936 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
937 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
940 @findex gnus-other-frame
941 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
942 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
943 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
945 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
946 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
947 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
949 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
950 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
953 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
954 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
955 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
956 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
957 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
958 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
959 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
960 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
961 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
962 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
963 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
967 @node Finding the News
968 @section Finding the News
971 @vindex gnus-select-method
973 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
974 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
975 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
976 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
979 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
980 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
986 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
989 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
992 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
993 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
994 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
996 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
998 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
999 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1000 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1001 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1002 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1003 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1007 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1008 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1011 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1012 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1013 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1014 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1015 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1016 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1017 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1018 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1021 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1023 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1024 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1025 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1026 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1027 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1028 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1032 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1033 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1034 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1035 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1036 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1037 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1040 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1041 you would typically set this variable to
1044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1048 @node The First Time
1049 @section The First Time
1050 @cindex first time usage
1052 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1053 be subscribed by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1056 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1057 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1058 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1061 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1062 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1063 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1065 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1066 help you with most common problems.
1068 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1069 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1073 @node The Server is Down
1074 @section The Server is Down
1075 @cindex server errors
1077 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1078 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1079 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1081 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1082 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1083 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1084 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1085 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1086 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1087 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1089 @findex gnus-no-server
1090 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1092 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1093 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1094 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1095 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1096 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1097 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1098 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1102 @section Slave Gnusae
1105 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1106 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1107 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1108 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1110 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1111 @code{.newsrc} file.
1113 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1114 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1115 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1116 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1117 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1118 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1119 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1121 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1122 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1123 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1124 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1125 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1126 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1127 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1128 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1130 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1131 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1133 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1134 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1135 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1136 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1137 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1139 @node Fetching a Group
1140 @section Fetching a Group
1141 @cindex fetching a group
1143 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1144 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1145 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1146 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1147 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1148 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1154 @cindex subscription
1156 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1157 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1158 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1159 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1160 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1161 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1162 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1163 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1164 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1167 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1168 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1169 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1173 @node Checking New Groups
1174 @subsection Checking New Groups
1176 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1177 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1178 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1179 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1180 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1181 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1182 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1183 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1184 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1185 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1187 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1188 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1189 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1190 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1191 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1192 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1193 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1194 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1195 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1196 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1197 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1199 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1200 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1201 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1202 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1203 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1204 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1207 @node Subscription Methods
1208 @subsection Subscription Methods
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1211 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1212 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1214 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1215 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1217 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1223 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1224 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1225 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1229 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1230 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1234 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1238 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1239 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1240 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1241 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1242 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1243 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1244 up. Or something like that.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1248 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1249 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1250 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1254 Kill all new groups.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1258 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1259 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1260 topic parameter that looks like
1266 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1269 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1275 A closely related variable is
1276 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1277 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1278 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1279 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1282 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1283 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1284 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1285 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1288 @node Filtering New Groups
1289 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1291 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1292 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1293 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1296 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1300 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1301 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1302 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1303 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1304 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1305 subscribing these groups.
1306 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1307 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1309 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1310 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1311 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1312 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1313 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1314 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1315 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1316 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1318 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1319 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1320 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1321 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1322 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1323 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1324 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1325 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1326 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1327 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1330 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1331 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1334 @node Changing Servers
1335 @section Changing Servers
1336 @cindex changing servers
1338 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1339 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1340 very flaky and you want to use another.
1342 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1343 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1347 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1348 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1349 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1350 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1353 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1354 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1355 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1356 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1358 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1359 @findex gnus-change-server
1360 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1361 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1362 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1364 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1367 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1368 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1369 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1370 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1372 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1373 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1374 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1375 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1377 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1380 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1381 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1382 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1384 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1385 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1386 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1387 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1388 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1389 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1390 cache for all groups).
1394 @section Startup Files
1395 @cindex startup files
1400 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1401 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1403 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1404 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1405 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1406 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1407 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1408 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1409 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1411 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1412 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1413 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1414 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1415 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1416 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1418 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1419 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1420 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1421 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1422 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1423 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1424 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1425 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1426 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1427 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1429 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1430 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1431 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1432 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1433 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1434 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1435 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1436 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1437 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1438 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1439 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1440 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1442 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1443 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1444 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1445 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1447 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1448 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1449 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1450 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1451 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1452 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1453 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1454 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1455 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1456 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1459 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1460 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1462 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1463 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1466 @vindex gnus-init-file
1467 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1468 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1469 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1470 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1471 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1472 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1473 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1474 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1475 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1481 @cindex dribble file
1484 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1485 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1486 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1487 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1488 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1491 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1492 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1495 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1496 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1497 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1499 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1500 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1501 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1502 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1503 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1504 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1506 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1507 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1508 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1511 @node The Active File
1512 @section The Active File
1514 @cindex ignored groups
1516 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1517 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1518 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1520 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1521 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1522 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1523 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1524 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1525 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1526 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1529 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1530 @c if you set it to anything else.
1532 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1534 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1535 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1536 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1538 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1539 you actually subscribe to.
1541 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1542 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1543 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1544 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1546 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1547 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1548 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1549 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1550 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1551 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1553 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1554 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1555 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1558 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1559 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1560 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1561 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1562 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1563 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1565 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1566 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1568 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1569 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1571 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1572 secondary select methods.
1575 @node Startup Variables
1576 @section Startup Variables
1580 @item gnus-load-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1582 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1583 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1584 times you start gnus.
1586 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1588 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1590 @item gnus-startup-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1592 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1594 @item gnus-started-hook
1595 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1596 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1599 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1600 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1601 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1602 generating the group buffer.
1604 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1605 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1606 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1607 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1608 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1609 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1610 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1611 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1613 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1614 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1615 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1616 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1617 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1618 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1620 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1621 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1622 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1624 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1625 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1626 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1628 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1629 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1630 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1631 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1637 @chapter Group Buffer
1638 @cindex group buffer
1640 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1642 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1643 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1644 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1645 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1646 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1647 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1648 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1649 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1650 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1651 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1652 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1653 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1654 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1655 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1656 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1657 @c human rights at 9...
1660 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1661 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1662 long as gnus is active.
1666 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1667 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1668 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1669 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1670 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1671 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1672 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1673 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1679 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1680 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1681 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1682 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1683 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1684 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1685 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1686 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1687 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1688 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1689 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1690 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1691 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1692 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1693 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1694 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1695 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1699 @node Group Buffer Format
1700 @section Group Buffer Format
1703 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1704 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1705 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1709 @node Group Line Specification
1710 @subsection Group Line Specification
1711 @cindex group buffer format
1713 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1714 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1716 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1719 25: news.announce.newusers
1720 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1725 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1726 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1727 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1728 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1730 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1731 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1732 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1733 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1734 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1735 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1737 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1739 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1740 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1741 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1742 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1743 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1745 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1746 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1747 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1749 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1754 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1757 Whether the group is subscribed.
1760 Level of subscribedness.
1763 Number of unread articles.
1766 Number of dormant articles.
1769 Number of ticked articles.
1772 Number of read articles.
1775 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1776 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1778 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1779 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1780 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1781 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1782 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1783 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1784 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1785 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1788 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1791 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1800 Newsgroup description.
1803 @samp{m} if moderated.
1806 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1815 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1819 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1822 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1823 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1824 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1825 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1826 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1829 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1831 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1835 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1838 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1842 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1843 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1844 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1845 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1846 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1847 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1852 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1853 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1854 group, or a bogus native group.
1857 @node Group Modeline Specification
1858 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1859 @cindex group modeline
1861 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1862 The mode line can be changed by setting
1863 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1864 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1868 The native news server.
1870 The native select method.
1874 @node Group Highlighting
1875 @subsection Group Highlighting
1876 @cindex highlighting
1877 @cindex group highlighting
1879 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1880 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1881 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1882 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1883 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1885 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1889 (cond (window-system
1890 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1891 (defface my-group-face-1
1892 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1893 (defface my-group-face-2
1894 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1895 (defface my-group-face-3
1896 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1897 (defface my-group-face-4
1898 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1899 (defface my-group-face-5
1900 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1902 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1903 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1904 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1905 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1906 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1907 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1910 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1912 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1919 The number of unread articles in the group.
1923 Whether the group is a mail group.
1925 The level of the group.
1927 The score of the group.
1929 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1931 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1932 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1934 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1935 topic being inserted.
1938 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1939 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1940 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1942 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1943 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1944 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1945 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1946 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1949 @node Group Maneuvering
1950 @section Group Maneuvering
1951 @cindex group movement
1953 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1954 expected, hopefully.
1960 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1961 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1962 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1968 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1969 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1970 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1974 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1975 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1980 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1984 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1985 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1986 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1990 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1991 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1992 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1995 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2001 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2002 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2003 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2008 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2009 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2010 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2014 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2015 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2016 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2019 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2020 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2021 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2022 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2026 @node Selecting a Group
2027 @section Selecting a Group
2028 @cindex group selection
2033 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2034 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2035 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2036 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2037 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2038 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2039 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2040 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2041 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2042 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2044 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2045 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2046 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2048 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2049 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2054 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2055 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2056 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2057 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2058 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2062 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2063 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2064 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2065 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2066 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2067 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2068 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2069 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2070 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2071 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2074 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2075 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2076 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2077 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2078 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2081 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2082 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2083 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2084 doing any processing of its contents
2085 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2086 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2087 manner will have no permanent effects.
2091 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2092 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2093 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2094 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2095 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2096 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2097 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2098 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2101 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2102 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2103 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2104 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2105 Which article this is is controlled by the
2106 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2112 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2115 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2118 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2120 @item unseen-or-unread
2121 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2122 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2126 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2130 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2131 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2133 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2134 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2135 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2136 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2140 @node Subscription Commands
2141 @section Subscription Commands
2142 @cindex subscription
2150 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2151 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2152 Toggle subscription to the current group
2153 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2159 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2160 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2161 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2162 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2168 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2169 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2170 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2176 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2177 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2180 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2181 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2182 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2183 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2184 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2190 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2191 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2195 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2196 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2199 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2200 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2201 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2202 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2203 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2204 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2205 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2206 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2207 @file{.newsrc} file.
2211 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2221 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2222 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2223 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2224 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2225 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2226 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2231 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2232 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2233 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2237 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2238 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2239 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2241 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2242 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2243 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2244 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2245 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2246 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2253 @section Group Levels
2257 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2258 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2259 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2260 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2261 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2263 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2269 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2270 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2271 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2272 prompted for a level.
2275 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2276 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2277 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2278 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2279 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2280 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2281 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2282 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2283 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2284 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2285 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2286 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2287 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2288 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2289 reasons of efficiency.
2291 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2292 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2294 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2295 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2296 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2297 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2298 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2299 groups are hidden, in a way.
2301 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2302 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2303 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2304 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2305 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2306 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2308 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2309 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2310 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2311 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2312 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2313 list of killed groups.)
2315 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2316 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2317 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2319 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2320 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2321 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2322 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2323 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2324 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2325 relevant valid ranges.
2327 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2328 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2329 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2330 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2331 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2332 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2335 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2336 one with the best level.
2338 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2339 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2340 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2343 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2344 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2345 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2346 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2349 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2350 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2351 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2352 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2354 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2355 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2356 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2357 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2358 to 5. The default is 6.
2362 @section Group Score
2367 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2368 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2369 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2372 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2373 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2374 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2375 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2376 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2377 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2378 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2379 least significant part.))
2381 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2382 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2383 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2384 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2385 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2386 action after each summary exit, you can add
2387 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2388 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2389 slow things down somewhat.
2392 @node Marking Groups
2393 @section Marking Groups
2394 @cindex marking groups
2396 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2397 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2398 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2399 bidding on those groups.
2401 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2402 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2403 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2411 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2412 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2419 Remove the mark from the current group
2420 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2424 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2425 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2429 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2430 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2434 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2435 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2439 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2440 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2441 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2444 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2446 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2447 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2448 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2449 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2450 the command to be executed.
2453 @node Foreign Groups
2454 @section Foreign Groups
2455 @cindex foreign groups
2457 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2458 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2459 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2460 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2467 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2468 @cindex making groups
2469 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2470 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2471 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2475 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2476 @cindex renaming groups
2477 Rename the current group to something else
2478 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2479 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2485 @findex gnus-group-customize
2486 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2491 @cindex renaming groups
2492 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2493 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2498 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2499 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2504 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2505 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2509 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2511 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2512 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2517 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2518 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2522 @cindex (ding) archive
2523 @cindex archive group
2524 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2525 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2526 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2527 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2528 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2529 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2530 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2534 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2536 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2537 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2538 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2539 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2543 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2545 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2546 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2547 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2551 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2552 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2554 Make a group based on some file or other
2555 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2556 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2557 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2558 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2559 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2560 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2561 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2562 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2563 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2567 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2568 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2569 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2570 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2574 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2578 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2579 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2580 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2581 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2582 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2583 @xref{Web Searches}.
2585 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2586 to a particular group by using a match string like
2587 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2590 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2591 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2592 This function will delete the current group
2593 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2594 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2595 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2596 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2597 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2601 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2602 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2603 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2607 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2608 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2609 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2612 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2615 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2616 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2617 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2618 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2619 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2620 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2624 @node Group Parameters
2625 @section Group Parameters
2626 @cindex group parameters
2628 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2629 Here's an example group parameter list:
2632 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2636 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2637 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2638 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2639 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2641 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2642 is an alist of regexps and values.
2644 The following group parameters can be used:
2649 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2652 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2655 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2656 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2657 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2658 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2659 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2661 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2662 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2663 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2664 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2665 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2666 list address instead.
2668 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2672 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2675 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2678 It is totally ignored
2679 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2680 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2682 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2683 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2684 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2685 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2686 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2688 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2689 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2690 sending the message.
2692 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2693 @cindex Mail List Groups
2694 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2695 entering summary buffer.
2697 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2702 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2703 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2704 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2705 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2706 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2707 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2709 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2710 directly uses this group parameter.
2714 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2715 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2716 of whether it has any unread articles.
2718 @item broken-reply-to
2719 @cindex broken-reply-to
2720 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2721 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2722 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2723 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2724 broken behavior. So there!
2728 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2729 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2733 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2734 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2735 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2740 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2741 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2742 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2743 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2744 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2745 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2746 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2747 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2748 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2752 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2753 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2754 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2756 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2759 @cindex total-expire
2760 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2761 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2762 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2763 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2766 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2770 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2771 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2772 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2773 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2774 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2775 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2778 @cindex score file group parameter
2779 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2780 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2781 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2784 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2785 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2786 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2787 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2790 @cindex admin-address
2791 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2792 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2793 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2794 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2798 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2799 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2803 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2806 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2807 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2810 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2814 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2816 Here are some examples:
2820 Display only unread articles.
2823 Display everything except expirable articles.
2825 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2826 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2830 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2831 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2832 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2833 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2834 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2838 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2839 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2840 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2844 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2845 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2846 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2851 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2852 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2853 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2855 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2857 @item ignored-charsets
2858 @cindex ignored-charset
2859 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2860 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2861 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2863 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2866 @cindex posting-style
2867 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2868 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2869 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2870 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2871 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2873 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2874 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2875 like this in the group parameters:
2880 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2885 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2886 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2890 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2891 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2892 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2893 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2894 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2898 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2899 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2900 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2901 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2903 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2904 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2905 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2906 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2909 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2910 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2914 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2917 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2918 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2919 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2920 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2921 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2922 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2923 @code{eval}ed there.
2925 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2926 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2927 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2928 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2929 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2930 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2931 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2932 parameters for the group.
2935 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2936 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2937 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2938 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2939 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2943 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2944 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2945 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2946 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2947 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2949 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2950 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2954 (setq gnus-parameters
2956 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2957 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2958 (gnus-summary-line-format
2959 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2963 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2967 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2971 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2974 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2975 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2978 @node Listing Groups
2979 @section Listing Groups
2980 @cindex group listing
2982 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2990 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2991 List all groups that have unread articles
2992 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2993 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2994 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2995 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3002 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3003 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3004 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3005 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3006 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3007 unsubscribed groups).
3011 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3012 List all unread groups on a specific level
3013 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3014 with no unread articles.
3018 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3019 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3020 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3021 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3026 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3027 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3031 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3032 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3033 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3037 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3038 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3042 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3043 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3044 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3045 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3046 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3047 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3048 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3049 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3053 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3054 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3055 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3059 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3060 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3061 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3065 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3066 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3070 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3071 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3075 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3076 List groups limited within the current selection
3077 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3081 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3082 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3086 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3087 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3091 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3092 @cindex visible group parameter
3093 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3094 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3095 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3096 get the same effect.
3098 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3099 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3100 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3101 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3102 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3105 @node Sorting Groups
3106 @section Sorting Groups
3107 @cindex sorting groups
3109 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3110 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3111 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3112 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3113 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3114 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3119 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3120 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3121 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3123 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3125 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3129 Sort by group level.
3131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3133 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3137 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3138 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3140 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3141 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3142 Sort by number of unread articles.
3144 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3145 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3146 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3148 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3150 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3155 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3156 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3160 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3161 some sorting criteria:
3165 @kindex G S a (Group)
3166 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3167 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3168 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3171 @kindex G S u (Group)
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3173 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3174 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3177 @kindex G S l (Group)
3178 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3179 Sort the group buffer by group level
3180 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3183 @kindex G S v (Group)
3184 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3185 Sort the group buffer by group score
3186 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3189 @kindex G S r (Group)
3190 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3191 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3192 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3195 @kindex G S m (Group)
3196 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3197 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3198 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3202 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3203 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3205 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3206 commands will sort in reverse order.
3208 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3212 @kindex G P a (Group)
3213 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3214 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3215 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3218 @kindex G P u (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3220 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3221 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3224 @kindex G P l (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3226 Sort the groups by group level
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3230 @kindex G P v (Group)
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3232 Sort the groups by group score
3233 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3236 @kindex G P r (Group)
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3238 Sort the groups by group rank
3239 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3242 @kindex G P m (Group)
3243 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3244 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3245 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3248 @kindex G P s (Group)
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3250 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3254 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3258 @node Group Maintenance
3259 @section Group Maintenance
3260 @cindex bogus groups
3265 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3266 Find bogus groups and delete them
3267 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3271 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3272 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3273 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3274 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3275 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3279 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3281 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3282 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3283 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3284 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3287 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3288 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3289 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3290 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3295 @node Browse Foreign Server
3296 @section Browse Foreign Server
3297 @cindex foreign servers
3298 @cindex browsing servers
3303 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3304 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3305 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3306 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3309 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3310 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3311 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3312 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3314 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3319 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3320 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3324 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3325 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3328 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3329 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3330 Enter the current group and display the first article
3331 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3334 @kindex RET (Browse)
3335 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3336 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3340 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3341 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3342 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3348 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3349 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3353 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3354 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3355 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3360 @section Exiting gnus
3361 @cindex exiting gnus
3363 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3368 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3369 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3370 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3371 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3375 @findex gnus-group-exit
3376 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3377 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3381 @findex gnus-group-quit
3382 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3383 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3386 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3387 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3388 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3389 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3390 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3395 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3396 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3397 trying to customize meta-variables.
3402 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3403 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3404 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3410 @section Group Topics
3413 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3414 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3415 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3416 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3417 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3418 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3422 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3423 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3434 2: alt.religion.emacs
3437 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3439 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3440 13: comp.sources.unix
3443 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3445 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3446 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3447 is a toggling command.)
3449 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3450 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3451 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3452 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3455 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3456 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3457 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3460 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3464 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3465 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3466 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3467 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3468 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3472 @node Topic Commands
3473 @subsection Topic Commands
3474 @cindex topic commands
3476 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3477 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3478 definitions slightly.
3480 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3481 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3482 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3483 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3484 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3485 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3487 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3494 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3495 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3496 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3500 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3502 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3503 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3504 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3505 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3508 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3509 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3510 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3511 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3515 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3516 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3517 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3518 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3524 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3525 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3526 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3530 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3531 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3532 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3535 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3536 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3537 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3538 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3539 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3541 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3542 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3546 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3547 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3554 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3556 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3557 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3558 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3559 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3560 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3561 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3565 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3571 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3572 Move the current group to some other topic
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3574 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3578 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3579 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3583 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3584 Copy the current group to some other topic
3585 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3586 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3590 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3591 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3592 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3596 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3597 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3598 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3602 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3603 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3604 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3605 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3606 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3607 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3608 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3611 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3612 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3617 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3618 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3622 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3623 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3624 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3628 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3629 Toggle hiding empty topics
3630 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3634 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3635 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3636 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3639 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3640 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3641 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3642 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3645 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3646 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3647 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3648 expiry process (if any)
3649 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3653 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3654 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3657 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3658 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3659 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3663 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3664 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3668 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3669 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3670 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3673 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3674 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3675 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3679 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3680 @cindex group parameters
3681 @cindex topic parameters
3683 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3684 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3689 @node Topic Variables
3690 @subsection Topic Variables
3691 @cindex topic variables
3693 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3694 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3696 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3697 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3698 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3711 Number of groups in the topic.
3713 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3715 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3718 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3719 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3720 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3723 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3724 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3726 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3727 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3728 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3732 @subsection Topic Sorting
3733 @cindex topic sorting
3735 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3741 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3742 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3743 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3747 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3748 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3749 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3753 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3754 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3755 Sort the current topic by group level
3756 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3759 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3760 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3761 Sort the current topic by group score
3762 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3765 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3766 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3767 Sort the current topic by group rank
3768 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3771 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3772 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3773 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3774 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3777 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3778 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3779 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3780 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3784 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3785 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3786 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3791 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3792 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3796 @node Topic Topology
3797 @subsection Topic Topology
3798 @cindex topic topology
3801 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3807 2: alt.religion.emacs
3810 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3812 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3813 13: comp.sources.unix
3816 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3817 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3818 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3823 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3824 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3828 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3829 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3830 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3831 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3832 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3833 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3835 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3836 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3837 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3840 @node Topic Parameters
3841 @subsection Topic Parameters
3842 @cindex topic parameters
3844 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3845 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3846 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3848 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3853 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3854 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3855 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3858 @item subscribe-level
3859 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3860 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3861 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3865 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3866 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3867 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3868 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3874 2: alt.religion.emacs
3878 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3880 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3881 13: comp.sources.unix
3885 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3886 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3887 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3888 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3889 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3890 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3892 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3893 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3894 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3895 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3896 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3898 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3899 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3900 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3901 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3902 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3903 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3904 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3905 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3908 @node Misc Group Stuff
3909 @section Misc Group Stuff
3912 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3913 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3914 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3915 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3916 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3923 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3924 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3925 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3929 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3930 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3931 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3932 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3933 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3934 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3935 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3939 @findex gnus-group-mail
3940 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3941 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3942 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3943 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3947 @findex gnus-group-news
3948 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3949 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3950 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3952 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3953 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3954 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3955 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3956 for this to work though.
3960 Variables for the group buffer:
3964 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3965 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3966 is called after the group buffer has been
3969 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3970 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3971 is called after the group buffer is
3972 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3975 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3976 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3977 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3978 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3980 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3981 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3982 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3983 whether they are empty or not.
3985 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3986 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3987 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3988 non-ASCII group names.
3992 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3993 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3996 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3997 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3998 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3999 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4000 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4001 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4005 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4006 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4011 @node Scanning New Messages
4012 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4013 @cindex new messages
4014 @cindex scanning new news
4020 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4021 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4022 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4023 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4024 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4025 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4030 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4031 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4032 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4033 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4034 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4035 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4036 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4038 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4039 @cindex activating groups
4041 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4042 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4047 @findex gnus-group-restart
4048 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4049 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4050 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4054 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4055 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4057 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4058 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4062 @node Group Information
4063 @subsection Group Information
4064 @cindex group information
4065 @cindex information on groups
4072 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4073 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4076 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4077 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4078 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4079 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4080 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4081 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4082 for fetching the file.
4084 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4085 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4089 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4091 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4092 @cindex describing groups
4093 @cindex group description
4094 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4095 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4096 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4100 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4101 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4102 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4109 @findex gnus-version
4110 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4114 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4115 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4118 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4121 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4122 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4126 @node Group Timestamp
4127 @subsection Group Timestamp
4129 @cindex group timestamps
4131 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4132 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4133 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4136 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4139 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4141 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4142 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4145 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4146 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4149 This will result in lines looking like:
4152 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4153 0: custom 19961002T012713
4156 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4157 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4161 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4162 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4165 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4166 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4170 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4171 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4172 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4173 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4175 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4181 @subsection File Commands
4182 @cindex file commands
4188 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4189 @vindex gnus-init-file
4190 @cindex reading init file
4191 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4192 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4196 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4197 @cindex saving .newsrc
4198 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4199 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4200 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4203 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4204 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4205 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4210 @node Sieve Commands
4211 @subsection Sieve Commands
4212 @cindex group sieve commands
4214 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4215 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4216 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4217 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4218 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4220 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4221 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4222 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4223 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4224 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4225 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4226 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4227 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4228 regenerate the Sieve script.
4230 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4231 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4232 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4233 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4234 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4235 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4236 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4237 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4238 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4239 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4242 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4243 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4248 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4254 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4255 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4256 @cindex generating sieve script
4257 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4258 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4262 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4263 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4264 @cindex updating sieve script
4265 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4266 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4267 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4272 @node Summary Buffer
4273 @chapter Summary Buffer
4274 @cindex summary buffer
4276 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4277 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4279 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4280 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4282 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4285 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4286 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4287 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4288 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4289 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4290 * Delayed Articles::
4291 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4292 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4293 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4294 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4295 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4296 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4297 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4298 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4299 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4300 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4301 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4302 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4303 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4304 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4305 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4306 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4307 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4308 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4309 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4310 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4311 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4312 or reselecting the current group.
4313 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4314 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4315 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4316 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4320 @node Summary Buffer Format
4321 @section Summary Buffer Format
4322 @cindex summary buffer format
4326 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4327 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4328 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4334 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4335 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4336 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4337 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4340 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4341 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4342 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4343 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4344 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4345 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4346 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4347 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4348 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4349 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4350 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4351 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4352 other function instead:
4355 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4356 'mail-extract-address-components)
4359 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4360 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4361 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4362 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4365 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4366 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4368 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4369 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4370 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4371 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4372 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4374 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4375 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4376 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4377 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4378 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4379 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4381 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4383 The following format specification characters and extended format
4384 specification(s) are understood:
4390 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4391 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4393 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4394 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4395 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4397 Full @code{From} header.
4399 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4401 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4404 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4405 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4406 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4407 may be more thorough.
4409 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4412 Number of lines in the article.
4414 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4415 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4417 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4419 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4422 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4423 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4425 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4426 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4428 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4429 for adopted articles.
4431 One space for each thread level.
4433 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4435 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4438 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4439 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4440 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4443 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4445 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4446 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4447 default level. If the difference between
4448 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4449 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4457 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4459 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4465 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4466 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4468 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4469 article has any children.
4475 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4476 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4478 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4479 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4480 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4481 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4482 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4483 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4486 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4487 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4488 There can only be one such area.
4490 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4491 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4492 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4493 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4494 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4495 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4497 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4498 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4500 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4503 @node To From Newsgroups
4504 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4508 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4509 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4510 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4511 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4512 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4516 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4517 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4518 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4522 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4523 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4526 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4527 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4530 @findex gnus-extra-header
4531 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4532 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4533 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4536 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4540 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4541 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4542 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4543 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4544 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4545 headers are used instead.
4549 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4550 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4551 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4552 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4553 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4554 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4556 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4557 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4558 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4559 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4561 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4565 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4567 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4568 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4569 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4570 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4574 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4577 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4578 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4581 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4582 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4583 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4589 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4590 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4593 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4594 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4596 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4597 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4598 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4599 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4601 Here are the elements you can play with:
4607 Unprefixed group name.
4609 Current article number.
4611 Current article score.
4615 Number of unread articles in this group.
4617 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4620 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4621 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4622 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4623 and no unselected ones.
4625 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4626 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4628 Subject of the current article.
4630 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4632 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4634 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4636 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4638 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4640 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4644 @node Summary Highlighting
4645 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4649 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4650 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4651 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4652 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4653 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4655 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4656 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4657 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4658 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4660 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4661 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4662 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4663 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4665 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4666 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4667 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4668 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4669 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4670 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4673 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4674 ((> score default) . bold))
4676 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4677 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4681 @node Summary Maneuvering
4682 @section Summary Maneuvering
4683 @cindex summary movement
4685 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4686 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4688 None of these commands select articles.
4693 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4694 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4695 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4696 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4697 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4701 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4702 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4704 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4705 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4708 @kindex G g (Summary)
4709 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4710 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4711 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4714 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4715 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4716 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4717 to the group buffer.
4719 Variables related to summary movement:
4723 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4724 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4725 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4726 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4727 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4728 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4729 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4730 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4731 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4732 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4733 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4734 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4735 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4736 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4738 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4739 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4740 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4741 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4742 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4743 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4744 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4746 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4748 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4749 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4750 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4751 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4752 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4754 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4755 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4756 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4757 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4758 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4759 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4760 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4761 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4764 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4765 the given number of lines from the top.
4770 @node Choosing Articles
4771 @section Choosing Articles
4772 @cindex selecting articles
4775 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4776 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4780 @node Choosing Commands
4781 @subsection Choosing Commands
4783 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4784 and they all select and display an article.
4786 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4787 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4791 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4792 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4793 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4794 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4799 @kindex G n (Summary)
4800 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4801 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4802 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4807 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4808 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4809 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4814 @kindex G N (Summary)
4815 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4816 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4821 @kindex G P (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4823 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4826 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4827 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4828 Go to the next article with the same subject
4829 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4832 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4834 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4835 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4839 @kindex G f (Summary)
4841 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4842 Go to the first unread article
4843 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4847 @kindex G b (Summary)
4849 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4850 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4851 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4852 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4857 @kindex G l (Summary)
4858 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4859 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4862 @kindex G o (Summary)
4863 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4865 @cindex article history
4866 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4867 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4868 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4869 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4870 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4871 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4876 @kindex G j (Summary)
4877 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4878 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4879 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4884 @node Choosing Variables
4885 @subsection Choosing Variables
4887 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4890 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4891 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4892 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4893 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4894 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4895 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4897 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4898 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4899 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4900 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4902 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4903 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4904 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4905 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4906 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4907 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4908 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4909 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4910 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4911 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4912 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4913 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4914 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4915 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4920 @node Paging the Article
4921 @section Scrolling the Article
4922 @cindex article scrolling
4927 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4928 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4929 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4930 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4931 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4934 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4936 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4939 @kindex RET (Summary)
4940 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4941 Scroll the current article one line forward
4942 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4945 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4946 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4947 Scroll the current article one line backward
4948 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4952 @kindex A g (Summary)
4954 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4955 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4956 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4957 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4958 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4959 the way it came from the server.
4961 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4962 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4963 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4966 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4971 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4976 @kindex A < (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4978 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4979 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4984 @kindex A > (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4986 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4990 @kindex A s (Summary)
4992 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4993 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4994 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4998 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4999 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5004 @node Reply Followup and Post
5005 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5008 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5009 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5010 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5011 * Canceling and Superseding::
5015 @node Summary Mail Commands
5016 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5018 @cindex composing mail
5020 Commands for composing a mail message:
5026 @kindex S r (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5029 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5030 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5031 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5032 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5037 @kindex S R (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5040 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5041 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5042 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5045 @kindex S w (Summary)
5046 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5047 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5048 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5049 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5050 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5053 @kindex S W (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5055 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5056 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5057 the process/prefix convention.
5060 @kindex S v (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5062 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5063 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5064 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5065 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5066 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5069 @kindex S V (Summary)
5070 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5071 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5072 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5073 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5077 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5078 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5080 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5081 Forward the current article to some other person
5082 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5083 headers of the forwarded article.
5088 @kindex S m (Summary)
5089 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5090 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5091 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5092 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5093 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5098 @kindex S i (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5100 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5101 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5102 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5104 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5105 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5106 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5107 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5108 for this to work though.
5111 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5112 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5113 @cindex bouncing mail
5114 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5115 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5116 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5117 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5118 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5119 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5120 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5121 very well fail, though.
5124 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5126 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5127 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5128 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5129 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5130 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5131 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5132 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5133 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5135 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5136 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5137 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5138 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5139 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5141 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5142 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5145 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5147 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5148 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5149 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5152 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5154 @cindex crossposting
5155 @cindex excessive crossposting
5156 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5157 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5159 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5160 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5161 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5162 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5163 command understands the process/prefix convention
5164 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5168 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5169 Manual}, for more information.
5172 @node Summary Post Commands
5173 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5175 @cindex composing news
5177 Commands for posting a news article:
5183 @kindex S p (Summary)
5184 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5185 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5186 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5187 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5188 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5193 @kindex S f (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5195 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5196 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5200 @kindex S F (Summary)
5202 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5203 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5204 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5205 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5206 process/prefix convention.
5209 @kindex S n (Summary)
5210 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5211 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5212 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5215 @kindex S N (Summary)
5216 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5217 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5218 message through mail and include the original message
5219 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5220 the process/prefix convention.
5223 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5224 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5225 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5226 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5227 headers of the forwarded article.
5230 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5233 @cindex making digests
5234 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5235 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5236 process/prefix convention.
5239 @kindex S u (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5241 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5242 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5243 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5246 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5247 Manual}, for more information.
5250 @node Summary Message Commands
5251 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5255 @kindex S y (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5257 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5258 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5259 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5260 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5265 @node Canceling and Superseding
5266 @subsection Canceling Articles
5267 @cindex canceling articles
5268 @cindex superseding articles
5270 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5271 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5273 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5275 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5277 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5278 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5279 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5280 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5281 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5282 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5284 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5285 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5288 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5289 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5290 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5292 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5293 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5294 your original article.
5296 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5298 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5299 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5300 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5303 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5304 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5305 have posted almost the same article twice.
5307 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5308 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5309 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5310 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5311 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5312 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5313 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5314 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5315 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5316 canceled/superseded.
5318 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5320 @node Delayed Articles
5321 @section Delayed Articles
5322 @cindex delayed sending
5323 @cindex send delayed
5325 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5326 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5327 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5328 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5331 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5334 @findex gnus-delay-article
5335 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5336 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5337 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5338 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5342 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5343 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5344 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5345 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5348 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5349 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5350 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5353 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5354 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5355 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5356 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5357 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5358 that means a time tomorrow.
5361 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5362 couple of variables:
5365 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5366 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5367 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5368 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5370 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5371 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5372 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5373 formats described above.
5375 @item gnus-delay-group
5376 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5377 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5378 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5379 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5381 @item gnus-delay-header
5382 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5383 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5384 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5385 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5388 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5389 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5390 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5391 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5392 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5394 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5395 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5396 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5397 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5398 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5399 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5402 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5403 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5404 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5405 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5406 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5407 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5408 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5409 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5411 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5412 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5413 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5414 forget to set that up :-)
5418 @node Marking Articles
5419 @section Marking Articles
5420 @cindex article marking
5421 @cindex article ticking
5424 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5426 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5427 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5428 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5430 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5433 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5434 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5435 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5439 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5443 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5444 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5445 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5449 @node Unread Articles
5450 @subsection Unread Articles
5452 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5457 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5458 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5460 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5461 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5462 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5463 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5464 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5465 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5466 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5469 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5470 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5472 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5473 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5474 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5475 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5479 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5480 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5482 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5487 @subsection Read Articles
5488 @cindex expirable mark
5490 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5495 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5496 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5497 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5500 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5501 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5504 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5505 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5506 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5509 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5510 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5513 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5514 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5517 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5518 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5521 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5522 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5525 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5526 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5529 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5530 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5533 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5534 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5538 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5539 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5540 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5544 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5545 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5547 One more special mark, though:
5551 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5552 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5554 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5555 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5556 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5557 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5563 @subsection Other Marks
5564 @cindex process mark
5567 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5573 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5574 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5575 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5576 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5577 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5580 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5581 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5582 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5583 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5586 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5587 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5588 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5591 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5592 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5593 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5596 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5597 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5598 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5599 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5602 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5603 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5604 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5605 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5606 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5609 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5610 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5611 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5614 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5615 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5616 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5617 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5618 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5621 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5622 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5623 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5624 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5625 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5626 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5630 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5631 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5632 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5634 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5635 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5636 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5640 @subsection Setting Marks
5641 @cindex setting marks
5643 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5648 @kindex M c (Summary)
5649 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5650 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5651 @cindex mark as unread
5652 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5653 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5659 @kindex M t (Summary)
5660 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5661 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5662 @xref{Article Caching}.
5667 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5668 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5669 Mark the current article as dormant
5670 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5674 @kindex M d (Summary)
5676 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5677 Mark the current article as read
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5682 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5683 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5684 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5689 @kindex M k (Summary)
5690 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5691 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5692 and then select the next unread article
5693 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5697 @kindex M K (Summary)
5698 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5699 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5700 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5701 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5704 @kindex M C (Summary)
5705 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5706 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5707 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5710 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5711 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5712 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5713 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5716 @kindex M H (Summary)
5717 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5718 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5719 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5722 @kindex M h (Summary)
5723 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5724 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5725 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5728 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5729 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5730 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5731 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5734 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5735 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5736 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5737 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5741 @kindex M e (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5744 Mark the current article as expirable
5745 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5748 @kindex M b (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5750 Set a bookmark in the current article
5751 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5754 @kindex M B (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5756 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5757 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5760 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5762 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5763 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5766 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5768 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5769 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5772 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5774 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5775 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5776 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5779 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5780 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5781 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5782 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5783 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5784 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5785 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5786 The default is @code{t}.
5789 @node Generic Marking Commands
5790 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5792 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5793 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5794 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5795 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5796 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5799 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5800 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5803 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5804 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5805 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5806 to list in this manual.
5808 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5809 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5810 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5811 article, you could say something like:
5814 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5815 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5816 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5822 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5823 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5827 @node Setting Process Marks
5828 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5829 @cindex setting process marks
5836 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5838 Mark the current article with the process mark
5839 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5840 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5844 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5845 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5846 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5847 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5850 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5852 Remove the process mark from all articles
5853 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5856 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5858 Invert the list of process marked articles
5859 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5862 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5864 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5865 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5868 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5870 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5871 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5874 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5876 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5879 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5881 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5882 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5885 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5887 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5888 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5891 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5892 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5893 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5894 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5897 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5898 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5899 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5902 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5904 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5905 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5908 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5910 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5913 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5915 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5916 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5919 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5921 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5922 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5925 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5927 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5928 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5931 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5932 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5933 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5934 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5938 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5939 set process marks based on article body contents.
5946 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5947 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5948 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5951 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5952 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5953 additional articles.
5959 @kindex / / (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5961 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5962 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5966 @kindex / a (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5968 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5973 @kindex / x (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5975 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5976 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5982 @kindex / u (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5985 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5986 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5987 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5988 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5991 @kindex / m (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5993 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5994 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5997 @kindex / t (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5999 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6000 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6001 articles younger than that number of days.
6004 @kindex / n (Summary)
6005 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6006 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6007 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6008 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6011 @kindex / w (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6013 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6018 @kindex / v (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6020 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6021 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6024 @kindex / p (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6026 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6027 group parameter predicate
6028 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6029 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6033 @kindex M S (Summary)
6034 @kindex / E (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6036 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6037 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6040 @kindex / D (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6042 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6043 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6046 @kindex / * (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6048 Include all cached articles in the limit
6049 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6052 @kindex / d (Summary)
6053 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6054 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6055 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6058 @kindex / M (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6060 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6063 @kindex / T (Summary)
6064 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6065 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6068 @kindex / c (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6070 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6071 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6074 @kindex / C (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6076 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6077 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6078 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6081 @kindex / N (Summary)
6082 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6083 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6084 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6087 @kindex / o (Summary)
6088 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6089 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6090 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6098 @cindex article threading
6100 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6101 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6102 hierarchical fashion.
6104 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6105 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6106 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6107 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6108 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6109 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6110 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6112 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6116 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6119 A tree-like article structure.
6122 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6125 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6126 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6127 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6128 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6129 called loose threads.
6131 @item thread gathering
6132 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6134 @item sparse threads
6135 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6136 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6142 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6143 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6147 @node Customizing Threading
6148 @subsection Customizing Threading
6149 @cindex customizing threading
6152 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6153 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6154 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6155 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6160 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6163 @cindex loose threads
6166 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6167 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6168 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6169 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6170 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6171 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6173 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6174 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6175 There are four possible values:
6179 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6180 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6181 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6182 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6183 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6188 @cindex adopting articles
6193 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6194 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6195 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6196 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6199 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6200 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6201 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6202 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6203 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6204 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6205 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6208 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6209 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6210 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6214 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6215 display them after one another.
6218 Don't gather loose threads.
6221 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6222 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6223 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6224 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6225 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6226 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6227 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6228 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6229 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6230 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6231 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6233 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6234 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6235 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6238 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6239 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6240 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6241 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6242 simplification is used.
6244 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6245 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6246 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6247 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6249 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6251 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6257 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6258 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6259 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6260 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6265 (mapconcat 'identity
6266 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6268 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6271 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6274 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6275 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6276 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6277 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6278 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6279 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6281 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6284 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6285 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6286 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6288 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6289 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6292 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6293 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6294 Remove excessive whitespace.
6296 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6297 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6298 Remove all whitespace.
6301 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6304 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6305 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6306 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6307 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6308 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6309 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6310 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6311 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6313 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6314 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6315 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6316 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6317 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6318 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6319 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6320 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6321 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6325 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6326 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6327 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6328 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6330 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6331 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6332 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6335 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6339 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6340 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6346 @node Filling In Threads
6347 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6350 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6351 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6352 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6353 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6354 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6355 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6356 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6357 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6358 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6359 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6360 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6361 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6364 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6365 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6366 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6368 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6369 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6370 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6371 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6372 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6373 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6374 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6375 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6376 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6377 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6378 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6379 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6380 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6381 @code{nil} by default.
6383 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6384 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6385 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6386 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6387 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6388 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6389 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6391 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6392 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6393 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6398 @node More Threading
6399 @subsubsection More Threading
6402 @item gnus-show-threads
6403 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6404 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6405 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6406 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6407 slower and more awkward.
6409 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6410 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6411 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6414 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6415 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6416 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6421 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6422 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6423 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6426 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6427 unread, but you get my drift.)
6430 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6431 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6432 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6433 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6434 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6435 threads are expunged.
6437 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6438 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6439 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6442 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6443 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6444 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6445 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6446 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6447 result in a new thread.
6449 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6450 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6451 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6454 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6455 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6456 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6457 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6458 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6459 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6460 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6461 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6462 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6463 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6464 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6469 @node Low-Level Threading
6470 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6474 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6475 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6476 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6477 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6478 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6479 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6481 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6482 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6483 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6484 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6485 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6486 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6487 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6488 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6489 meaningful. Here's one example:
6492 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6494 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6495 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6497 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6499 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6506 @node Thread Commands
6507 @subsection Thread Commands
6508 @cindex thread commands
6514 @kindex T k (Summary)
6515 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6516 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6517 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6518 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6519 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6524 @kindex T l (Summary)
6525 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6527 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6528 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6531 @kindex T i (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6533 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6534 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6537 @kindex T # (Summary)
6538 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6539 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6540 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6543 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6545 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6546 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6549 @kindex T T (Summary)
6550 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6551 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6554 @kindex T s (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6556 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6557 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6560 @kindex T h (Summary)
6561 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6562 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6565 @kindex T S (Summary)
6566 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6567 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6570 @kindex T H (Summary)
6571 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6572 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6575 @kindex T t (Summary)
6576 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6577 Re-thread the current article's thread
6578 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6579 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6582 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6583 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6584 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6585 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6589 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6590 understand the numeric prefix.
6595 @kindex T n (Summary)
6597 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6599 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6600 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6601 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6604 @kindex T p (Summary)
6606 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6608 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6609 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6610 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6613 @kindex T d (Summary)
6614 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6615 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6618 @kindex T u (Summary)
6619 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6620 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6623 @kindex T o (Summary)
6624 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6625 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6628 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6629 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6630 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6631 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6632 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6633 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6634 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6635 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6636 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6637 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6638 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6639 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6643 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6644 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6646 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6647 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6648 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6649 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6650 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6651 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6652 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6653 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6654 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6655 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6656 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6657 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6658 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6660 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6661 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6662 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6663 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6664 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6665 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6666 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6667 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6669 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6670 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6671 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6673 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6674 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6675 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6676 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6677 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6678 ascending article order.
6680 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6681 by number, you could do something like:
6684 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6685 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6686 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6687 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6690 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6691 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6692 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6693 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6694 which the articles arrived.
6696 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6700 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6702 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6703 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6706 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6707 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6708 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6709 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6712 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6713 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6714 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6715 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6716 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6717 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6718 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6719 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6720 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6721 variable. It is very similar to the
6722 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6723 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6724 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6725 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6726 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6727 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6728 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6730 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6734 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6735 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6736 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6741 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6742 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6743 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6744 @cindex article pre-fetch
6747 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6748 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6749 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6750 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6751 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6753 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6754 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6756 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6757 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6758 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6759 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6760 connection is blocked.
6762 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6763 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6764 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6765 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6767 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6768 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6769 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6770 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6773 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6776 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6777 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6778 happen automatically.
6780 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6781 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6782 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6783 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6784 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6785 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6786 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6788 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6789 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6790 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6791 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6792 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6793 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6794 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6795 data structure as the only parameter.
6797 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6800 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6801 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6802 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6803 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6806 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6809 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6810 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6811 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6813 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6814 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6815 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6816 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6820 Remove articles when they are read.
6823 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6826 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6828 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6829 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6830 @c from the next group.
6833 @node Article Caching
6834 @section Article Caching
6835 @cindex article caching
6838 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6839 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6840 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6841 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6842 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6844 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6846 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6847 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6848 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6849 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6850 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6851 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6852 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6853 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6855 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6856 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6857 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6858 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6859 as dormant, and don't worry.
6861 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6863 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6864 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6865 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6866 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6867 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6868 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6869 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6870 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6871 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6872 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6874 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6875 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6876 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6877 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6878 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6879 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6880 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6881 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6882 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6883 not then be downloaded by this command.
6885 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6886 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6887 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6888 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6889 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6890 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6892 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6893 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6894 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6895 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6896 variables, the group is not cached.
6898 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6899 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6900 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6901 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6902 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6903 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6904 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6905 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6906 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6909 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6910 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6911 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6912 where, isn't that cool?
6914 @node Persistent Articles
6915 @section Persistent Articles
6916 @cindex persistent articles
6918 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6919 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6920 useful in my opinion.
6922 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6923 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6924 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6925 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6926 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6927 the expiry going on at the news server.
6929 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6930 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6931 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6937 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6938 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6941 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6943 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6944 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6948 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6950 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6951 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6952 interested in persistent articles:
6955 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6959 @node Article Backlog
6960 @section Article Backlog
6962 @cindex article backlog
6964 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6965 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6966 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6967 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6968 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6969 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6970 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6971 increase memory usage some.
6973 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6974 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6975 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6976 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6977 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6978 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6979 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6981 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6984 @node Saving Articles
6985 @section Saving Articles
6986 @cindex saving articles
6988 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6989 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6990 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6991 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6992 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6994 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
6995 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
6996 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
6998 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6999 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7000 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7002 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7003 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7004 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7005 deleted before saving.
7011 @kindex O o (Summary)
7013 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7015 Save the current article using the default article saver
7016 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7019 @kindex O m (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7021 Save the current article in mail format
7022 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7025 @kindex O r (Summary)
7026 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7027 Save the current article in rmail format
7028 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7031 @kindex O f (Summary)
7032 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7033 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7034 Save the current article in plain file format
7035 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7038 @kindex O F (Summary)
7039 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7040 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7041 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7044 @kindex O b (Summary)
7045 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7046 Save the current article body in plain file format
7047 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7050 @kindex O h (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7052 Save the current article in mh folder format
7053 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7056 @kindex O v (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7058 Save the current article in a VM folder
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7063 @kindex O p (Summary)
7065 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7066 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7067 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7070 @kindex O P (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7072 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7073 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7074 external program Muttprint (see
7075 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7076 options to use is controlled by the variable
7077 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7081 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7082 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7083 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7084 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7085 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7086 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7087 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7088 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7089 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7090 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7091 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7092 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7096 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7097 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7098 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7099 functions below, or you can create your own.
7103 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7104 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7105 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7106 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7107 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7108 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7109 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7111 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7112 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7113 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7114 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7115 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7116 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7118 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7119 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7120 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7121 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7122 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7123 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7124 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7126 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7127 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7128 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7129 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7130 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7131 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7133 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7134 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7135 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7136 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7137 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7139 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7140 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7141 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7142 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7143 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7146 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7147 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7148 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7149 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7150 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7152 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7153 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7154 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7155 reader to use this setting.
7158 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7159 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7160 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7161 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7164 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7165 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7166 available functions that generate names:
7170 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7171 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7172 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7174 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7175 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7176 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7178 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7179 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7180 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7182 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7183 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7184 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7186 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7187 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7188 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7191 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7192 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7193 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7194 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7195 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7199 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7200 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7201 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7202 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7205 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7206 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7207 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7208 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7209 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7210 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7211 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7212 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7213 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7215 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7216 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7217 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7218 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7220 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7221 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7222 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7225 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7226 lots of mail groups called things like
7227 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7228 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7229 following will do just that:
7232 (defun my-save-name (group)
7233 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7234 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7236 (setq gnus-split-methods
7237 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7242 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7243 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7244 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7245 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7246 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7247 all the files in the top level directory
7248 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7249 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7250 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7251 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7253 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7254 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7255 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7256 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7257 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7260 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7264 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7265 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7266 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7269 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7270 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7271 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7272 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7275 @node Decoding Articles
7276 @section Decoding Articles
7277 @cindex decoding articles
7279 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7280 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7283 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7284 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7285 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7286 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7287 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7288 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7292 @cindex article series
7293 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7294 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7295 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7296 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7297 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7299 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7300 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7301 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7303 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7304 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7305 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7307 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7308 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7309 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7312 @node Uuencoded Articles
7313 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7315 @cindex uuencoded articles
7320 @kindex X u (Summary)
7321 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7322 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7323 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7326 @kindex X U (Summary)
7327 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7328 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7329 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7332 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7333 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7334 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7337 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7339 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7340 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7344 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7345 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7346 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7347 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7348 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7350 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7351 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7352 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7353 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7356 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7357 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7358 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7359 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7360 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7361 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7365 @node Shell Archives
7366 @subsection Shell Archives
7368 @cindex shell archives
7369 @cindex shared articles
7371 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7372 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7373 some commands to deal with these:
7378 @kindex X s (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7380 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7383 @kindex X S (Summary)
7384 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7385 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7388 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7390 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7393 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7395 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7396 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7400 @node PostScript Files
7401 @subsection PostScript Files
7407 @kindex X p (Summary)
7408 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7409 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7412 @kindex X P (Summary)
7413 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7414 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7415 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7418 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7419 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7420 View the current PostScript series
7421 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7424 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7426 View and save the current PostScript series
7427 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7432 @subsection Other Files
7436 @kindex X o (Summary)
7437 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7438 Save the current series
7439 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7442 @kindex X b (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7444 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7445 doesn't really work yet.
7449 @node Decoding Variables
7450 @subsection Decoding Variables
7452 Adjective, not verb.
7455 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7456 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7457 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7461 @node Rule Variables
7462 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7463 @cindex rule variables
7465 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7466 variables are of the form
7469 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7476 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7477 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7479 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7480 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7483 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7484 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7487 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7488 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7489 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7490 user and default view rules.
7492 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7493 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7494 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7499 @node Other Decode Variables
7500 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7503 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7505 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7506 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7507 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7508 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7509 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7513 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7514 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7517 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7518 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7519 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7522 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7523 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7524 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7525 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7526 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7529 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7530 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7531 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7533 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7534 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7535 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7536 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7537 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7540 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7541 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7542 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7544 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7545 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7546 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7547 looking for files to display.
7549 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7550 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7551 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7554 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7555 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7556 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7559 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7560 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7561 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7564 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7565 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7566 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7569 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7570 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7571 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7572 decoded articles as unread.
7574 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7575 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7576 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7577 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7579 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7580 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7581 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7583 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7584 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7586 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7587 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7588 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7589 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7591 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7592 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7593 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7594 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7595 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7596 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7597 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7598 simply dropped them.
7603 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7604 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7608 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7609 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7610 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7611 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7612 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7613 for you when you post the article.
7615 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7616 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7617 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7618 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7620 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7621 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7622 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7623 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7624 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7625 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7626 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7628 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7629 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7630 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7631 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7632 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7633 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7634 Default is @code{t}.
7640 @subsection Viewing Files
7641 @cindex viewing files
7642 @cindex pseudo-articles
7644 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7645 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7646 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7647 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7648 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7649 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7650 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7652 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7653 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7654 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7655 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7657 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7658 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7659 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7661 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7662 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7663 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7664 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7665 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7667 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7668 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7669 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7670 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7671 a list of parameters to that command.
7673 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7674 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7675 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7677 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7678 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7679 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7682 @node Article Treatment
7683 @section Article Treatment
7685 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7686 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7687 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7688 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7689 these articles easier.
7692 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7693 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7694 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7695 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7696 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7697 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7698 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7699 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7700 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7701 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7705 @node Article Highlighting
7706 @subsection Article Highlighting
7707 @cindex highlighting
7709 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7710 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7715 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7716 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7717 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7718 Do much highlighting of the current article
7719 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7720 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7723 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7724 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7725 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7726 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7727 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7728 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7729 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7730 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7731 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7732 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7733 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7734 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7737 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7738 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7739 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7741 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7744 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7746 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7747 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7748 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7750 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7751 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7752 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7754 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7755 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7756 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7757 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7758 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7759 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7761 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7762 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7763 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7765 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7766 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7767 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7769 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7770 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7771 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7772 that it's a citation.
7774 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7775 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7776 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7778 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7779 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7780 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7782 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7783 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7784 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7785 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7791 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7792 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7793 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7794 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7795 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7796 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7797 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7798 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7803 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7806 @node Article Fontisizing
7807 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7809 @cindex article emphasis
7811 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7812 @kindex W e (Summary)
7813 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7814 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7815 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7816 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7818 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7819 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7820 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7821 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7822 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7823 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7824 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7825 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7829 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7830 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7831 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7840 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7841 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7842 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7843 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7844 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7845 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7846 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7847 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7848 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7849 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7850 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7851 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7852 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7854 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7855 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7856 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7860 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7863 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7865 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7866 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7867 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7868 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7870 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7873 @node Article Hiding
7874 @subsection Article Hiding
7875 @cindex article hiding
7877 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7878 too much cruft in most articles.
7883 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7884 @findex gnus-article-hide
7885 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7886 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7887 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7890 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7891 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7892 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7896 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7897 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7898 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7899 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7902 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7903 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7904 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7908 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7909 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7910 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7911 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7912 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7913 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7914 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7915 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7919 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7920 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7921 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7922 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7927 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7928 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7929 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7930 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7931 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7932 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7933 articles that have signatures in them do:
7935 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7937 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7939 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7940 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7942 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7945 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7950 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7951 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7952 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7953 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7956 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7957 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7960 @cindex stripping advertisements
7961 @cindex advertisements
7962 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7963 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7964 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7965 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7966 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7967 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7968 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7969 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7970 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7971 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7975 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7976 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7977 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7978 customizing the hiding:
7982 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7983 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7984 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7985 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7986 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7987 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7988 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7993 Starting point of the hidden text.
7995 Ending point of the hidden text.
7997 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7999 Number of lines of hidden text.
8002 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8003 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8004 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8005 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8006 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8011 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8012 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8014 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8015 following two variables:
8018 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8019 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8020 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8021 50), hide the cited text.
8023 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8024 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8025 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8030 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8032 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8033 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8034 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8035 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8039 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8040 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8041 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8043 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8044 citation customization.
8046 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8050 @node Article Washing
8051 @subsection Article Washing
8053 @cindex article washing
8055 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8056 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8058 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8059 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8062 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8063 articles by default.
8068 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8069 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8073 @kindex W l (Summary)
8074 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8075 Remove page breaks from the current article
8076 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8080 @kindex W r (Summary)
8081 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8082 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8083 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8084 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8085 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8086 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8088 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8089 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8090 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8091 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8095 @kindex W t (Summary)
8097 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8098 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8099 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8102 @kindex W v (Summary)
8103 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8104 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8105 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8108 @kindex W m (Summary)
8109 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8110 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8111 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8114 @kindex W o (Summary)
8115 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8116 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8119 @kindex W d (Summary)
8120 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8121 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8123 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8125 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8126 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8127 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8128 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8131 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8132 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8133 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8134 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8137 @kindex W k (Summary)
8138 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8139 @cindex Outlook Express
8140 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8141 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8144 @kindex W w (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8146 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8148 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8152 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8153 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8154 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8157 @kindex W C (Summary)
8158 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8159 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8160 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8163 @kindex W c (Summary)
8164 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8165 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8166 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8167 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8168 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8171 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8172 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8173 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8174 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8175 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8176 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8177 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8179 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8182 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8183 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8184 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8185 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8186 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8189 @kindex W u (Summary)
8190 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8191 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8192 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8193 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8194 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8197 @kindex W h (Summary)
8198 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8199 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8200 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8201 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8203 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8205 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8206 The default is to use the function specified by
8207 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8208 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8209 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8217 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8221 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8224 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8227 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8232 @kindex W b (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8234 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8235 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8238 @kindex W B (Summary)
8239 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8240 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8241 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8244 @kindex W p (Summary)
8245 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8246 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8247 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8248 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8249 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8250 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8251 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8254 @kindex W s (Summary)
8255 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8256 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8257 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8260 @kindex W a (Summary)
8261 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8262 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8263 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8266 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8267 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8268 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8269 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8272 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8273 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8274 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8275 lines with a single empty line.
8276 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8279 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8280 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8281 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8282 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8285 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8287 Do all the three commands above
8288 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8291 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8292 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8293 Remove all blank lines
8294 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8297 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8298 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8299 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8300 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8303 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8304 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8305 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8306 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8310 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8313 @node Article Header
8314 @subsection Article Header
8316 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8321 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8323 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8326 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8328 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8329 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8332 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8333 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8334 Fold all the message headers
8335 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8339 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8340 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8341 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8346 @node Article Buttons
8347 @subsection Article Buttons
8350 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8351 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8352 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8353 button on these references.
8355 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8356 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8357 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8362 @item gnus-button-alist
8363 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8364 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8367 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8373 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8374 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8375 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a variable containing a
8376 regexp, useful variables to use include @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8379 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8380 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8381 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8384 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8385 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8386 avoid false matches.
8389 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8392 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8393 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8397 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8400 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8403 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8404 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8405 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8406 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8407 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8410 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8413 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8415 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8416 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8417 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8418 default values of the variables above.
8420 @item gnus-article-button-face
8421 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8422 Face used on buttons.
8424 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8425 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8426 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8430 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8434 @subsection Article Date
8436 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8437 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8438 when the article was sent.
8443 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8445 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8446 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8449 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8452 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8453 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8456 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8457 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8458 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8461 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8462 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8463 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8464 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8467 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8468 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8469 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8470 @findex format-time-string
8471 Display the date using a user-defined format
8472 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8473 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8474 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8475 for a list of possible format specs.
8478 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8480 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8481 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8482 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8483 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8486 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8489 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8490 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8493 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8494 into wonderful absurdities.
8496 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8499 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8502 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8503 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8507 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8508 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8509 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8510 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8511 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8512 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8513 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8517 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8518 preferred format automatically.
8521 @node Article Display
8522 @subsection Article Display
8527 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8528 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8530 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8531 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8533 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8534 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8536 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8537 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8539 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8544 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8545 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8546 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8547 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8550 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8552 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8555 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8557 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8560 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8561 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8562 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8563 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8566 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8567 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8568 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8569 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8572 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8573 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8574 Remove all images from the article buffer
8575 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8581 @node Article Signature
8582 @subsection Article Signature
8584 @cindex article signature
8586 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8587 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8588 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8589 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8590 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8591 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8592 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8593 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8594 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8597 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8598 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8599 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8600 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8601 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8602 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8603 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8604 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8607 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8610 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8611 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8612 signature when displaying articles.
8616 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8619 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8622 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8623 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8625 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8626 in question is not a signature.
8629 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8630 listed above. Here's an example:
8633 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8634 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8637 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8638 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8639 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8640 signature after all.
8643 @node Article Miscellania
8644 @subsection Article Miscellania
8648 @kindex A t (Summary)
8649 @findex gnus-article-babel
8650 Translate the article from one language to another
8651 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8657 @section MIME Commands
8658 @cindex MIME decoding
8660 @cindex viewing attachments
8662 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8663 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8669 @kindex K v (Summary)
8670 View the @sc{mime} part.
8673 @kindex K o (Summary)
8674 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8677 @kindex K c (Summary)
8678 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8681 @kindex K e (Summary)
8682 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8685 @kindex K i (Summary)
8686 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8689 @kindex K | (Summary)
8690 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8693 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8698 @kindex K b (Summary)
8699 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8700 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8704 @kindex K m (Summary)
8705 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8706 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8707 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8708 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8709 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8712 @kindex X m (Summary)
8713 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8714 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8715 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8716 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8719 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8721 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8722 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8725 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8726 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8727 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8730 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8731 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8732 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8734 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8735 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8736 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8737 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8738 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8739 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8742 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8743 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8744 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8751 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8752 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8753 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8754 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8757 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8760 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8764 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8765 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8766 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8767 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8768 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8769 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8772 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8773 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8774 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8775 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8776 displayed. This variable overrides
8777 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8779 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8780 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8781 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8783 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8784 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8785 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8786 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8787 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8788 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8789 save all jpegs into some directory).
8791 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8794 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8795 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8797 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8798 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8799 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8800 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8801 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8804 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8805 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8806 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8808 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8809 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8810 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8811 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8813 Ready-made functions include@*
8814 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8815 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8816 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8817 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8818 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8819 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8820 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8821 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8822 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8823 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8824 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8825 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8827 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8828 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8830 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8831 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8832 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8835 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8836 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8837 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8838 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8842 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8851 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8852 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8853 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8854 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8855 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8856 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8857 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8859 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8860 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8861 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8862 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8864 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8865 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8866 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8867 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8868 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8869 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8870 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8871 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8873 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8874 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8875 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8876 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8877 quoted-printable header encoding.
8879 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8880 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8881 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8885 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8888 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8889 means encode all charsets),
8891 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8892 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8893 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8900 @cindex coding system aliases
8901 @cindex preferred charset
8903 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8905 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8906 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8909 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8910 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8913 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8914 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8916 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8919 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8922 This will almost do the right thing.
8924 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8928 (codepage-setup 1251)
8929 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8933 @node Article Commands
8934 @section Article Commands
8941 @kindex A P (Summary)
8942 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8943 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8944 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8945 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8946 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8947 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8952 @node Summary Sorting
8953 @section Summary Sorting
8954 @cindex summary sorting
8956 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8957 can't really see why you'd want that.
8962 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8963 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8964 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8967 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8968 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8969 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8972 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8973 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8974 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8977 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8978 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8979 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8982 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8983 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8984 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8987 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8988 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8989 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8992 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8993 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8994 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8997 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
8998 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
8999 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9002 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9003 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9004 Sort using the default sorting method
9005 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9008 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9009 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9010 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9011 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9012 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9016 @node Finding the Parent
9017 @section Finding the Parent
9018 @cindex parent articles
9019 @cindex referring articles
9024 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9025 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9026 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9027 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9028 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9029 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9030 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9031 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9032 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9034 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9035 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9036 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9037 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9038 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9042 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9043 @kindex A R (Summary)
9044 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9045 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9048 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9049 @kindex A T (Summary)
9050 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9051 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9052 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9053 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9054 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9055 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9056 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9058 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9059 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9060 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9061 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9062 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9063 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9066 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9067 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9069 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9070 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9071 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9072 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9073 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9074 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9075 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9078 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9079 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9080 by giving this command a prefix.
9082 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9083 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9084 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9085 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9086 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9087 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9090 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9091 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9092 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9095 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9096 then ask Google if that fails:
9099 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9101 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type google))))
9104 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9105 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9106 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9107 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9108 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9109 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9110 support this at all.
9113 @node Alternative Approaches
9114 @section Alternative Approaches
9116 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9117 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9120 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9121 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9126 @subsection Pick and Read
9127 @cindex pick and read
9129 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9130 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9131 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9132 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9134 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9135 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9136 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9137 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9138 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9139 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9141 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9146 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9147 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9148 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9149 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9150 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9151 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9152 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9153 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9156 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9157 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9158 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9159 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9163 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9164 Unpick the thread or article
9165 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9166 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9167 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9168 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9169 the thread or article at that line.
9173 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9174 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9175 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9176 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9177 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9178 will still be visible when you are reading.
9182 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9183 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9184 which is mapped to the same function
9185 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9187 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9190 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9193 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9194 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9196 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9197 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9198 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9200 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9201 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9202 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9203 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9204 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9205 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9206 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9210 @subsection Binary Groups
9211 @cindex binary groups
9213 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9214 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9215 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9216 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9217 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9218 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9219 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9222 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9223 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9224 command, when you have turned on this mode
9225 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9227 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9228 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9232 @section Tree Display
9235 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9236 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9237 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9238 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9241 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9244 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9245 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9246 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9248 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9249 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9250 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9251 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9252 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9254 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9255 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9256 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9257 default is @code{modeline}.
9259 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9260 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9261 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9262 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9263 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9264 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9265 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9271 The name of the poster.
9273 The @code{From} header.
9275 The number of the article.
9277 The opening bracket.
9279 The closing bracket.
9284 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9286 Variables related to the display are:
9289 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9290 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9291 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9292 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9293 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9294 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9296 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9297 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9298 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9299 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9303 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9304 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9305 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9306 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9307 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9308 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9309 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9310 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9311 other windows displayed next to it.
9313 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9317 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9318 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9321 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9322 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9323 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9324 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9325 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9326 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9327 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9331 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9334 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9344 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9348 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9349 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9351 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9353 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9358 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9359 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9360 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9363 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9364 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9365 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9366 (gnus-add-configuration
9370 (summary 0.75 point)
9375 @xref{Window Layout}.
9378 @node Mail Group Commands
9379 @section Mail Group Commands
9380 @cindex mail group commands
9382 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9383 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9385 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9386 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9391 @kindex B e (Summary)
9392 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9393 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9394 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9395 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9396 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9399 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9400 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9401 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9402 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9403 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9404 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9407 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9408 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9409 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9410 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9411 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9412 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9415 @kindex B m (Summary)
9417 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9418 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9419 Move the article from one mail group to another
9420 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9421 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9424 @kindex B c (Summary)
9426 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9427 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9428 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9429 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9430 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9433 @kindex B B (Summary)
9434 @cindex crosspost mail
9435 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9436 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9437 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9438 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9439 be properly updated.
9442 @kindex B i (Summary)
9443 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9444 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9445 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9446 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9449 @kindex B I (Summary)
9450 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9451 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9452 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9453 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9456 @kindex B r (Summary)
9457 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9458 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9459 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9460 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9461 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9462 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9463 (which is the default).
9467 @kindex B w (Summary)
9469 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9470 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9471 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9472 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9473 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9474 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9475 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9478 @kindex B q (Summary)
9479 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9480 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9481 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9482 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9485 @kindex B t (Summary)
9486 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9487 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9488 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9491 @kindex B p (Summary)
9492 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9493 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9494 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9495 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9496 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9497 article from your news server (or rather, from
9498 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9499 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9500 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9501 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9502 just not have arrived yet.
9505 @kindex K E (Summary)
9506 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9507 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9508 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9509 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9510 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9514 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9515 @cindex moving articles
9516 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9517 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9518 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9519 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9520 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9521 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9522 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9525 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9526 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9527 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9528 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9532 @node Various Summary Stuff
9533 @section Various Summary Stuff
9536 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9537 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9538 * Summary Generation Commands::
9539 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9543 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9544 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9545 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9547 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9548 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9549 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9550 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9551 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9552 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9555 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9556 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9557 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9558 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9559 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9561 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9562 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9563 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9566 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9567 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9568 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9569 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9570 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9571 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9572 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9573 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9574 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9575 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9577 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9578 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9579 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9580 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9581 list of articles to be selected.
9583 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9584 the list in one particular group:
9587 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9588 (if (string= group "some.group")
9589 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9593 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9594 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9595 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9596 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9597 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9598 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9599 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9600 buffers. For example:
9603 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9604 '(message-use-followup-to
9605 (gnus-visible-headers .
9606 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9612 @node Summary Group Information
9613 @subsection Summary Group Information
9618 @kindex H f (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9620 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9621 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9622 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9623 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9624 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9625 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9626 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9627 be used for fetching the file.
9630 @kindex H d (Summary)
9631 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9632 Give a brief description of the current group
9633 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9634 rereading the description from the server.
9637 @kindex H h (Summary)
9638 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9639 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9640 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9643 @kindex H i (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9645 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9649 @node Searching for Articles
9650 @subsection Searching for Articles
9655 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9656 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9657 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9658 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9661 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9662 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9663 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9664 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9668 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9669 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9670 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9671 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9672 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9673 search backward instead.
9675 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9676 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9679 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9680 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9681 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9682 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9685 @node Summary Generation Commands
9686 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9691 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9692 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9693 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9696 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9697 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9698 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9699 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9704 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9705 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9711 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9712 @kindex A D (Summary)
9713 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9714 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9715 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9716 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9717 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9718 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9719 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9720 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9724 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9725 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9726 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9727 several documents into one biiig group
9728 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9729 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9730 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9731 command understands the process/prefix convention
9732 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9735 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9736 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9737 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9738 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9739 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9740 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9744 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9745 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9746 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9749 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9750 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9751 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9752 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9755 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9756 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9757 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9758 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9763 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9764 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9765 @cindex summary exit
9766 @cindex exiting groups
9768 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9769 group and return you to the group buffer.
9775 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9777 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9778 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9779 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9780 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9781 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9782 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9783 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9784 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9785 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9786 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9787 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9791 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9793 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9794 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9795 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9799 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9801 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9802 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9803 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9804 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9807 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9808 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9809 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9810 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9813 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9814 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9815 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9816 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9819 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9820 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9821 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9822 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9823 all articles, both read and unread.
9827 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9828 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9829 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9830 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9831 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9832 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9833 articles, both read and unread.
9836 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9837 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9838 Exit the group and go to the next group
9839 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9842 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9843 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9844 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9845 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9848 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9849 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9850 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9851 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9852 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9853 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9856 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9857 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9858 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9859 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9861 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9862 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9863 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9864 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9865 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9866 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9867 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9868 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9869 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9870 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9871 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9872 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9874 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9876 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9877 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9878 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9879 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9880 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9881 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9882 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9883 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9884 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9887 @node Crosspost Handling
9888 @section Crosspost Handling
9892 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9893 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9894 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9895 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9896 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9897 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9900 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9901 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9902 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9903 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9904 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9906 @cindex cross-posting
9909 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9910 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9911 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9912 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9913 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9914 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9915 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9916 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9917 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9918 the cross reference mechanism.
9920 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9921 @cindex overview.fmt
9922 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9923 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9924 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9925 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9926 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9927 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9930 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9931 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9932 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9937 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9940 @node Duplicate Suppression
9941 @section Duplicate Suppression
9943 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9944 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9945 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9946 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9951 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9952 is evil and not very common.
9955 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9956 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9959 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9960 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9963 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9966 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9967 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9969 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9970 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9971 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9972 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9973 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9974 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9975 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9978 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9979 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9980 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9981 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9982 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9986 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9987 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9988 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9990 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9991 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9992 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9993 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9994 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9995 session are suppressed.
9997 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9998 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9999 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10000 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10002 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10003 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10004 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10005 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10008 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10009 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10010 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10011 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10012 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10013 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10014 to you to figure out, I think.
10019 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10020 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10021 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10025 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10026 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10029 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10030 or newer is recommended.
10034 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10035 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10038 @item mm-verify-option
10039 @vindex mm-verify-option
10040 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10041 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10042 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10044 @item mm-decrypt-option
10045 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10046 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10047 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10048 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10053 @section Mailing List
10055 @kindex A M (summary)
10056 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10057 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10058 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10059 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10060 summary buffer, or say:
10063 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10066 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10071 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10072 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10073 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10076 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10077 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10078 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10081 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10082 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10083 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10087 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10088 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10089 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10092 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10093 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10094 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10097 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10098 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10099 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10103 @node Article Buffer
10104 @chapter Article Buffer
10105 @cindex article buffer
10107 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10108 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10109 tell gnus otherwise.
10112 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10113 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10114 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10115 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10116 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10120 @node Hiding Headers
10121 @section Hiding Headers
10122 @cindex hiding headers
10123 @cindex deleting headers
10125 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10126 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10128 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10129 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10130 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10131 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10132 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10133 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10134 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10135 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10136 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10138 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10142 @item gnus-visible-headers
10143 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10144 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10145 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10146 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10148 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10149 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10152 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10155 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10158 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10159 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10160 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10161 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10162 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10163 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10165 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10166 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10169 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10172 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10175 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10176 variable will have no effect.
10180 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10181 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10182 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10183 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10184 the headers are to be displayed.
10186 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10187 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10190 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10193 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10194 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10196 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10197 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10198 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10199 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10200 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10201 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10202 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10205 These conditions are:
10208 Remove all empty headers.
10210 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10211 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10213 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10214 @code{From} header.
10216 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10219 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10220 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10222 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10225 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10227 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10230 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10233 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10234 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10237 This is also the default value for this variable.
10241 @section Using MIME
10244 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10245 while people stand around yawning.
10247 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10248 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10250 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10251 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10252 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10254 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10255 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10256 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10257 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10258 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10259 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10260 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10261 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10262 not existed yet, sorry).
10264 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10265 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10266 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10267 These can't be avoided.
10269 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10270 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10271 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10272 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10273 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10274 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10275 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10276 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10277 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10280 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10282 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10283 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10284 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10285 buffer when there are nobody else.
10287 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10290 @node Customizing Articles
10291 @section Customizing Articles
10292 @cindex article customization
10294 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10295 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10296 called automatically when you select the articles.
10298 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10299 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10300 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10301 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10303 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10304 for sensible values.
10308 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10311 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10314 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10317 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10320 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10324 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10325 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10326 regexps in the list.
10329 A list where the first element is not a string:
10331 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10332 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10333 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10337 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10341 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10346 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10347 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10348 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10349 considered to contain just a single part.
10351 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10352 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10353 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10354 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10355 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10356 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10357 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10359 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10360 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10361 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10362 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10365 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10366 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10368 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10370 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10371 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10372 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10373 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10374 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10375 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10376 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10377 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10378 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10379 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10380 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10382 @xref{Article Washing}.
10384 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10385 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10386 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10387 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10388 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10389 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10390 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10392 @xref{Article Date}.
10394 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10395 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10396 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10400 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10402 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10404 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10405 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10406 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10410 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10414 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10415 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10416 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10417 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10418 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10419 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10420 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10421 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10423 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10425 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10426 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10427 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10429 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10431 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10432 @item gnus-treat-translate
10433 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10435 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10436 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10437 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10438 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10440 @xref{Article Header}.
10445 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10446 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10447 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10448 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10449 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10453 @node Article Keymap
10454 @section Article Keymap
10456 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10457 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10458 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10459 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10462 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10467 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10468 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10469 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10472 @kindex DEL (Article)
10473 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10474 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10477 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10478 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10479 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10480 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10481 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10484 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10485 @findex gnus-article-mail
10486 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10487 given a prefix, include the mail.
10490 @kindex s (Article)
10491 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10492 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10493 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10496 @kindex ? (Article)
10497 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10498 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10499 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10502 @kindex TAB (Article)
10503 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10504 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10505 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10508 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10509 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10510 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10513 @kindex R (Article)
10514 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10515 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10516 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10517 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10521 @kindex F (Article)
10522 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10523 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10524 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10525 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10533 @section Misc Article
10537 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10538 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10539 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10540 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10543 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10544 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10546 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10547 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10549 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10550 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10551 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10552 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10553 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10554 the contents of the article buffer.
10556 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10557 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10558 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10560 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10561 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10562 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10563 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10565 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10566 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10567 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10568 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10569 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10575 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10576 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10577 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10582 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10585 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10588 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10589 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10590 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10593 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10596 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10599 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10604 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10608 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10610 @item gnus-break-pages
10611 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10612 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10613 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10614 paging will not be done.
10616 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10617 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10618 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10623 @node Composing Messages
10624 @chapter Composing Messages
10625 @cindex composing messages
10628 @cindex sending mail
10633 @cindex using s/mime
10634 @cindex using smime
10636 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10637 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10638 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10639 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10640 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10641 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10644 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10645 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10646 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10647 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10648 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10649 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10650 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10651 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10654 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10655 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10661 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10664 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10665 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10666 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10667 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10669 @item gnus-add-to-list
10670 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10671 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10672 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10674 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10675 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10676 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10677 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10678 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10683 @node Posting Server
10684 @section Posting Server
10686 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10687 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10689 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10691 It can be quite complicated.
10693 @vindex gnus-post-method
10694 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10695 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10696 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10697 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10698 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10699 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10700 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10701 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10702 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10705 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10708 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10709 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10710 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10711 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10713 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10714 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10716 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10717 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10720 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10721 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10723 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10724 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10725 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10726 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10727 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10728 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10729 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10730 package correctly. An example:
10733 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10734 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10737 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10738 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10739 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10741 @node Mail and Post
10742 @section Mail and Post
10744 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10748 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10749 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10750 @cindex mailing lists
10752 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10753 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10754 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10755 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10756 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10757 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10758 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10759 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10760 still a pain, though.
10764 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10765 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10766 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10769 @findex ispell-message
10771 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10774 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10775 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10778 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10782 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10783 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10785 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10788 Modify to suit your needs.
10791 @node Archived Messages
10792 @section Archived Messages
10793 @cindex archived messages
10794 @cindex sent messages
10796 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10797 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10798 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10799 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10802 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10803 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10806 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10807 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10808 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10811 (nnfolder "archive"
10812 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10813 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10814 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10815 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10818 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10819 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10820 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10821 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10824 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10825 '(nnfolder "archive"
10826 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10827 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10828 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10831 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10833 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10834 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10835 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10837 This variable can be used to do the following:
10842 Messages will be saved in that group.
10844 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10845 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10846 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10847 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10848 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10849 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10850 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10851 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10855 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10857 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10858 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10861 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10866 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10868 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10871 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10873 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10876 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10878 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10879 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10880 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10881 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10884 More complex stuff:
10886 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10887 '((if (message-news-p)
10892 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10893 messages in one file per month:
10896 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10897 '((if (message-news-p)
10899 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10902 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10903 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10905 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10906 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10907 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10908 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10909 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10910 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10911 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10912 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10913 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10914 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10916 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10917 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10918 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10919 this will disable archiving.
10922 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10923 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10924 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10925 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10926 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10929 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10930 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10931 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10934 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10935 but the latter is the preferred method.
10937 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10938 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10939 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10941 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10942 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10943 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
10944 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
10945 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
10946 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
10947 changed in the future.
10952 @node Posting Styles
10953 @section Posting Styles
10954 @cindex posting styles
10957 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10959 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10960 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10961 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10964 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10965 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10966 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10967 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10968 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10973 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10974 (organization "What me?"))
10976 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10977 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10978 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10981 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10982 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10983 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10984 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10985 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10986 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10987 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10988 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10990 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10991 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10992 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
10993 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
10994 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
10995 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
10996 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
10997 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
10998 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
11000 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11001 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11002 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11003 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11004 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11005 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11006 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11007 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11008 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11009 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11012 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11013 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11014 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11015 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11016 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11017 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11018 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11019 references chars lines xref extra.
11021 @vindex message-reply-headers
11023 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11024 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11025 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11027 @findex message-mail-p
11028 @findex message-news-p
11030 So here's a new example:
11033 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11035 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11037 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11038 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11040 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11041 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11042 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11043 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11044 (signature my-news-signature))
11045 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11046 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11047 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11048 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11049 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11050 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11051 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11052 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11053 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11054 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11056 (From (save-excursion
11057 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11058 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11060 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11063 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11064 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11065 if you fill many roles.
11072 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11073 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11074 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11075 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11076 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11078 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11079 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11080 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11081 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11082 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11086 @vindex nndraft-directory
11087 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11088 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11089 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11090 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11091 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11092 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11094 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11095 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11098 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11099 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11100 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11101 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11102 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11103 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11104 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11105 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11106 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11107 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11108 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11109 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11110 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11111 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11113 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11114 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11115 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11117 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11118 @kindex D e (Draft)
11119 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11120 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11121 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11123 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11126 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11127 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11128 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11129 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11130 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11131 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11132 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11135 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11136 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11137 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11140 @node Rejected Articles
11141 @section Rejected Articles
11142 @cindex rejected articles
11144 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11145 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11146 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11147 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11149 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11150 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11151 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11152 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11153 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11155 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11156 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11157 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11159 @node Signing and encrypting
11160 @section Signing and encrypting
11162 @cindex using s/mime
11163 @cindex using smime
11165 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11166 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11167 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11168 (@pxref{Security}).
11170 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11171 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11172 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11174 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11175 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11176 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11177 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11178 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11179 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11180 automatically encrypted messages.
11182 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11183 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11184 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11189 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11190 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11192 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11195 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11196 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11198 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11201 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11202 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11204 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11207 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11208 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11210 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11213 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11214 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11216 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11219 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11220 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11222 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11225 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11226 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11227 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11231 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11233 @node Select Methods
11234 @chapter Select Methods
11235 @cindex foreign groups
11236 @cindex select methods
11238 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11239 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11240 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11241 personal mail group.
11243 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11244 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11245 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11246 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11247 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11248 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11250 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11251 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11253 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11256 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11257 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11258 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11259 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11260 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11262 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11265 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11266 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11267 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11268 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11269 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11270 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11271 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11272 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11276 @node Server Buffer
11277 @section Server Buffer
11279 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11280 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11281 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11282 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11283 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11284 back end represents a virtual server.
11286 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11287 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11288 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11289 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11291 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11292 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11293 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11294 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11295 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11296 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11297 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11299 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11300 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11303 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11304 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11305 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11306 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11307 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11308 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11309 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11312 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11313 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11316 @node Server Buffer Format
11317 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11318 @cindex server buffer format
11320 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11321 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11322 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11323 variable, with some simple extensions:
11328 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11331 The name of this server.
11334 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11337 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11340 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11341 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11342 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11343 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11353 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11356 @node Server Commands
11357 @subsection Server Commands
11358 @cindex server commands
11364 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11365 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11369 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11370 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11373 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11374 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11375 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11379 @findex gnus-server-exit
11380 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11384 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11385 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11389 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11390 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11394 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11395 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11399 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11400 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11404 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11405 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11406 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11411 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11412 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11413 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11414 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11419 @node Example Methods
11420 @subsection Example Methods
11422 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11425 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11428 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11434 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11435 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11438 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11439 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11441 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11442 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11446 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11449 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11450 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11452 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11453 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11454 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11458 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11461 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11464 Here's the method for a public spool:
11468 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11469 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11475 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11476 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11477 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11478 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11479 should probably look something like this:
11483 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11484 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11485 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11486 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11489 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11490 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11491 configuration to the example above:
11494 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11497 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11499 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11500 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11501 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11505 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11506 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11507 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11508 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11511 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11512 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11513 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11514 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11517 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11518 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11520 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11521 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11523 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11524 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11525 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11527 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11529 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11530 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11531 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11532 will contain the following:
11542 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11543 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11544 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11547 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11548 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11549 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11552 @node Server Variables
11553 @subsection Server Variables
11555 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11556 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11557 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11558 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11559 won't change the "derived" variables.
11561 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11562 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11563 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11564 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11565 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11566 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11567 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11568 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11569 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11573 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11574 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11575 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11579 @node Servers and Methods
11580 @subsection Servers and Methods
11582 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11583 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11584 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11585 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11589 @node Unavailable Servers
11590 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11592 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11593 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11594 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11595 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11596 actually the case or not.
11598 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11599 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11600 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11601 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11602 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11603 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11604 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11605 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11607 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11608 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11610 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11611 with the following commands:
11617 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11618 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11619 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11623 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11624 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11625 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11629 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11630 Mark the current server as unreachable
11631 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11634 @kindex M-o (Server)
11635 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11636 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11637 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11640 @kindex M-c (Server)
11641 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11642 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11643 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11647 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11648 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11649 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11653 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11654 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11660 @section Getting News
11661 @cindex reading news
11662 @cindex news back ends
11664 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11665 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11666 or it can read from a local spool.
11669 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11670 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11678 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11679 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11680 server as the, uhm, address.
11682 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11683 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11684 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11685 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11687 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11688 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11689 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11691 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11696 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11697 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11698 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11700 @cindex authentification
11701 @cindex nntp authentification
11702 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11703 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11704 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11705 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11706 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11707 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11708 present in this hook.
11710 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11711 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11712 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11713 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11714 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11715 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11716 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11717 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11718 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11719 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11720 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11721 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11725 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11728 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11730 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11731 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11732 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11733 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11734 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11735 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11736 @samp{force} is explained below.
11740 Here's an example file:
11743 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11744 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11747 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11748 have to be first, for instance.
11750 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11751 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11752 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11753 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11754 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11755 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11756 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11758 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11759 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11765 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11766 previously mentioned.
11768 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11770 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11771 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11772 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11773 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11774 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11777 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11778 '(("innd" (ding))))
11781 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11783 The default value is
11786 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11787 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11788 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11791 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11792 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11794 @item nntp-maximum-request
11795 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11796 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11797 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11798 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11799 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11800 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11801 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11803 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11804 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11805 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11806 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11807 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11808 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11809 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11810 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11811 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11812 no timeouts are done.
11814 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11815 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11816 @c @cindex PPP connections
11817 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11818 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11819 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11820 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11821 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11822 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11823 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11824 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11825 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11826 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11828 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11829 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11830 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11831 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11832 @c described above.
11834 @item nntp-server-hook
11835 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11836 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11839 @item nntp-buggy-select
11840 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11841 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11843 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11844 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11845 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11846 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11849 @item nntp-xover-commands
11850 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11853 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11854 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11858 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11859 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11860 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11861 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11862 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11863 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11864 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11865 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11866 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11867 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11868 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11870 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11871 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11872 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11874 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11875 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11876 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11877 server closes connection.
11879 @item nntp-record-commands
11880 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11881 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11882 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11883 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11884 that doesn't seem to work.
11886 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11887 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11888 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11889 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11890 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11891 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11892 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11893 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11895 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11896 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11897 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11898 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11899 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11900 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11901 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11904 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11907 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11908 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11910 @item nntp-list-options
11911 @vindex nntp-list-options
11912 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11913 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11914 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11915 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11916 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11920 (setq gnus-select-method
11921 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11922 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11925 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11926 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11927 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11928 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11929 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11930 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11931 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11934 (setq gnus-select-method
11935 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11936 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11939 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11940 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11941 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11942 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11943 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11944 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11945 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11948 (setq gnus-select-method
11949 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11950 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11955 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11956 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11957 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11961 @node Direct Functions
11962 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11963 @cindex direct connection functions
11965 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11966 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11967 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11968 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11971 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11972 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11973 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11976 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11977 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11978 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11979 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11980 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11981 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11982 define a server as follows:
11985 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11987 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11989 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11990 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11991 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11992 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11995 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11996 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11997 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11998 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11999 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12000 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12001 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12002 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12006 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12007 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12008 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12011 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12012 session, which is not a good idea.
12016 @node Indirect Functions
12017 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12018 @cindex indirect connection functions
12020 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12021 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12022 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12023 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12024 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12025 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12028 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12029 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12030 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12031 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12032 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12034 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12037 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12038 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12039 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12040 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12042 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12043 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12044 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12045 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12046 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12047 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12048 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12049 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12052 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12053 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12054 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12055 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12057 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12060 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12061 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12062 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12065 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12066 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12067 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12068 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12070 @item nntp-via-user-password
12071 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12072 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12074 @item nntp-via-envuser
12075 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12076 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12077 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12078 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12080 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12081 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12082 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12083 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12090 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12095 @item nntp-via-user-name
12096 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12097 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12099 @item nntp-via-address
12100 @vindex nntp-via-address
12101 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12106 @node Common Variables
12107 @subsubsection Common Variables
12109 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12110 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12115 @item nntp-pre-command
12116 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12117 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12118 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12119 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12120 wrapper for instance.
12123 @vindex nntp-address
12124 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12126 @item nntp-port-number
12127 @vindex nntp-port-number
12128 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12130 @item nntp-end-of-line
12131 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12132 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12133 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12134 using a non native connection function.
12136 @item nntp-telnet-command
12137 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12138 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12139 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12140 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12142 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12143 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12144 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12151 @subsection News Spool
12155 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12156 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12157 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12160 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12161 anything else) as the address.
12163 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12164 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12165 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12166 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12170 @item nnspool-inews-program
12171 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12172 Program used to post an article.
12174 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12175 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12176 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12178 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12179 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12180 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12181 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12183 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12184 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12185 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12186 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12188 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12189 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12190 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12192 @item nnspool-active-file
12193 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12194 The path to the active file.
12196 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12197 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12198 The path to the group descriptions file.
12200 @item nnspool-history-file
12201 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12202 The path to the news history file.
12204 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12205 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12206 The path to the active date file.
12208 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12209 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12210 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12213 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12214 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12216 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12217 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12218 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12224 @section Getting Mail
12225 @cindex reading mail
12228 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12232 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12233 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12234 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12235 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12236 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12237 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12238 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12239 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12240 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12241 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12242 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12243 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12244 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12248 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12249 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12251 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12252 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12253 of a culture shock.
12255 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12256 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12258 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12259 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12260 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12261 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12263 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12265 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12266 deleted? How awful!
12268 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12269 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12270 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12271 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12274 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12275 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12276 they want to treat a message.
12278 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12279 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12280 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12281 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12282 archived somewhere else.
12284 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12285 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12286 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12287 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12288 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12290 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12291 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12292 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12294 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12295 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12298 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12299 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12300 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12301 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12302 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12304 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12305 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12306 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12307 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12308 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12309 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12313 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12314 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12316 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12317 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12318 and things will happen automatically.
12320 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12321 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12324 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12327 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12328 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12329 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12330 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12331 like any other group.
12333 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12336 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12337 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12338 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12342 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12343 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12344 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12347 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12348 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12349 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12352 @node Splitting Mail
12353 @subsection Splitting Mail
12354 @cindex splitting mail
12355 @cindex mail splitting
12357 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12358 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12359 to be split into groups.
12362 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12363 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12364 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12365 ("mail.other" "")))
12368 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12369 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12370 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12371 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12372 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12373 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12374 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12377 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12380 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12381 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12382 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12383 mail belongs in that group.
12385 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12386 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12387 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12388 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12389 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12390 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12392 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12393 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12394 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12395 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12396 thinks should carry this mail message.
12398 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12399 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12400 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12401 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12403 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12404 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12405 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12406 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12407 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12409 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12412 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12413 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12414 links. If that's the case for you, set
12415 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12416 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12418 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12419 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12420 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12421 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12422 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12423 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12426 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12427 Header lines longer than the value of
12428 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12431 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12432 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12433 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12434 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12435 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12436 can be turned off completely by binding
12437 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12438 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12440 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12441 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12442 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12443 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12444 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12445 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12446 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12447 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12448 month's rent money.
12452 @subsection Mail Sources
12454 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12455 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12459 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12460 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12461 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12465 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12466 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12468 @cindex mail server
12471 @cindex mail source
12473 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12474 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12479 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12482 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12483 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12484 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12487 The following mail source types are available:
12491 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12497 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12498 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12501 An example file mail source:
12504 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12507 Or using the default path:
12513 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12514 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12515 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12518 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12522 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12525 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12529 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12532 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12534 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12537 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12541 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12542 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12543 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12544 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12545 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12546 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12547 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12548 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12554 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12558 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12562 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12563 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12564 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12565 predicate are considered.
12569 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12573 An example directory mail source:
12576 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12581 Get mail from a POP server.
12587 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12588 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12591 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12592 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12593 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12594 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12595 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12598 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12602 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12606 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12607 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12610 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12613 The valid format specifier characters are:
12617 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12618 included in this string.
12621 The name of the server.
12624 The port number of the server.
12627 The user name to use.
12630 The password to use.
12633 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12634 corresponding keywords.
12637 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12638 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12641 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12642 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12645 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12646 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12649 @item :authentication
12650 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12651 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12655 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12656 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12657 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12658 programs and libraries:
12662 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12663 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12664 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12666 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12667 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12672 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12673 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12677 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12678 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12680 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12681 default user name, and default fetcher:
12687 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12690 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12691 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12694 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12697 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12701 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12702 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12703 contains exactly one mail.
12709 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12710 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12713 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12714 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12716 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12717 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12718 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12721 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12722 from locking problems).
12726 Two example maildir mail sources:
12729 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12730 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12734 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12739 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12740 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12741 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12742 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12745 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12746 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12752 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12753 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12756 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12757 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12760 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12764 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12768 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12769 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12770 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12771 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12773 @item :authentication
12774 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12775 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12776 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12777 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12780 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12781 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12782 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12788 The valid format specifier characters are:
12792 The name of the server.
12795 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12798 The port number of the server.
12801 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12802 corresponding keywords.
12805 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12806 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12809 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12810 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12811 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12812 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12813 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12814 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12817 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12818 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12819 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12820 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12823 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12824 after finishing the fetch.
12828 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12831 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12833 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12837 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12838 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12839 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
12841 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12842 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12844 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
12850 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12851 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12854 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12858 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12862 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12863 folder after finishing the fetch.
12867 An example webmail source:
12870 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12872 :password "secret")
12877 @item Common Keywords
12878 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12884 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12885 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12889 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12894 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12895 useful when you use local mail and news.
12900 @subsubsection Function Interface
12902 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12903 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12904 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12905 consider the following mail-source setting:
12908 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12909 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12912 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12913 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12914 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12915 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12916 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12918 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12921 @node Mail Source Customization
12922 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12924 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12925 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12929 @item mail-source-crash-box
12930 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12931 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12932 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12934 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12935 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12936 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12938 @item mail-source-directory
12939 @vindex mail-source-directory
12940 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12941 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12942 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12945 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12946 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12947 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12948 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12949 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12950 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12952 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12953 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12954 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12956 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12957 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12958 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12959 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12964 @node Fetching Mail
12965 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12967 @vindex mail-sources
12968 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12969 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12970 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12971 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12973 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12974 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12977 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12978 mail server, you'd say something like:
12983 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12984 :password "secret")))
12987 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12991 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12992 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12995 :password "secret")))
12999 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13000 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13001 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13002 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13003 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13004 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13008 @node Mail Back End Variables
13009 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13011 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13015 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13016 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13017 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13018 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13020 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13021 @item nnmail-split-hook
13022 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13023 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13024 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13025 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13026 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13027 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13028 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13029 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13030 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13033 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13034 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13035 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13036 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13037 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13038 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13039 starting to handle the new mail) and
13040 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13041 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13042 default file modes the new mail files get:
13045 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13046 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13048 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13049 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13052 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13053 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13054 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13055 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13056 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13057 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13058 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13060 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13061 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13062 @findex delete-file
13063 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13065 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13066 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13067 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13068 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13069 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13071 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13072 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13073 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13074 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13075 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13077 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13078 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13079 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13084 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13085 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13086 @cindex mail splitting
13087 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13089 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13090 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13091 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13092 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13093 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13094 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13096 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13099 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13100 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13101 ;; from real errors.
13102 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13104 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13105 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13106 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13107 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13108 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13109 ;; Other mailing lists...
13110 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13111 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13112 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13113 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13114 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13115 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13116 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13117 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13119 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13120 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13124 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13125 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13126 the five possible split syntaxes:
13131 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13132 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13136 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13137 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13138 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13139 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13140 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13141 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13142 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13143 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13146 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13147 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13148 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13149 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13152 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13153 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13156 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13157 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13160 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13161 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13162 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13163 function should return a @var{split}.
13166 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13167 body of the messages:
13170 (defun split-on-body ()
13172 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13173 (goto-char (point-min))
13174 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13178 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13179 when the @code{:} function is run.
13182 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13183 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13184 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13188 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13192 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13193 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13194 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13195 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13196 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13198 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13199 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13200 are expanded as specified by the variable
13201 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13202 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13205 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13206 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13207 when all this splitting is performed.
13209 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13210 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13211 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13214 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13217 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13218 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13220 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13221 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13222 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13223 groupings 1 through 9.
13225 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13226 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13227 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13228 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13229 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13230 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13231 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13232 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13233 it once per thread.
13235 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13236 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13237 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13240 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13241 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13243 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13244 ;; other splits go here
13248 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13249 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13250 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13251 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13252 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13253 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13254 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13255 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13256 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13257 unless the group name matches the regexp
13258 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13259 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13260 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13261 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13262 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13263 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13264 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13265 messages goes into the new group.
13267 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13268 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13269 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13270 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13271 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13275 @node Group Mail Splitting
13276 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13277 @cindex mail splitting
13278 @cindex group mail splitting
13280 @findex gnus-group-split
13281 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13282 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13283 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13284 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13285 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13286 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13287 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13288 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13290 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13291 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13292 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13293 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13295 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13296 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13297 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13298 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13299 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13300 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13301 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13303 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13304 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13305 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13306 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13307 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13308 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13309 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13311 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13312 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13313 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13314 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13315 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13316 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13317 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13318 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13319 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13320 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13321 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13322 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13323 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13325 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13330 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13331 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13333 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13334 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13335 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13336 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13338 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13341 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13342 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13343 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13346 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13347 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13348 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13352 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13353 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13354 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13358 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13361 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13362 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13363 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13364 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13365 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13366 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13367 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13368 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13369 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13371 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13372 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13373 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13374 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13375 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13376 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13377 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13378 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13379 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13381 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13382 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13383 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13384 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13385 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13386 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13389 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13392 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13393 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13394 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13395 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13396 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13399 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13400 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13401 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13402 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13404 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13405 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13406 @cindex incorporating old mail
13407 @cindex import old mail
13409 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13410 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13411 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13414 Doing so can be quite easy.
13416 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13417 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13418 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13419 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13420 your @code{nnml} groups.
13426 Go to the group buffer.
13429 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13430 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13433 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13436 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13437 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13440 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13441 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13444 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13445 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13446 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13447 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13448 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13450 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13451 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13452 using the new mail back end.
13455 @node Expiring Mail
13456 @subsection Expiring Mail
13457 @cindex article expiry
13459 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13460 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13461 different approach to mail reading.
13463 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13464 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13465 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13466 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13467 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13468 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13471 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13472 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13473 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13474 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13475 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13476 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13477 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13478 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13480 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13481 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13482 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13483 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13484 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13485 column in the summary buffer.
13487 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13488 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13489 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13490 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13493 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13495 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13496 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13497 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13500 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13501 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13502 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13503 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13504 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13506 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13507 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13510 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13511 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13514 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13515 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13517 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13518 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13519 don't really mix very well.
13521 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13522 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13523 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13524 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13527 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13528 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13529 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13530 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13533 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13535 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13537 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13539 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13541 ((string= group "important")
13547 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13548 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13550 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13551 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13552 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13555 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13556 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13558 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13559 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13560 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13561 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13562 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13563 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13564 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13565 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13566 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13567 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13568 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13569 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13570 name or @code{delete}.
13572 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13574 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13577 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13578 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13579 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13580 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13581 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13584 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13585 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13586 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13587 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13588 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13591 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13592 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13593 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13594 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13595 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13596 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13598 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13599 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13600 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13601 easier for procmail users.
13603 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13604 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13605 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13606 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13607 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13608 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13609 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13610 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13611 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13612 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13613 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13614 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13615 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13618 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13620 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13621 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13622 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13623 auto-expire turned on.
13627 @subsection Washing Mail
13628 @cindex mail washing
13629 @cindex list server brain damage
13630 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13632 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13633 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13634 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13635 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13636 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13637 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13639 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13640 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13641 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13644 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13645 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13646 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13647 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13650 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13651 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13652 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13653 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13654 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13657 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13658 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13659 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13660 Emacs running on MS machines.
13664 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13665 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13666 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13667 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13670 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13671 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13672 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13673 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13675 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13676 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13677 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13678 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13679 into a feature by documenting it.)
13681 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13682 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13683 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13684 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13685 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13686 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13687 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13690 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13691 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13694 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13695 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13698 This can also be done non-destructively with
13699 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13701 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13702 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13703 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13705 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13706 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13708 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13709 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13710 @code{References} headers.
13714 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13715 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13716 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13720 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13721 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13722 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13729 @subsection Duplicates
13731 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13732 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13733 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13734 @cindex duplicate mails
13735 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13736 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13737 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13738 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13739 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13740 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13741 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13742 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13743 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13744 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13745 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13746 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13747 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13749 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13750 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13751 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13752 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13754 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13757 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13758 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13762 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13763 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13764 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13765 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13766 (any mail "mail.misc")
13773 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13774 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13779 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13780 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13781 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13782 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13783 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13786 @node Not Reading Mail
13787 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13789 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13790 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13791 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13793 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13794 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13795 mail, which should help.
13797 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13798 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13799 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13800 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13801 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13802 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13803 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13804 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13805 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13806 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13807 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13809 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13810 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13814 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13815 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13817 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13818 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13819 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13821 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13822 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13823 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13824 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13825 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13826 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13827 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13830 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13831 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13832 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13833 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13834 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13835 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13839 @node Unix Mail Box
13840 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13842 @cindex unix mail box
13844 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13845 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13846 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13847 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13848 which group it belongs in.
13850 Virtual server settings:
13853 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13854 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13855 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13858 @item nnmbox-active-file
13859 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13860 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13861 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13863 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13864 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13865 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13866 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13871 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13875 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13876 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13877 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13878 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13879 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13881 Virtual server settings:
13884 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13885 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13886 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13888 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13889 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13890 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13891 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13893 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13894 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13895 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13901 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13903 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13905 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13906 format. It should be used with some caution.
13908 @vindex nnml-directory
13909 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13910 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13911 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13912 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13914 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13917 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13918 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13919 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13920 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13921 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13922 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13923 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13924 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13926 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13927 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13928 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13929 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13931 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13933 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13934 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13935 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13936 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13937 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13938 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13939 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13940 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13943 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13944 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13945 them next time it starts.
13947 Virtual server settings:
13950 @item nnml-directory
13951 @vindex nnml-directory
13952 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13953 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13956 @item nnml-active-file
13957 @vindex nnml-active-file
13958 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13959 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13961 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13962 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13963 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13964 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13966 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13967 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13968 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13971 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13972 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13973 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13974 default is @code{nil}.
13976 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13977 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13978 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13980 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13981 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13982 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13984 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13985 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13986 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13987 default is @code{nil}.
13989 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13990 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13991 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13993 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
13994 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
13995 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14000 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14001 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14002 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14003 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14004 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14005 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14006 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14011 @subsubsection MH Spool
14013 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14015 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14016 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14017 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14018 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14020 Virtual server settings:
14023 @item nnmh-directory
14024 @vindex nnmh-directory
14025 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14026 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14029 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14030 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14031 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14035 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14036 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14037 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14038 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14039 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14040 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14041 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14046 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14048 @cindex mbox folders
14049 @cindex mail folders
14051 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14052 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14053 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14056 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14058 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14059 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14060 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14061 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14062 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14063 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14064 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14065 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14066 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14067 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14069 Virtual server settings:
14072 @item nnfolder-directory
14073 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14074 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14075 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14078 @item nnfolder-active-file
14079 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14080 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14082 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14083 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14084 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14085 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14087 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14088 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14089 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14092 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14093 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14094 @cindex backup files
14095 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14096 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14097 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14098 your @file{.emacs} file:
14101 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14102 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14104 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14107 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14108 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14109 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14110 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14111 extract some information from it before removing it.
14113 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14114 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14115 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14116 default is @code{nil}.
14118 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14119 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14120 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14122 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14123 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14124 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14125 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14127 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14128 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14129 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14130 default is @code{nil}.
14132 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14133 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14134 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14136 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14137 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14138 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14139 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14144 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14145 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14146 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14147 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14148 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14149 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14152 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14153 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14155 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14156 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14157 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14158 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14159 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14161 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14162 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14163 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14164 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14165 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14166 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14167 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14168 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14171 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14172 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14173 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14174 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14179 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14180 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14181 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14182 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14183 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14184 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14185 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14186 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14187 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14188 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14189 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14190 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14191 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14196 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14197 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14198 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14199 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14200 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14201 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14202 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14203 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14204 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14205 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14206 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14207 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14208 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14209 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14211 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14212 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14217 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14218 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14219 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14220 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14221 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14222 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14223 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14224 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14225 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14226 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14227 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14228 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14229 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14230 provided by the active file and overviews.
14232 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14233 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14234 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14235 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14236 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14239 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14240 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14245 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14246 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14247 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14248 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14249 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14250 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14251 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14255 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14256 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14257 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14258 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14259 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14260 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14261 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14262 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14263 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14265 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14266 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14267 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14268 friendly mail back end all over.
14272 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14273 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14274 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14275 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14276 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14277 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14278 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14279 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14282 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14283 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14284 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14285 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14286 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14287 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14288 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14289 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14290 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14291 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14292 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14294 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14295 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14296 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14297 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14298 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14299 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14300 This will probably be changed in the future.
14302 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14303 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14304 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14305 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14306 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14309 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14310 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14312 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14313 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14314 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14315 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14316 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14317 would) to make it use less memory.
14319 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14320 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14321 depending in part on your filesystem.
14323 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14324 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14329 @node Browsing the Web
14330 @section Browsing the Web
14332 @cindex browsing the web
14336 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14337 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14338 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14339 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14340 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14341 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14342 even know what a news group is.
14344 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14345 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14346 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14347 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14348 you mad in the end.
14350 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14353 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14354 interfaces to these sources.
14358 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14359 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14360 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14361 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14362 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14363 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14366 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14368 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14369 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14370 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14371 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14372 though, you should be ok.
14374 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14375 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14376 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14377 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14378 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14380 @node Archiving Mail
14381 @subsection Archiving Mail
14382 @cindex archiving mail
14383 @cindex backup of mail
14385 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14386 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14387 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14388 marks is fairly simple.
14390 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14391 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14394 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14395 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14396 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14397 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14398 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14399 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14400 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14401 before you restore the data.
14403 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14404 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14405 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14406 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14407 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14408 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14409 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14410 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14411 is unnecessary in that case.
14414 @subsection Web Searches
14419 @cindex Usenet searches
14420 @cindex searching the Usenet
14422 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14423 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14424 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14425 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14426 searches without having to use a browser.
14428 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14429 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14430 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14431 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14432 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14434 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14435 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14436 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14437 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14438 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14439 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14440 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14441 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14442 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14443 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14446 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14447 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14448 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14449 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14450 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14451 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14453 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14454 to use @code{nnweb}.
14456 Virtual server variables:
14461 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14462 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14463 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14466 @vindex nnweb-search
14467 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14469 @item nnweb-max-hits
14470 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14471 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14474 @item nnweb-type-definition
14475 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14476 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14477 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14482 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14486 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14489 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14492 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14496 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14503 @subsection Slashdot
14507 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14508 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14509 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14511 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14512 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14515 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14516 '((nnslashdot "")))
14519 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14520 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14521 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14522 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14523 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14526 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14527 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14529 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14530 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14531 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14532 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14533 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14534 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14537 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14540 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14541 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14542 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14543 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14544 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14545 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14546 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14548 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14549 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14550 The login name to use when posting.
14552 @item nnslashdot-password
14553 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14554 The password to use when posting.
14556 @item nnslashdot-directory
14557 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14558 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14559 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14561 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14562 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14563 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14564 news articles and comments. The default is
14565 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14567 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14568 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14569 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14571 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14573 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14574 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14575 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14577 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14579 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14580 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14581 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14583 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14584 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14585 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14586 updated. The default is 0.
14593 @subsection Ultimate
14595 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14597 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14598 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14599 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14600 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14602 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14603 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14604 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14605 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14606 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14607 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14608 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14610 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14613 @item nnultimate-directory
14614 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14615 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14616 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14621 @subsection Web Archive
14623 @cindex Web Archive
14625 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14626 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14627 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14628 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14631 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14632 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14633 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14634 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14635 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14636 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14637 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14639 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14642 @item nnwarchive-directory
14643 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14644 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14645 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14647 @item nnwarchive-login
14648 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14649 The account name on the web server.
14651 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14652 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14653 The password for your account on the web server.
14661 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14662 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14663 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14666 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14667 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14670 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14673 @item nnrss-directory
14674 @vindex nnrss-directory
14675 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14676 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14680 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14681 the summary buffer.
14684 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14685 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14687 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14689 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14690 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14693 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14696 (require 'browse-url)
14698 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14700 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14703 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14704 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14706 (browse-url (cdr url))
14707 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14709 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14710 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14711 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14712 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14715 @node Customizing w3
14716 @subsection Customizing w3
14722 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14723 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14724 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14726 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14727 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14728 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14731 (eval-after-load "w3"
14733 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14734 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14735 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14736 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14738 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14741 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14742 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14751 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14752 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14753 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14754 specify the network address of the server.
14756 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14757 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14758 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14759 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14760 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14762 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14763 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14764 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14765 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14767 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14768 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14769 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14770 usage explained in this section.
14772 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14773 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14774 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14777 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14778 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14779 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14781 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14782 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14783 ; a UW server running on localhost
14785 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14786 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14787 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14788 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14789 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14790 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14791 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14792 (nnimap-stream network))
14793 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14795 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14796 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14797 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14800 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14805 @item nnimap-address
14806 @vindex nnimap-address
14808 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14809 server name if not specified.
14811 @item nnimap-server-port
14812 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14813 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14815 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14818 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14819 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14822 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14823 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14824 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14825 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14826 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14827 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14828 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14830 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14831 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14832 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14835 Example server specification:
14838 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14839 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14840 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14843 @item nnimap-stream
14844 @vindex nnimap-stream
14845 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14846 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14847 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14848 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14850 Example server specification:
14853 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14854 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14857 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14861 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14862 @samp{imtest} program.
14864 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14866 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14867 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14870 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14871 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14872 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14874 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14876 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14879 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14880 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14881 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14882 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14883 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14884 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14885 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14886 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14887 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14890 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14891 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14892 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14893 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14894 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14895 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14896 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14897 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14898 distribution, for instance).
14900 @vindex imap-shell-program
14901 @vindex imap-shell-host
14902 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14903 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14905 @item nnimap-authenticator
14906 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14908 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14909 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14911 Example server specification:
14914 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14915 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14918 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14922 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14923 external program @code{imtest}.
14925 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14928 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14929 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14931 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14933 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14935 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14938 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14940 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14941 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14942 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14943 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14944 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14945 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
14948 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14949 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14950 running in circles yet?
14952 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14953 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14956 The possible options are:
14961 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14964 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14965 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14966 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14967 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14969 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14974 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14975 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14977 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
14978 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
14979 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
14980 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
14981 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
14984 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14985 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14988 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14989 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14990 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14991 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14994 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14995 as ticked for other users.
14997 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14999 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15001 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15002 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15003 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15004 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15006 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15007 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15008 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15009 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15011 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15012 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15014 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15015 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15016 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15022 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15023 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15024 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15029 @node Splitting in IMAP
15030 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15031 @cindex splitting imap mail
15033 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15034 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15035 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15036 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15037 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15041 Here are the variables of interest:
15045 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15046 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15048 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15050 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15051 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15053 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15055 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15056 @cindex splitting, inbox
15058 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15060 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15061 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15065 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15066 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15069 No nnmail equivalent.
15071 @item nnimap-split-rule
15072 @cindex Splitting, rules
15073 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15075 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15078 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15079 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15080 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15081 Neither did I, we need examples.
15084 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15086 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15087 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15088 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15091 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15092 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15093 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15095 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15096 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15100 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15103 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15104 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15105 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15106 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15108 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15109 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15110 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15111 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15112 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15113 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15115 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15116 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15117 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15119 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15120 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15121 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15123 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15125 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15126 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15127 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15130 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15131 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15132 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15133 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15134 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15135 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15138 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15139 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15140 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15141 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15142 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15143 group/function elements.
15145 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15147 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15149 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15151 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15152 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15154 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15155 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15156 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15159 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15160 @cindex splitting, fancy
15161 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15162 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15164 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15165 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15166 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15168 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15169 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15170 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15171 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15176 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15177 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15180 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15184 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15185 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15186 @cindex editing imap acls
15187 @cindex Access Control Lists
15188 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15190 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15192 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15193 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15194 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15197 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15198 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15199 editing window with detailed instructions.
15201 Some possible uses:
15205 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15206 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15207 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15209 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15210 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15211 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15215 @node Expunging mailboxes
15216 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15220 @cindex Manual expunging
15222 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15224 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15225 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15226 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15228 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15233 @node Other Sources
15234 @section Other Sources
15236 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15237 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15241 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15242 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15243 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15244 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15245 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15249 @node Directory Groups
15250 @subsection Directory Groups
15252 @cindex directory groups
15254 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15255 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15258 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15259 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15260 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15261 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15263 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15264 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15265 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15266 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15267 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15269 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15271 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15272 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15273 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15274 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15277 @node Anything Groups
15278 @subsection Anything Groups
15281 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15282 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15283 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15286 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15287 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15288 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15289 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15290 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15291 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15292 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15293 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15294 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15295 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15298 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15299 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15300 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15301 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15303 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15304 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15305 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15306 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15308 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15309 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15310 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15311 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15312 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15313 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15314 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15315 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15320 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15321 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15322 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15323 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15325 @item nneething-exclude-files
15326 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15327 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15328 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15330 @item nneething-include-files
15331 @vindex nneething-include-files
15332 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15333 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15335 @item nneething-map-file
15336 @vindex nneething-map-file
15337 Name of the map files.
15341 @node Document Groups
15342 @subsection Document Groups
15344 @cindex documentation group
15347 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15348 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15355 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15360 The standard Unix mbox file.
15362 @cindex MMDF mail box
15364 The MMDF mail box format.
15367 Several news articles appended into a file.
15370 @cindex rnews batch files
15371 The rnews batch transport format.
15372 @cindex forwarded messages
15375 Forwarded articles.
15378 Netscape mail boxes.
15381 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15383 @item standard-digest
15384 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15387 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15389 @item lanl-gov-announce
15390 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15392 @item rfc822-forward
15393 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15396 The Outlook mail box.
15399 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15402 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15405 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15408 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15414 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15417 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15423 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15424 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15425 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15428 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15429 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15430 group. And that's it.
15432 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15433 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15434 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15435 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15436 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15437 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15438 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15439 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15440 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15441 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15443 Virtual server variables:
15446 @item nndoc-article-type
15447 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15448 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15449 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15450 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15451 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15452 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15454 @item nndoc-post-type
15455 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15456 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15457 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15462 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15466 @node Document Server Internals
15467 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15469 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15470 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15471 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15472 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15474 First, here's an example document type definition:
15478 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15479 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15482 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15483 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15484 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15485 types can be defined with very few settings:
15488 @item first-article
15489 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15490 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15493 @item article-begin
15494 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15495 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15497 @item head-begin-function
15498 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15501 @item nndoc-head-begin
15502 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15505 @item nndoc-head-end
15506 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15507 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15509 @item body-begin-function
15510 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15514 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15517 @item body-end-function
15518 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15522 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15525 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15526 regexp will be totally ignored.
15530 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15531 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15532 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15533 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15534 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15537 @item prepare-body-function
15538 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15539 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15540 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15542 @item article-transform-function
15543 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15544 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15545 body of the article.
15547 @item generate-head-function
15548 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15549 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15550 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15551 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15555 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15560 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15561 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15562 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15563 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15564 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15565 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15566 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15567 (subtype digest guess))
15570 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15571 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15572 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15573 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15574 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15576 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15577 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15578 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15579 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15580 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
15581 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15582 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15583 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15584 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15585 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15593 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15594 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15595 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15597 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15598 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15599 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15602 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15603 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15604 that interested in doing things properly.
15606 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15607 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15610 First some terminology:
15615 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15616 get news and/or mail from.
15619 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15620 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15623 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15627 @item message packets
15628 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15629 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15630 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15632 @item response packets
15633 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15634 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15635 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15645 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15646 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15647 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15648 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15651 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15654 You put the packet in your home directory.
15657 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15658 the native or secondary server.
15661 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15662 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15665 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15669 You transfer this packet to the server.
15672 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15675 You then repeat until you die.
15679 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15680 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15683 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15684 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15685 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15689 @node SOUP Commands
15690 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15692 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15696 @kindex G s b (Group)
15697 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15698 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15699 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15700 process/prefix convention.
15703 @kindex G s w (Group)
15704 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15705 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15708 @kindex G s s (Group)
15709 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15710 Send all replies from the replies packet
15711 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15714 @kindex G s p (Group)
15715 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15716 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15719 @kindex G s r (Group)
15720 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15721 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15724 @kindex O s (Summary)
15725 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15726 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15727 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15728 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15733 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15738 @item gnus-soup-directory
15739 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15740 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15741 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15743 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15744 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15745 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15746 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15748 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15749 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15750 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15751 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15753 @item gnus-soup-packer
15754 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15755 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15756 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15758 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15759 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15760 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15761 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15763 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15764 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15765 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15767 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15768 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15769 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15770 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15776 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
15779 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15780 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15781 you can read them at leisure.
15783 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15787 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15788 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15789 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15790 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15792 @item nnsoup-directory
15793 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15794 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15795 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15797 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15798 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15799 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15800 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15802 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15803 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15804 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15805 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15806 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15808 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15809 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15810 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15811 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15813 @item nnsoup-active-file
15814 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15815 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15816 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15817 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15818 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15820 @item nnsoup-packer
15821 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15822 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15823 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15825 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15826 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15827 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15828 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15830 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15831 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15832 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15835 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15836 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15837 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15840 @item nnsoup-always-save
15841 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15842 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15848 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15850 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15851 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15852 more for that to happen.
15854 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15855 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15856 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15859 In specific, this is what it does:
15862 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15863 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15866 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15867 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15868 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15871 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15872 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15873 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15876 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15877 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15878 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15880 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15886 @item nngateway-address
15887 @vindex nngateway-address
15888 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15890 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15891 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15892 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15893 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15894 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15895 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15896 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15899 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15900 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15901 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15904 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15907 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
15910 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15913 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15915 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15918 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15919 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15920 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15922 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15924 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15925 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15926 @code{nngateway-address}.
15931 (setq gnus-post-method
15933 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15934 (nngateway-header-transformation
15935 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15943 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15946 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15951 @node Combined Groups
15952 @section Combined Groups
15954 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15958 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15959 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15963 @node Virtual Groups
15964 @subsection Virtual Groups
15966 @cindex virtual groups
15967 @cindex merging groups
15969 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15972 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15973 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15974 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15976 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15977 regexp to match component groups.
15979 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15980 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15981 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15982 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15983 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15984 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15985 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15986 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15988 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15989 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15992 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15995 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15996 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15998 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15999 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16000 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16001 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16004 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16007 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16008 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16009 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16011 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16012 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16013 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16014 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16015 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16017 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16018 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16019 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16021 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16022 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16023 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16024 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16025 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16026 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16027 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16028 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16029 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16030 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16031 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16033 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16034 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16035 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16036 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16037 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16038 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16039 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16041 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16042 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16044 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16045 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16049 @node Kibozed Groups
16050 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16054 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16055 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16056 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16057 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16059 @kindex G k (Group)
16060 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16063 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16064 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16065 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16066 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16068 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16069 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16070 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16072 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16073 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16074 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16075 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16076 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16077 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16078 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16079 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16081 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16082 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16083 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16084 Stranger things have happened.
16086 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16087 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16089 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16090 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16091 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16092 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16093 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16094 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16096 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16097 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16100 @node Gnus Unplugged
16101 @section Gnus Unplugged
16106 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16108 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16109 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16110 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16111 read news. Believe it or not.
16113 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16114 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16115 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16116 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16117 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16119 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16120 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16121 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16122 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16123 reading news on a machine.
16125 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
16129 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
16130 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
16134 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
16138 (setq gnus-agent t)
16142 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16144 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16147 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16148 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16149 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16150 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16151 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16152 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16153 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16154 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16155 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16156 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16161 @subsection Agent Basics
16163 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16165 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16166 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16167 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16168 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16170 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16171 connected to the net continuously.
16173 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16174 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16176 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16181 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16182 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16183 already fetched while in this mode.
16186 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16187 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16188 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16189 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16190 Source Specifiers}).
16193 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16194 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16195 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16196 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16197 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16200 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16201 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16202 then you read the news offline.
16205 And then you go to step 2.
16208 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16214 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16215 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16216 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16217 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16218 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16219 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16222 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16229 @node Agent Categories
16230 @subsection Agent Categories
16232 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16233 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16234 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16235 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16236 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16237 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16238 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16240 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16241 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16242 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16243 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16244 managing categories.
16247 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16248 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16249 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16253 @node Category Syntax
16254 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16256 A category consists of two things.
16260 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16261 are eligible for downloading; and
16264 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16265 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16266 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16269 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16270 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16271 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16272 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16274 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16275 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16276 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16278 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16279 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16280 operators sprinkled in between.
16282 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16284 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16285 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16291 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16292 short (for some value of ``short'').
16294 Here's a more complex predicate:
16303 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16304 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16307 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16308 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16309 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16311 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16312 you want to do, you can write your own.
16316 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16317 lines; default 100.
16320 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16321 lines; default 200.
16324 True iff the article has a download score less than
16325 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16328 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16329 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16332 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16333 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16334 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16343 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16344 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16345 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16348 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16349 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16350 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16351 something along the lines of the following:
16354 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16355 "Say whether an article is old."
16356 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16357 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16360 with the predicate then defined as:
16363 (not my-article-old-p)
16366 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16367 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16371 (require 'gnus-agent)
16372 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16373 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16374 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16377 and simply specify your predicate as:
16383 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16384 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16385 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16386 just don't give a damn.
16388 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16389 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16390 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16391 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16392 parameters like so:
16395 (agent-predicate . short)
16398 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16399 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16400 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16402 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16405 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16408 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16409 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16410 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16413 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16414 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16415 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16416 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16417 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16418 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16420 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16421 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16422 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16423 if it's to be specific to that group.
16425 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16432 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16433 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16439 Category specification
16443 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16449 Group Parameter specification
16452 (agent-score ("from"
16453 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16458 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16464 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16471 Category specification
16474 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16480 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16484 Group Parameter specification
16487 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16490 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16495 Use @code{normal} score files
16497 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16498 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16499 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16500 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16502 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16503 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16504 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16505 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16509 Category Specification
16516 Group Parameter specification
16519 (agent-score . file)
16524 @node Category Buffer
16525 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16527 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16528 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16529 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16531 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16535 @kindex q (Category)
16536 @findex gnus-category-exit
16537 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16540 @kindex k (Category)
16541 @findex gnus-category-kill
16542 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16545 @kindex c (Category)
16546 @findex gnus-category-copy
16547 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16550 @kindex a (Category)
16551 @findex gnus-category-add
16552 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16555 @kindex p (Category)
16556 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16557 Edit the predicate of the current category
16558 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16561 @kindex g (Category)
16562 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16563 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16564 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16567 @kindex s (Category)
16568 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16569 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16570 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16573 @kindex l (Category)
16574 @findex gnus-category-list
16575 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16579 @node Category Variables
16580 @subsubsection Category Variables
16583 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16584 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16585 Hook run in category buffers.
16587 @item gnus-category-line-format
16588 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16589 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16590 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16594 The name of the category.
16597 The number of groups in the category.
16600 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16601 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16602 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16604 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16605 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16606 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16608 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16609 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16610 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16612 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16613 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16614 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16617 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16618 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16619 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16625 @node Agent Commands
16626 @subsection Agent Commands
16628 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16629 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16630 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16634 * Group Agent Commands::
16635 * Summary Agent Commands::
16636 * Server Agent Commands::
16639 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16640 following incantation:
16642 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16644 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16649 @node Group Agent Commands
16650 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16654 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16655 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16656 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16657 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16660 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16661 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16662 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16665 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16666 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16667 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16668 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16671 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16672 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16673 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16674 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16677 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16678 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16679 Add the current group to an Agent category
16680 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16681 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16684 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16685 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16686 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16687 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16688 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16691 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16692 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16693 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16699 @node Summary Agent Commands
16700 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16704 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16705 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16706 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16709 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16710 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16711 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16712 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16715 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16716 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16717 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16720 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16721 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16722 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16725 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16726 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16727 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16728 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16733 @node Server Agent Commands
16734 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16738 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16739 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16740 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16741 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16744 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16745 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16746 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16747 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16753 @subsection Agent Expiry
16755 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16756 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16757 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16758 @cindex Agent expiry
16759 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16762 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16763 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16764 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16765 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16766 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16767 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16769 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16770 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16771 expiry in different groups.
16774 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16780 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16781 method---it must always match all groups.
16783 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16784 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16785 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16786 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16787 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16789 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16790 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16791 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16792 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16794 @node Agent and IMAP
16795 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16797 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16798 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16799 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16800 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16802 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16803 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16804 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16805 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16807 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16808 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16809 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16810 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16811 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16813 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16814 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16815 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16816 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16817 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16818 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16820 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16821 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16822 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16823 in the group buffer by default.
16825 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16826 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16831 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16834 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16838 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16839 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16840 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16841 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16842 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16843 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16844 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16845 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16848 @node Outgoing Messages
16849 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16851 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16852 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16853 after posting, and edit them at will.
16855 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16856 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16857 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16858 messages in the draft group.
16862 @node Agent Variables
16863 @subsection Agent Variables
16866 @item gnus-agent-directory
16867 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16868 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16869 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16871 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16872 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16873 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16874 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16875 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16878 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16879 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16880 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16882 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16883 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16884 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16886 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16887 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16888 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16890 @item gnus-agent-cache
16891 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16892 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16895 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16896 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16897 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16898 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16899 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16900 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16901 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16907 @node Example Setup
16908 @subsection Example Setup
16910 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16911 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16912 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16915 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16916 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16917 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16919 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16920 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16921 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16923 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16924 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16926 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16927 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16928 (setq gnus-agent t)
16931 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16932 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16935 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16936 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16937 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16938 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16939 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16942 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16943 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16944 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16945 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16946 back all the killed groups.)
16948 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16949 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16950 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16953 @node Batching Agents
16954 @subsection Batching Agents
16956 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16957 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16958 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16962 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16966 @node Agent Caveats
16967 @subsection Agent Caveats
16969 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16970 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16974 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16978 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16980 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16984 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16985 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16986 locally stored articles.
16993 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16994 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16995 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16998 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16999 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17000 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17001 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17002 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17004 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17005 before generating the summary buffer.
17007 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17008 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17009 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17011 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17012 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17013 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17014 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17017 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17018 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17019 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17020 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17021 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17022 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17023 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17024 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17025 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17026 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17027 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17028 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17029 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17030 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17031 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17032 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17033 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17037 @node Summary Score Commands
17038 @section Summary Score Commands
17039 @cindex score commands
17041 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17042 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17043 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17044 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17045 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17047 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17048 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17049 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17050 score file the current one.
17052 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17057 @kindex V s (Summary)
17058 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17059 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17062 @kindex V S (Summary)
17063 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17064 Display the score of the current article
17065 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17068 @kindex V t (Summary)
17069 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17070 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17071 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17074 @kindex V w (Summary)
17075 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17076 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17079 @kindex V R (Summary)
17080 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17081 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17082 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17083 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17084 effect you're having.
17087 @kindex V c (Summary)
17088 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17089 Make a different score file the current
17090 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17093 @kindex V e (Summary)
17094 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17095 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17096 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17100 @kindex V f (Summary)
17101 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17102 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17103 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17106 @kindex V F (Summary)
17107 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17108 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17109 after editing score files.
17112 @kindex V C (Summary)
17113 @findex gnus-score-customize
17114 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17115 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17119 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17124 @kindex V m (Summary)
17125 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17126 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17127 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17130 @kindex V x (Summary)
17131 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17132 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17133 expunge all articles below this score
17134 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17137 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17138 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17141 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17142 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17146 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17147 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17149 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17150 keys are available:
17154 Score on the author name.
17157 Score on the subject line.
17160 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17163 Score on the @code{References} line.
17169 Score on the number of lines.
17172 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17175 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17176 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17179 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17180 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17181 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17190 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17196 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17197 what headers you are scoring on.
17209 Substring matching.
17212 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17241 Greater than number.
17246 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17247 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17248 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17253 Temporary score entry.
17256 Permanent score entry.
17259 Immediately scoring.
17263 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17264 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17265 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17269 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17270 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17271 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17272 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17274 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17275 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17276 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17277 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17278 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17280 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17281 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17282 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17283 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17284 current score file.
17286 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17287 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17288 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17291 @node Group Score Commands
17292 @section Group Score Commands
17293 @cindex group score commands
17295 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17300 @kindex W f (Group)
17301 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17302 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17303 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17304 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17308 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17310 @findex gnus-batch-score
17311 @cindex batch scoring
17313 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17317 @node Score Variables
17318 @section Score Variables
17319 @cindex score variables
17323 @item gnus-use-scoring
17324 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17325 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17326 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17328 @item gnus-kill-killed
17329 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17330 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17331 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17332 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17333 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17334 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17335 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17337 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17338 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17339 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17340 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17341 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17343 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17344 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17345 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17346 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17348 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17349 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17350 @cindex score cache
17351 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17352 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17353 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
17354 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17355 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17356 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17359 @item gnus-save-score
17360 @vindex gnus-save-score
17361 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17362 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17363 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17365 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17366 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17367 across group visits.
17369 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17370 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17371 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17372 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17373 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17374 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17375 manually entered data.
17377 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17378 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17379 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17381 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17382 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17383 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17384 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17385 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17386 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17388 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17389 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17390 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17391 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17393 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17394 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17395 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17396 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17398 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17399 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17400 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17401 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17403 Predefined functions available are:
17406 @item gnus-score-find-single
17407 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17408 Only apply the group's own score file.
17410 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17411 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17412 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17413 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17414 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17415 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17416 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17417 then a regexp match is done.
17419 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17420 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17422 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17423 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17424 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17425 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17427 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17428 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17429 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17430 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17431 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17435 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17436 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17437 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17438 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17439 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17440 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17441 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17444 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17445 overall score file, you could use the value
17447 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17448 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17451 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17452 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17453 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17454 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17455 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17457 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17458 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17459 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17460 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17461 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17462 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17463 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17464 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17466 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17467 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17468 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17470 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17471 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17472 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17473 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17474 threading---according to the current value of
17475 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17476 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17477 simplified in this manner.
17482 @node Score File Format
17483 @section Score File Format
17484 @cindex score file format
17486 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17487 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17488 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17490 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17494 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17496 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17498 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17500 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17505 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17509 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17510 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17511 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17512 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17516 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17517 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17519 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17520 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17521 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17523 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17528 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17529 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17530 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17531 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17532 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17533 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17534 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17535 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17536 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17537 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17538 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17539 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17540 to articles that matches these score entries.
17542 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17543 score entry has one to four elements.
17547 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17548 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17552 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17553 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17554 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17555 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17556 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17557 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17560 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17561 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17562 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17563 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17564 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17567 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17568 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17569 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17570 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17573 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17574 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17575 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17576 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17577 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17578 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17579 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17580 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17581 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17582 instead, if you feel like.
17585 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17586 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17587 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17588 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17589 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17590 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17593 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17597 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17598 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17600 These predicates are true if
17603 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17606 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17607 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17614 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17615 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17616 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17617 it's not. I think.)
17619 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17620 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17621 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17622 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17625 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17626 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17627 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17628 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17629 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17630 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17631 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17635 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17636 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17637 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17638 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17639 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17640 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17641 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17642 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17645 @item Head, Body, All
17646 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17650 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17651 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17652 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17653 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17654 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17655 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17656 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17660 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17661 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17662 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17663 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17664 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17665 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17666 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17667 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17668 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17669 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17670 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17674 @cindex Score File Atoms
17676 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17677 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17680 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17681 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17683 @item mark-and-expunge
17684 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17685 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17688 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17689 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17690 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17691 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17692 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17695 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17696 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17699 @item exclude-files
17700 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17701 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17705 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17706 ignored when handling global score files.
17709 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17710 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17711 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17712 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17715 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17716 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17717 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17718 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17720 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17724 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17727 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17728 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17729 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17730 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17731 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17733 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17734 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17735 scoring rules exist.
17738 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17739 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17740 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17741 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17742 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17743 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17744 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17745 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17746 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17747 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17748 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17752 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17753 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17754 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17755 file for a number of groups.
17758 @cindex local variables
17759 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17760 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17761 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17762 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17763 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17767 @node Score File Editing
17768 @section Score File Editing
17770 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17771 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17772 with a mode for that.
17774 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17775 additional commands:
17780 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17781 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17782 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17783 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17786 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17787 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17788 Insert the current date in numerical format
17789 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17790 you were wondering.
17793 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17794 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17795 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17796 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17797 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17802 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17804 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17805 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17807 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17808 e} to begin editing score files.
17811 @node Adaptive Scoring
17812 @section Adaptive Scoring
17813 @cindex adaptive scoring
17815 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17816 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17817 stupidity, to be precise.
17819 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17820 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17821 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17822 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17823 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17824 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17825 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17826 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17827 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17829 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17830 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17831 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17832 might look something like this:
17835 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17836 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17837 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17838 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17839 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17840 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17841 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17842 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17843 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17844 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17845 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17846 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17849 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17850 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17851 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17852 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17853 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17854 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17857 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17858 will be applied to each article.
17860 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17861 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17862 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17863 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17865 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17866 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17867 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17868 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17870 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17871 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17872 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17873 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17875 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17876 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17877 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17878 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17879 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17880 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17882 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17883 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17884 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17885 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17886 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17887 aspirins afterwards.)
17889 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17890 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17891 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17893 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17894 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17895 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17897 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17898 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17899 let you use different rules in different groups.
17901 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17902 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17903 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17906 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17907 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17908 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17909 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17910 the length of the match is less than
17911 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17912 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17915 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17916 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17917 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17918 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17919 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17922 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17923 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17924 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17925 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17926 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17929 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17930 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17931 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17932 score with 30 points.
17934 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17935 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17936 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17937 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17938 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17940 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17941 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17942 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17943 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17944 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17946 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17947 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17948 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17949 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17951 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17952 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17953 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17954 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17956 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17957 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17958 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17959 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17960 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17962 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17963 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17964 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17966 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17967 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17968 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17969 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17972 @node Home Score File
17973 @section Home Score File
17975 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17976 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17977 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17978 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17980 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17981 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17982 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17984 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17985 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17990 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17994 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17995 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17999 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18003 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18004 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18007 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18008 the home score file.
18011 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18014 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18019 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18022 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18023 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18026 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18027 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18029 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18031 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18032 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18035 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18036 Other functions include
18039 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18040 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18041 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18042 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18046 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18047 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18048 their own home score files:
18051 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18052 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18053 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18054 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18055 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18058 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18059 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18060 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18061 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18062 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18064 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18065 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18066 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18067 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18068 precedence over this variable.
18071 @node Followups To Yourself
18072 @section Followups To Yourself
18074 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18075 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18076 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18077 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18078 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18079 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18083 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18084 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18085 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18088 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18089 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18090 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18094 @vindex message-sent-hook
18095 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18096 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18098 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18102 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18103 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18107 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18108 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18111 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18112 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18117 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18121 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18122 is system-dependent.
18125 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18126 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18127 @cindex scoring on other headers
18129 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18130 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18131 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18132 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18133 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18135 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18136 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18137 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18138 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18139 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18141 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18144 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18145 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18148 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18149 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18150 time if you have much mail.
18152 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18153 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18159 @section Scoring Tips
18160 @cindex scoring tips
18166 @cindex scoring crossposts
18167 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18168 the @code{Xref} header.
18170 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18173 @item Multiple crossposts
18174 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18175 more than, say, 3 groups:
18178 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18182 @item Matching on the body
18183 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18184 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18185 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18186 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18187 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18188 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18189 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18192 @item Marking as read
18193 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18194 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18195 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18199 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18201 @item Negated character classes
18202 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18203 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18204 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18208 @node Reverse Scoring
18209 @section Reverse Scoring
18210 @cindex reverse scoring
18212 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18213 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18214 like this in your score file:
18218 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18223 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18224 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18227 @node Global Score Files
18228 @section Global Score Files
18229 @cindex global score files
18231 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18232 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18233 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18235 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18236 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18237 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18239 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18240 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18241 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18242 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18243 files are applicable to which group.
18245 To use the score file
18246 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18247 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18251 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18252 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18253 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18256 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18258 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18259 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18260 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18261 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18263 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18264 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18266 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18267 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18268 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18269 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18270 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18271 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18273 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18279 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18281 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18283 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18285 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18286 lowered out of existence.
18288 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18289 articles completely.
18292 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18293 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18294 old articles for a long time.
18297 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18298 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18299 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18300 holding our breath yet?
18304 @section Kill Files
18307 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18308 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18309 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18311 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18312 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18313 files into score files.
18315 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18316 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18317 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18318 that isn't a very good idea.
18320 Normal kill files look like this:
18323 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18324 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18328 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18329 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18331 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18332 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18335 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18340 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18341 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18342 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18345 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18346 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18347 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18350 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18355 @kindex M-k (Group)
18356 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18357 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18360 @kindex M-K (Group)
18361 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18362 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18365 Kill file variables:
18368 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18369 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18370 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18371 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18372 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18373 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18374 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18376 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18377 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18378 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18379 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18382 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18383 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18384 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18385 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18386 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18387 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18388 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18389 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18390 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18392 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18393 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18394 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18399 @node Converting Kill Files
18400 @section Converting Kill Files
18402 @cindex converting kill files
18404 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18405 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18406 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18409 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18410 You can fetch it from
18411 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18413 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18414 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18415 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18423 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18424 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18425 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18426 news articles generated every day.
18428 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18429 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18430 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18431 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18432 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18433 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18434 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18435 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18438 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18439 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18442 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18443 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18444 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18445 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18449 @node Using GroupLens
18450 @subsection Using GroupLens
18452 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18454 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18455 better bit in town at the moment.
18457 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18461 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18462 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18463 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18464 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18466 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18467 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18468 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18469 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18471 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18472 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18473 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18477 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18478 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18479 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18480 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18481 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18482 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18485 @node Rating Articles
18486 @subsection Rating Articles
18488 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18489 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18490 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18491 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18494 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18499 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18500 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18501 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18504 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18505 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18506 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18507 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18508 threads in rec.humor.
18512 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18513 the score of the article you're reading.
18518 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18519 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18520 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18523 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18524 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18525 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18529 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18530 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18533 @node Displaying Predictions
18534 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18536 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18537 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18538 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18539 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18540 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18542 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18543 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18544 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18545 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18546 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18547 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18548 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18549 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18550 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18551 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18552 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18553 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18554 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18556 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18557 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18558 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18559 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18561 The following are valid values for that variable.
18564 @item prediction-spot
18565 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18568 @item confidence-interval
18569 A numeric confidence interval.
18571 @item prediction-bar
18572 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18574 @item confidence-bar
18575 Numerical confidence.
18577 @item confidence-spot
18578 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18580 @item prediction-num
18581 Plain-old numeric value.
18583 @item confidence-plus-minus
18584 Prediction +/- confidence.
18589 @node GroupLens Variables
18590 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18594 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18595 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18596 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18597 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18600 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18601 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18604 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18605 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18607 @item grouplens-score-offset
18608 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18609 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18612 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18613 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18614 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18619 @node Advanced Scoring
18620 @section Advanced Scoring
18622 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18623 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18624 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18625 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18626 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18628 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18632 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18633 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18634 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18638 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18639 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18641 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18642 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18643 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18644 non-@code{nil} value.
18646 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18647 operator, and various match operators.
18654 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18655 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18656 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18661 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18662 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18663 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18668 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18669 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18673 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18674 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18675 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18676 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18677 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18678 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18679 the ancestry you want to go.
18681 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18682 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18683 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18684 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18685 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18688 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18689 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18691 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18692 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18695 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18696 when he's talking about Gnus:
18700 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18701 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18707 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18711 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18718 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18719 really don't want to read what he's written:
18723 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18724 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18728 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18729 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18730 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18737 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18738 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18739 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18740 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18744 The possibilities are endless.
18747 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18748 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18750 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18751 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18752 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18753 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18754 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18755 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18756 @samp{subject}) first.
18758 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18759 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18770 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18771 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18777 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18784 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18785 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18790 @section Score Decays
18791 @cindex score decays
18794 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18795 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18796 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18797 use them in any sensible way.
18799 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18800 @findex gnus-decay-score
18801 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18802 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18803 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18804 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18805 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18806 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18807 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18808 definition of that function:
18811 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18813 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18814 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18817 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18819 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18821 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18824 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18825 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18826 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18827 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18831 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18834 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18837 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18841 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18842 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18843 the new score, which should be an integer.
18845 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18846 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18851 @include message.texi
18852 @chapter Emacs MIME
18853 @include emacs-mime.texi
18855 @include sieve.texi
18863 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18864 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18865 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18866 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18867 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18868 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18869 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18870 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18871 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18872 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18873 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18874 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18875 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18876 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18877 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18878 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18879 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18880 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18881 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18885 @node Process/Prefix
18886 @section Process/Prefix
18887 @cindex process/prefix convention
18889 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18890 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18892 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18893 command to be performed on.
18897 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18898 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18899 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18900 with the current one.
18902 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18903 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18904 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18906 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18907 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18910 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18911 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18913 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18916 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18917 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18918 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18919 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18921 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18922 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18923 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18924 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18925 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18926 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18927 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18928 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18930 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18931 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18932 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18933 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18934 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18938 @section Interactive
18939 @cindex interaction
18943 @item gnus-novice-user
18944 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18945 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18946 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18947 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18948 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18951 @item gnus-expert-user
18952 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18953 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18954 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18955 matter how strange.
18957 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18958 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18959 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18960 is @code{t} by default.
18962 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18963 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18964 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18969 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18970 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18971 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18973 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18974 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18975 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18976 rule of 900 to the current article.
18978 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18979 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18980 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18981 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18982 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18983 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18984 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18986 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18987 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18988 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18989 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18990 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18991 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18992 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18993 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18994 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18996 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18997 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18998 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19000 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19004 @node Formatting Variables
19005 @section Formatting Variables
19006 @cindex formatting variables
19008 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19009 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19010 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19011 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19012 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19015 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19016 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19017 lots of percentages everywhere.
19020 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19021 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19022 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19023 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19024 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19025 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19026 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19027 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19030 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19031 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19032 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19033 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19034 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19035 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19036 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19037 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19039 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19040 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19042 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19043 @findex gnus-update-format
19044 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19045 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19046 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19047 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19051 @node Formatting Basics
19052 @subsection Formatting Basics
19054 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19055 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19056 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19058 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19059 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19060 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19061 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19062 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19065 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19066 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19067 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19068 less than 4 characters wide.
19070 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19071 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19074 @node Mode Line Formatting
19075 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19077 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19078 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19079 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19080 with the following two differences:
19085 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19088 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19089 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19090 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19091 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19092 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19093 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19094 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19099 @node Advanced Formatting
19100 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19102 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19103 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19104 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19105 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19107 These are the valid modifiers:
19112 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19116 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19121 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19124 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19129 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19132 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19135 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19138 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19144 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19149 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19150 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19151 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19152 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19153 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19154 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19155 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19157 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19158 last operation, padding.
19160 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19161 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19162 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19163 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19164 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19165 the look of your lines.
19166 @xref{Compilation}.
19169 @node User-Defined Specs
19170 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19172 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19173 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19174 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19175 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19176 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19177 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19178 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19179 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19180 should protect against that.
19182 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19183 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19185 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19186 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19187 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19188 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19192 @node Formatting Fonts
19193 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19195 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19196 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19197 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19198 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19201 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19202 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19203 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19204 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19205 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19206 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19208 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19209 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19210 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19211 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19212 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19213 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19214 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19215 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19217 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19220 ;; Create three face types.
19221 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19222 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19224 ;; We want the article count to be in
19225 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19226 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19227 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19229 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19230 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19232 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19233 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19234 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19237 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19238 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19240 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19241 mode-line variables.
19243 @node Positioning Point
19244 @subsection Positioning Point
19246 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19247 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19248 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19250 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19252 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19253 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19254 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19256 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19257 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19258 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19263 @subsection Tabulation
19265 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19266 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19267 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19268 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19270 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19271 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19273 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19274 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19275 This is the soft tabulator.
19277 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19278 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19279 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19282 @node Wide Characters
19283 @subsection Wide Characters
19285 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19286 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19287 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19289 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19290 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19291 these coutries, that's not true.
19293 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19294 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19295 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19296 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19300 @node Window Layout
19301 @section Window Layout
19302 @cindex window layout
19304 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19306 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19307 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19308 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19309 @code{t} by default.
19311 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19312 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19314 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19315 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19316 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19319 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19320 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19321 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19325 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19326 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19327 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19328 possible names is listed below.
19330 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19331 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19334 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19338 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19339 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19340 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19341 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19342 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19343 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19344 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19345 size spec per split.
19347 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19348 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19349 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19350 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19351 present) gets focus.
19353 Here's a more complicated example:
19356 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19357 (summary 0.25 point)
19358 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19362 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19363 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19364 occupy, not a percentage.
19366 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19367 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19368 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19369 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19370 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19373 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19376 (article (horizontal 1.0
19381 (summary 0.25 point)
19386 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19387 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19389 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19390 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19391 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19392 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19393 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19395 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19396 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19397 lines from the splits.
19399 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19403 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19404 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19405 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19406 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19407 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19408 size = number | frame-params
19409 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19412 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19413 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19414 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19415 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19417 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19418 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19419 @cindex window height
19420 @cindex window width
19421 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19422 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19423 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19424 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19425 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19426 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19428 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19429 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19430 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19431 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19433 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19434 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19435 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19436 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19437 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19438 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19439 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19440 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19441 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19442 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19443 configuration list.
19446 (gnus-configure-frame
19450 (article 0.3 point))
19458 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19459 @code{frame} split:
19462 (gnus-configure-frame
19465 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19467 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19468 (user-position . t)
19469 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19474 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19475 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19476 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19477 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19478 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19479 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19480 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19481 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19483 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19484 be found in its default value.
19486 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19487 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19488 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19492 (message (horizontal 1.0
19493 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19495 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19500 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19501 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19502 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19507 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19508 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19509 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19510 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19511 (name . "Message"))
19512 (message 1.0 point))))
19515 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19516 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19517 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19518 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19519 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19522 (gnus-add-configuration
19523 '(article (vertical 1.0
19525 (summary .25 point)
19529 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19530 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19531 Gnus has been loaded.
19533 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19534 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19535 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19536 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19537 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19539 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19540 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19541 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19544 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19548 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19549 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19564 (gnus-add-configuration
19567 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19569 (summary 0.16 point)
19572 (gnus-add-configuration
19575 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19576 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19582 @node Faces and Fonts
19583 @section Faces and Fonts
19588 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19589 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19590 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19595 @section Compilation
19596 @cindex compilation
19597 @cindex byte-compilation
19599 @findex gnus-compile
19601 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19602 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19603 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19604 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19605 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19606 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19607 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19608 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19611 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19612 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19613 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19614 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19615 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19618 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19619 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19620 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19621 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19622 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19627 @section Mode Lines
19630 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19631 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19632 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19633 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19634 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19635 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19636 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19639 @cindex display-time
19641 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19642 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19643 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19644 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19645 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19646 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19647 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19648 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19651 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19653 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19654 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19656 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19657 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19658 (length display-time-string)))))
19661 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19662 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19663 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19664 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19665 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19668 @node Highlighting and Menus
19669 @section Highlighting and Menus
19671 @cindex highlighting
19674 @vindex gnus-visual
19675 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19676 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19677 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19680 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19681 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19684 @item group-highlight
19685 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19686 @item summary-highlight
19687 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19688 @item article-highlight
19689 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19691 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19693 Create menus in the group buffer.
19695 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19697 Create menus in the article buffer.
19699 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19701 Create menus in the server buffer.
19703 Create menus in the score buffers.
19705 Create menus in all buffers.
19708 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19709 buffers, you could say something like:
19712 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19715 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19718 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19721 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19722 in all Gnus buffers.
19724 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19727 @item gnus-mouse-face
19728 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19729 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19730 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19734 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19738 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19739 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19740 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19742 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19743 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19744 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19746 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19747 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19748 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19750 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19751 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19752 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19754 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19755 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19756 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19758 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19759 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19760 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19771 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19772 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19773 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19774 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19775 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19779 @vindex gnus-carpal
19780 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19781 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19782 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19787 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19788 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19789 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19791 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19792 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19793 Face used on buttons.
19795 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19796 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19797 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19799 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19800 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19801 Buttons in the group buffer.
19803 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19804 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19805 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19807 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19808 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19809 Buttons in the server buffer.
19811 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19812 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19813 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19816 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19817 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19818 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19826 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19827 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19828 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19829 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19830 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19832 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19833 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19834 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19836 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19837 been idle for thirty minutes:
19840 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19843 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19847 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19850 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19851 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19852 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19854 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19855 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19856 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19857 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19859 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19860 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19861 @var{idle} minutes.
19863 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19864 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19867 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19868 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19869 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19871 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19872 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19873 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19874 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19876 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19877 your @file{.gnus} file:
19879 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19881 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19884 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19885 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19886 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19887 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19888 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19889 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19890 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19891 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19892 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19893 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19894 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19896 @findex gnus-demon-init
19897 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19898 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19899 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19900 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19901 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19903 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19904 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19905 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19914 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19915 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19917 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19918 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19919 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19920 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19923 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19924 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19925 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19926 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19928 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19929 this will make spam disappear.
19931 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19934 @item gnus-use-nocem
19935 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19936 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19939 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19940 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19941 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19942 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19943 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19945 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19946 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19947 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19948 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19949 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19950 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19952 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19953 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19955 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19956 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19957 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19958 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19959 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19960 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19961 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19962 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19963 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19964 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19966 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19967 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19970 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19973 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19974 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19977 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19980 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19983 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19984 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19986 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19987 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19988 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19989 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19991 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19992 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19995 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19997 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20005 This might be dangerous, though.
20007 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20008 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20009 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20010 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20012 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20013 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20014 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20015 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20016 might then see old spam.
20018 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20019 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20020 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20021 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20022 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20025 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20026 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20027 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20028 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20032 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20033 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20034 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20035 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20042 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20043 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20044 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20046 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20047 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20048 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20049 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20050 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20051 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20052 @code{undo} function.
20054 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20055 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20056 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20057 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20058 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20059 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20060 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20061 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20062 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20063 never be totally undoable.
20065 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20066 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20068 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20069 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20070 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20071 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20075 @node Predicate Specifiers
20076 @section Predicate Specifiers
20077 @cindex predicate specifiers
20079 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20080 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20081 to type all that much.
20083 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20088 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20089 gnus-article-unread-p)
20092 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20093 functions all take one parameter.
20095 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20096 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20097 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20098 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20103 @section Moderation
20106 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20107 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20108 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20111 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20115 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20118 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20120 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20125 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20126 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20127 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20130 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20131 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20134 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20135 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20139 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20142 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20143 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20147 @node Image Enhancements
20148 @section Image Enhancements
20150 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20151 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20154 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20155 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20156 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20157 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20158 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20171 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20172 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20173 over your shoulder as you read news.
20176 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20177 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20178 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20179 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20180 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20185 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20187 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20196 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20197 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20198 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20199 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20200 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20201 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20202 @code{GIF} formats.
20205 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20206 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20207 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20208 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20209 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20211 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20212 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20213 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20214 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20215 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20216 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20218 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20219 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20222 @node Picon Requirements
20223 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20225 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20226 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20227 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20228 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20230 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20231 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20232 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20233 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20234 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20235 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20238 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20240 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20241 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20244 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20245 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20248 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20249 containing the Picons databases.
20251 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20254 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20255 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20260 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20268 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20269 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20270 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20271 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20272 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20277 @item gnus-picons-database
20278 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20279 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20280 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20281 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20282 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20283 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20285 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20286 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20287 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20288 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20289 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20290 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20291 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20293 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20294 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20295 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20296 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20297 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20298 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20299 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20300 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20302 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20303 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20304 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20309 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20310 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20312 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20313 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20316 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20318 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20319 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20320 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20321 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20323 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20324 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20325 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20326 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20332 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20333 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20341 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20342 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20343 don't need to worry about.
20347 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20348 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20349 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20350 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20352 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20353 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20354 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20355 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20357 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20358 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20359 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20360 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20361 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20363 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20364 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20365 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20366 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20367 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20368 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20369 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20370 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20372 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20373 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20374 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20375 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20376 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20378 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20379 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20380 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20381 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20382 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20383 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20384 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20386 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20387 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20388 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20389 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20391 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20392 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20393 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20394 Defaults to @code{t}.
20396 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20397 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20398 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20399 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20401 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20402 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20403 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20405 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20406 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20407 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20408 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20410 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20411 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20413 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20414 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20415 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20416 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20417 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20418 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20419 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20420 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20431 @subsection Smileys
20436 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20441 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20442 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20444 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20445 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20448 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20451 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20452 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20453 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20454 text and maps that to file names.
20456 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20457 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20458 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20459 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20460 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20461 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20463 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20464 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20466 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20467 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20468 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20470 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20471 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20475 @item smiley-data-directory
20476 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20477 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20479 @item smiley-flesh-color
20480 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20481 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20483 @item smiley-features-color
20484 @vindex smiley-features-color
20485 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20487 @item smiley-tongue-color
20488 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20489 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20491 @item smiley-circle-color
20492 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20493 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20495 @item smiley-mouse-face
20496 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20497 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20506 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20507 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20508 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20512 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20513 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20514 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20515 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20523 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20524 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20525 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20526 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20528 The variable that controls this is the
20529 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20530 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20531 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20532 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20533 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20535 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20536 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20537 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20538 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20541 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20542 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20543 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20544 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20545 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20546 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20547 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20548 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20550 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20553 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20554 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20556 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20557 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20558 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20559 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20560 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20561 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20563 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20564 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20565 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20567 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20568 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20571 (setq message-required-news-headers
20572 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20573 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20576 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20579 (setq message-required-news-headers
20580 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20581 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20582 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20583 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20588 @subsection Toolbar
20598 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20599 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20600 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20601 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20602 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20604 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20605 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20606 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20608 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20609 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20610 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20612 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20613 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20614 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20620 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20623 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20624 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20625 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20626 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20627 unusual directory structure.
20629 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20630 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20631 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20632 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20634 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20635 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20636 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20637 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20638 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20639 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20641 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20642 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20643 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20657 @node Fuzzy Matching
20658 @section Fuzzy Matching
20659 @cindex fuzzy matching
20661 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20662 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20664 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20665 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20666 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20668 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20669 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20670 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20671 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20672 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20675 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20676 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20680 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20682 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20683 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20684 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20685 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20686 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20687 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20688 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20689 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20692 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20693 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20694 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20695 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20696 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20697 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20702 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
20703 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
20704 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
20707 @node Anti-Spam Basics
20708 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
20712 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20714 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20715 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20717 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20718 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20719 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20720 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20721 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20722 part of the mail address.)
20725 (setq message-default-news-headers
20726 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20729 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20730 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20735 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20736 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20737 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20743 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20744 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20745 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20746 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20748 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20749 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20750 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20751 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20752 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20753 your fancy split rule in this way:
20758 (to "larsi" "misc")
20762 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20763 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20764 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20765 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20766 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20768 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20769 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20770 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20771 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20772 cosmic balance somewhat.
20774 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20775 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20776 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20777 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20782 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
20783 @cindex SpamAssassin
20784 @cindex Vipul's Razor
20787 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
20788 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
20789 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
20790 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
20791 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
20792 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
20793 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
20795 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
20796 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
20797 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
20798 Specifiers}) follows.
20802 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
20805 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
20808 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
20809 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
20810 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
20813 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
20817 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20820 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
20821 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
20825 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
20826 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
20827 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
20828 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
20831 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
20833 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
20835 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
20836 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
20838 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
20840 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
20841 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
20845 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
20846 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
20847 spam. And here is the nifty function:
20850 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
20851 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
20853 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
20854 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
20855 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
20859 @subsection Hashcash
20862 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
20863 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
20864 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
20865 since it is not part of the internet standards, but it may be useful
20866 in smaller communities.
20868 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
20869 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
20870 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
20871 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
20872 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
20873 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
20874 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
20875 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
20876 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
20877 one of them separately.
20880 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
20881 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
20882 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
20883 header. For more details, and for the external application
20884 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
20885 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
20886 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
20888 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
20892 (require 'hashcash)
20893 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
20896 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
20897 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
20898 development contrib directory.
20900 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
20904 @item hashcash-default-payment
20905 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
20906 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
20907 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
20908 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
20910 @item hashcash-payment-alist
20911 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
20912 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
20913 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
20914 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
20915 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
20916 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
20917 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
20921 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
20925 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
20926 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
20927 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
20928 a useful contribution, however.
20930 @node Various Various
20931 @section Various Various
20937 @item gnus-home-directory
20938 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20939 defaults to @file{~/}.
20941 @item gnus-directory
20942 @vindex gnus-directory
20943 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20944 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20945 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20947 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20948 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20949 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20950 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20952 @item gnus-default-directory
20953 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20954 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20955 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20956 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20957 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20958 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20959 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20962 @vindex gnus-verbose
20963 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20964 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20965 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20966 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20967 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20969 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20970 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20971 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20972 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20974 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20975 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20976 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20977 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20978 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20979 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20980 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20981 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20982 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20983 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20985 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20986 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20987 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20988 read when doing the operation described above.
20990 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20991 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20993 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20994 @cindex characters in file names
20995 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20996 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20997 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
21000 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21004 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21005 Windows (phooey) systems.
21007 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21008 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21009 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21010 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21011 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21013 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21014 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21015 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21016 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21017 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21019 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21020 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21021 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21023 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21024 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21026 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21027 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21028 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21029 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21032 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21040 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21041 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21043 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21045 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21051 Not because of victories @*
21054 but for the common sunshine,@*
21056 the largess of the spring.
21060 but for the day's work done@*
21061 as well as I was able;@*
21062 not for a seat upon the dais@*
21063 but at the common table.@*
21068 @chapter Appendices
21071 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
21072 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
21073 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
21074 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
21075 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
21076 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
21077 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
21078 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
21079 * Frequently Asked Questions::
21086 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
21088 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
21089 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
21090 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
21091 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
21092 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
21099 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
21100 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
21102 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
21103 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
21104 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
21105 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
21106 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
21108 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
21109 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
21110 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
21111 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
21112 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
21113 appropriate name, don't you think?)
21115 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
21116 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
21117 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
21118 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
21121 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
21122 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
21123 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
21124 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
21125 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
21126 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
21127 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
21128 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
21129 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
21133 @node Gnus Versions
21134 @subsection Gnus Versions
21136 @cindex September Gnus
21138 @cindex Quassia Gnus
21139 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
21143 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
21144 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
21145 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
21147 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
21148 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
21150 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
21151 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
21153 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
21154 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
21156 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
21157 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
21160 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
21162 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
21163 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
21164 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
21165 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
21166 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
21167 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
21170 @node Other Gnus Versions
21171 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
21174 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
21175 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
21176 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
21177 @sc{mime} capabilities.
21179 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
21180 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
21181 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
21182 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
21189 What's the point of Gnus?
21191 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
21192 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
21193 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
21194 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
21195 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
21196 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
21197 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
21198 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
21199 keep track of millions of people who post?
21201 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
21202 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
21203 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
21204 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
21205 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
21206 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
21207 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
21208 every one of you to explore and invent.
21210 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
21211 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
21214 @node Compatibility
21215 @subsection Compatibility
21217 @cindex compatibility
21218 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
21219 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
21220 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
21225 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
21229 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
21232 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
21235 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
21236 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
21237 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
21238 important variables have their values copied into their global
21239 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
21240 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
21242 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
21243 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
21244 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
21245 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
21246 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
21250 @cindex highlighting
21251 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
21252 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
21253 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
21254 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
21255 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
21256 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
21259 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
21260 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
21261 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
21262 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
21264 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
21265 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
21266 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
21267 to stop doing it the old way.
21269 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
21271 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21273 @cindex reporting bugs
21275 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
21276 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
21277 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
21279 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
21280 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
21281 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
21282 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
21287 @subsection Conformity
21289 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
21290 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
21298 There are no known breaches of this standard.
21302 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
21304 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
21305 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
21306 We do have some breaches to this one.
21312 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
21313 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
21314 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
21315 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
21316 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21321 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21322 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21323 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21324 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21326 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21328 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21330 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21331 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21333 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21336 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21337 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21338 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21339 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21340 decoding (verification and decryption).
21342 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21343 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21344 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21345 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21347 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21348 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21350 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21351 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21352 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21353 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21354 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21355 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21356 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21360 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21361 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21366 @subsection Emacsen
21372 Gnus should work on :
21380 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
21384 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21385 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21386 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
21387 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
21388 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
21390 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21391 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21392 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21396 @node Gnus Development
21397 @subsection Gnus Development
21399 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21400 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21401 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21402 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21403 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21404 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21405 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21406 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21408 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21409 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21410 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21411 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21412 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21415 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21416 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21417 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21418 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21419 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21421 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21422 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21423 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21424 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21425 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21426 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21427 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21428 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21429 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21430 can't be assumed to do so.
21435 @subsection Contributors
21436 @cindex contributors
21438 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21439 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21440 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21441 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21442 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21443 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21444 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21445 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21446 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21447 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21449 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21455 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21458 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21459 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21460 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21461 functionality and stuff.
21464 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21465 well as numerous other things).
21468 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21471 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21474 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21477 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21480 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21481 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21484 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21487 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21488 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21491 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21494 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21497 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21500 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21503 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21504 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21507 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21510 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21513 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21516 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21520 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21523 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21526 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21529 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21530 well as autoconf support.
21534 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21535 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21537 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21546 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21550 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21560 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21575 Massimo Campostrini,
21580 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21581 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21585 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21588 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21594 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21599 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21603 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21611 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21613 Michelangelo Grigni,
21617 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21619 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21621 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21628 François Felix Ingrand,
21629 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21630 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21632 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21643 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21644 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21646 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21647 Thor Kristoffersen,
21650 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21668 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21669 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21676 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21681 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21685 John McClary Prevost,
21691 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21696 Christian von Roques,
21699 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21706 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21708 Randal L. Schwartz,
21722 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21727 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21743 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21748 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21749 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21750 (550kB and counting).
21752 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21755 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21756 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21760 @subsection New Features
21761 @cindex new features
21764 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21765 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21766 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21767 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21768 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21771 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21772 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21773 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21776 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21778 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21783 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21784 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21787 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21788 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21791 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21794 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21795 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21796 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21799 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21800 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21801 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21802 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21805 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21806 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21809 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21810 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21811 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21814 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21815 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21818 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21819 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21820 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21823 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21824 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21825 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21828 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21829 the @file{.emacs} file.
21832 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21833 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21836 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21837 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21840 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21841 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21844 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21845 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21848 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21849 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21852 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21855 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21856 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21859 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21860 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21863 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21864 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21867 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21870 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21871 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21874 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21878 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21882 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21883 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21886 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21892 @node September Gnus
21893 @subsubsection September Gnus
21897 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21901 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21906 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21907 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21911 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21912 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21916 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21920 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21921 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21924 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21928 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21931 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21934 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21937 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21941 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21942 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21945 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21949 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21953 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21957 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21961 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21964 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21965 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21968 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21972 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21973 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21976 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21979 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21980 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21981 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21984 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21988 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21991 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21995 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21996 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21999 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
22000 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22003 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22004 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22007 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22008 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22009 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22012 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22013 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22016 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22019 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22022 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22025 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22028 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22029 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22032 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22036 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22039 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22044 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22047 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22051 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22054 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22058 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22061 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
22064 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
22065 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22068 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
22069 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
22073 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
22074 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
22077 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
22081 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
22082 buffer to allow easier treatment.
22085 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
22088 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
22092 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
22096 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
22097 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
22100 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
22104 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
22105 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22108 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
22109 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
22112 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
22116 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
22119 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
22122 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
22128 @subsubsection Red Gnus
22130 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
22134 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
22141 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
22144 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
22145 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22148 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
22149 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
22153 Article washing status can be displayed in the
22154 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
22157 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
22160 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
22161 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
22164 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
22168 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
22169 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
22173 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
22174 Server Internals}).
22177 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
22181 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
22184 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
22185 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
22188 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
22189 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
22190 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
22193 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
22194 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
22197 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
22198 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
22201 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
22205 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
22206 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22209 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
22210 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22213 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
22217 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
22220 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
22224 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
22225 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22228 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
22229 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
22232 A new command for reading collections of documents
22233 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
22234 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
22237 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
22241 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
22242 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
22245 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
22246 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
22247 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
22250 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
22251 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
22255 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
22259 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
22263 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
22268 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
22272 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
22276 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
22277 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
22280 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
22286 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
22288 New features in Gnus 5.6:
22293 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
22294 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
22295 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
22298 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
22299 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
22300 group, which is created automatically.
22303 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
22307 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
22310 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
22311 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
22314 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
22318 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22321 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22322 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22325 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22328 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22329 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22332 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22333 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22336 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22337 control over simplification.
22340 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22343 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22347 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22350 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22353 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22354 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22355 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22358 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22359 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22362 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22366 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22367 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22370 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22371 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22374 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22378 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22381 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22384 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22385 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22388 A new function for citing in Message has been
22389 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22392 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22395 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22399 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22400 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22403 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22404 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22407 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22410 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22414 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22415 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22417 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22422 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22423 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22425 If you used procmail like in
22428 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22429 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22430 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22431 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22434 this now has changed to
22438 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22442 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22443 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22446 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22447 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22450 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22451 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22454 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22455 called to position point.
22458 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22459 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22462 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22463 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22466 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22467 subtly different manner.
22470 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22471 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22472 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22475 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22483 @section The Manual
22487 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22488 either @code{texi2dvi}
22490 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22491 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22493 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22495 The following conventions have been used:
22500 This is a @samp{string}
22503 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22506 This is a @file{file}
22509 This is a @code{symbol}
22513 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22517 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22520 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22523 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22526 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22527 ever get them confused.
22531 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22532 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22533 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22534 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22535 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22536 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22537 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22543 @node On Writing Manuals
22544 @section On Writing Manuals
22546 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22547 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22548 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22549 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22550 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22551 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22554 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22555 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22556 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22559 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22560 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22565 @section Terminology
22567 @cindex terminology
22572 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22573 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22574 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22575 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22576 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22580 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22581 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22582 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22583 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22587 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22591 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22596 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22597 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22598 is all done by the back ends.
22602 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22603 default, way of getting news.
22607 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22608 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22613 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22614 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22618 A message that has been posted as news.
22621 @cindex mail message
22622 A message that has been mailed.
22626 A mail message or news article
22630 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22635 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22640 A line from the head of an article.
22644 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22645 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22649 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22650 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22651 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22652 normal @sc{head} format.
22656 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22657 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22658 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22659 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22660 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22661 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22663 @item killed groups
22664 @cindex killed groups
22665 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22666 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22668 @item zombie groups
22669 @cindex zombie groups
22670 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22673 @cindex active file
22674 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22675 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22676 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22679 @cindex bogus groups
22680 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22681 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22682 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22685 @cindex activating groups
22686 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22687 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22688 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22692 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22694 @item select method
22695 @cindex select method
22696 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22699 @item virtual server
22700 @cindex virtual server
22701 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22702 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22703 whole is a virtual server.
22707 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22708 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22711 @item ephemeral groups
22712 @cindex ephemeral groups
22713 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22714 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22715 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22718 @cindex solid groups
22719 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22720 group buffer are solid groups.
22722 @item sparse articles
22723 @cindex sparse articles
22724 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22725 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22729 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22730 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22734 @cindex thread root
22735 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22736 articles in the thread.
22740 An article that has responses.
22744 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22748 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22749 specified by RFC 1153.
22755 @node Customization
22756 @section Customization
22757 @cindex general customization
22759 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22760 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22761 for some quite common situations.
22764 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22765 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22766 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22767 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22771 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22772 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
22774 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22775 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22776 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22780 @item gnus-read-active-file
22781 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22782 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22783 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22784 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22785 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22787 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22788 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22789 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22790 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22794 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22795 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22797 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22798 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22799 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22803 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22804 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22805 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22806 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22807 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22809 @item gnus-visible-headers
22810 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22811 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22812 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22813 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22815 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22817 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22818 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22819 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22822 @item gnus-use-full-window
22823 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22824 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22825 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22826 want to read them anyway.
22828 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22829 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22833 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22834 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22835 lines, which might save some time.
22839 @node Little Disk Space
22840 @subsection Little Disk Space
22843 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22844 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22848 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22849 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22850 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22851 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22854 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22855 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22856 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22857 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22860 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22861 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22862 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22863 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22864 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22870 @subsection Slow Machine
22871 @cindex slow machine
22873 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22874 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22876 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22877 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22879 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22880 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22881 summary buffer faster.
22885 @node Troubleshooting
22886 @section Troubleshooting
22887 @cindex troubleshooting
22889 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22897 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22900 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22901 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22905 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22906 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
22907 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
22908 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
22909 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22912 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22916 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22917 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22918 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22919 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22920 something like that.
22923 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22926 @cindex reporting bugs
22928 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22930 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22931 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22932 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22933 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22935 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22936 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22937 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22938 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22941 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22942 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22943 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22944 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22945 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22946 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22948 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22949 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22950 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22954 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22955 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22957 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22958 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22960 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22961 @cindex ding mailing list
22962 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22963 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22967 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22968 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22970 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22971 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22972 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22973 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22976 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22977 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22978 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22979 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22980 and general methods of operation.
22983 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22984 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22985 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22986 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22987 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22988 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22989 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22990 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22991 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22995 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22996 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22997 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22998 @cindex utility functions
23000 @cindex internal variables
23002 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
23003 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
23004 Below is a list of the most common ones.
23008 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
23009 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
23010 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
23012 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
23013 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
23014 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
23016 @item gnus-group-real-name
23017 @findex gnus-group-real-name
23018 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
23021 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
23022 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
23023 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
23024 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
23026 @item gnus-get-info
23027 @findex gnus-get-info
23028 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
23030 @item gnus-group-unread
23031 @findex gnus-group-unread
23032 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
23036 @findex gnus-active
23037 The active entry for @var{group}.
23039 @item gnus-set-active
23040 @findex gnus-set-active
23041 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
23043 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23044 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23045 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
23048 @item gnus-continuum-version
23049 @findex gnus-continuum-version
23050 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
23051 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
23054 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
23055 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
23056 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
23058 @item gnus-news-group-p
23059 @findex gnus-news-group-p
23060 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
23062 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23063 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23064 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
23066 @item gnus-server-to-method
23067 @findex gnus-server-to-method
23068 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
23070 @item gnus-server-equal
23071 @findex gnus-server-equal
23072 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
23074 @item gnus-group-native-p
23075 @findex gnus-group-native-p
23076 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
23078 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
23079 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
23080 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
23082 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
23083 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
23084 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
23086 @item group-group-find-parameter
23087 @findex group-group-find-parameter
23088 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
23089 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
23091 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
23092 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
23093 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
23095 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
23096 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
23097 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
23099 @item gnus-check-backend-function
23100 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
23101 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
23102 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
23105 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
23109 @item gnus-read-method
23110 @findex gnus-read-method
23111 Prompts the user for a select method.
23116 @node Back End Interface
23117 @subsection Back End Interface
23119 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
23120 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
23121 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
23122 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
23123 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
23124 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
23126 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
23127 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
23128 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
23129 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
23130 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
23131 been opened, the function should fail.
23133 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
23134 name. Take this example:
23138 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
23139 (nntp-port-number 4324))
23142 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
23143 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
23145 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
23146 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
23147 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
23149 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
23150 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
23151 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
23153 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
23154 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
23155 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
23156 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
23157 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
23158 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
23161 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
23162 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
23163 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
23164 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
23167 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
23168 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
23169 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
23170 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
23171 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
23172 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
23173 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
23174 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
23175 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
23176 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
23178 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
23179 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
23180 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
23181 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
23182 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
23183 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
23184 of numbers as long as possible.
23186 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
23189 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
23192 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
23193 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
23194 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
23195 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
23196 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
23197 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
23201 @node Required Back End Functions
23202 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
23206 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
23208 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
23209 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
23210 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
23211 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
23213 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
23214 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
23215 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
23216 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
23218 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
23219 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
23220 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
23221 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
23222 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
23223 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
23224 number, do maximum fetches.
23226 Here's an example HEAD:
23229 221 1056 Article retrieved.
23230 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
23231 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
23232 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
23233 Subject: Re: Something very droll
23234 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
23235 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
23237 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
23238 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
23239 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
23243 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
23244 these in the data buffer.
23246 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
23250 head = error / valid-head
23251 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
23252 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
23253 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
23254 header = <text> eol
23257 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
23258 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
23262 nov-buffer = *nov-line
23263 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
23264 field = <text except TAB>
23267 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
23271 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
23273 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
23274 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
23276 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
23277 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
23278 server. In fact, it should do so.
23280 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
23281 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
23284 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
23286 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
23287 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
23290 There should be no data returned.
23293 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
23295 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
23296 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
23297 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
23298 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
23300 There should be no data returned.
23303 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
23305 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
23306 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
23307 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
23308 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
23310 There should be no data returned.
23313 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
23315 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
23317 There should be no data returned.
23320 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23322 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23323 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23324 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23325 it would be nice if that were possible.
23327 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23328 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23329 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23330 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23331 into its article buffer.
23333 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23334 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23335 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23336 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23337 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23338 on successful article retrieval.
23341 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23343 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23344 making @var{group} the current group.
23346 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23349 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23352 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23355 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23356 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23357 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23358 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23359 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23360 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23361 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23362 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23363 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23367 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23368 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23369 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23373 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23375 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23376 a no-op on most back ends.
23378 There should be no data returned.
23381 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23383 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23386 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23389 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23390 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23393 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23394 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23395 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23396 and the highest as 0.
23399 active-file = *active-line
23400 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23402 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23405 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23406 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23407 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23410 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23412 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23413 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23414 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23415 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23416 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23417 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23419 There should be no result data from this function.
23424 @node Optional Back End Functions
23425 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23429 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23431 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23432 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23433 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23435 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23436 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23437 former is in the same format as the data from
23438 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23439 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23442 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23446 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23448 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23449 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23450 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23451 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23452 should return the (altered) group info.
23454 There should be no result data from this function.
23457 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23459 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23460 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23461 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23462 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23463 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23464 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23465 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23466 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23468 There should be no result data from this function.
23471 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23473 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23474 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23475 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23476 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23477 propagate the mark information to the server.
23479 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23482 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23485 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23486 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23487 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23488 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23489 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23490 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23491 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23492 possible, not limit itself to these.
23494 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23495 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23496 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23497 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23499 An example action list:
23502 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23503 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23504 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23507 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23508 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23510 There should be no result data from this function.
23512 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23514 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23515 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23516 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23517 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23518 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23520 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23521 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23522 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23525 There should be no result data from this function.
23528 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23530 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23531 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23532 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23533 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23534 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23535 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23536 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23538 There should be no result data from this function.
23541 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23543 The result data from this function should be a description of
23547 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23549 description = <text>
23552 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23554 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23555 groups available on the server.
23558 description-buffer = *description-line
23562 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23564 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23565 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23566 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23567 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23568 in the active buffer format.
23570 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23571 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23572 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23573 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23574 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23575 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23576 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23579 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23581 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23583 There should be no return data.
23586 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23588 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23589 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23590 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23591 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23592 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23595 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23598 There should be no result data returned.
23601 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23604 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23605 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23607 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23608 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23609 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23610 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23611 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23612 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23614 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23615 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23618 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23619 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23621 There should be no data returned.
23624 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23626 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23627 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23628 this function in short order.
23630 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23631 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23633 There should be no data returned.
23636 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23638 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23639 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23641 There should be no data returned.
23644 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23646 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23647 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23648 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23650 There should be no data returned.
23653 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23655 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23656 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23658 There should be no data returned.
23663 @node Error Messaging
23664 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23666 @findex nnheader-report
23667 @findex nnheader-get-report
23668 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23669 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23670 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23671 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23672 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23673 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23676 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23678 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23681 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23682 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23683 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23684 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23686 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23687 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23688 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23691 @node Writing New Back Ends
23692 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23694 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23695 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23696 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23697 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23698 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23701 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23702 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23703 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23705 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23706 package called @code{nnoo}.
23708 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23709 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23715 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23716 parameters. For instance:
23719 (nnoo-declare nndir
23723 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23724 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23727 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23728 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23729 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23731 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23732 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23733 a function in those back ends.
23736 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23737 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23738 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23741 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23742 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23743 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23745 @item nnoo-define-basics
23746 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23750 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23754 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23755 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23756 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23758 @item nnoo-map-functions
23759 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23760 functions from the parent back ends.
23763 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23764 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23765 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23768 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23769 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23770 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23771 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23774 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23775 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23776 haven't already been defined.
23782 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23786 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23787 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23788 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23793 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23796 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23797 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23801 (require 'nnheader)
23805 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23807 (nnoo-declare nndir
23810 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23811 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23812 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23814 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23815 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23818 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23820 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23821 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23822 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23824 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23825 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23827 ;;; Interface functions.
23829 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23831 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23832 (setq nndir-directory
23833 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23835 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23836 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23837 (push `(nndir-current-group
23838 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23839 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23841 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23842 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23844 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23846 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23847 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23848 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23849 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23850 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23854 nnmh-status-message
23856 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23862 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23863 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23865 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23866 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23867 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23868 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23869 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23871 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23872 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23877 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23880 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23882 The abilities can be:
23886 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23888 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23890 This back end supports both mail and news.
23892 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23895 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23896 articles and groups.
23898 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23899 true for almost all back ends.
23900 @item prompt-address
23901 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23902 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23903 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23907 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23908 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23910 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23911 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23912 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23913 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23916 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23917 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23918 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23921 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23922 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23925 This function takes four parameters.
23929 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23932 @item exit-function
23933 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23935 @item temp-directory
23936 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23939 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23940 performed for one group only.
23943 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23944 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23945 find the article number assigned to this article.
23947 The function also uses the following variables:
23948 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23949 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23950 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23951 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23955 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23956 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23960 @node Score File Syntax
23961 @subsection Score File Syntax
23963 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23964 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23965 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23967 Here's a typical score file:
23971 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23978 BNF definition of a score file:
23981 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23982 element = rule / atom
23983 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23984 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23985 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23986 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23988 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23989 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23990 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23991 date-header = "date"
23992 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23993 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23994 score = "nil" / <integer>
23995 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23996 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23997 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23998 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23999 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
24000 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24001 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24002 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
24003 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24004 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
24005 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
24006 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
24007 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
24008 exclude-files / read-only / touched
24009 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
24010 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
24011 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
24012 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
24013 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
24014 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
24015 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
24016 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
24017 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
24018 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
24019 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
24020 eval = "eval" space <form>
24021 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
24024 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
24027 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
24028 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
24029 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
24030 one looong line, then that's ok.
24032 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
24033 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24037 @subsection Headers
24039 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
24040 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
24041 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
24042 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
24044 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
24045 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
24046 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
24047 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
24048 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
24049 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
24050 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
24052 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
24053 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
24054 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
24055 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
24056 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
24058 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
24059 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
24065 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
24066 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
24068 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
24069 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
24070 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
24071 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
24073 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
24077 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
24080 is transformed into
24083 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
24086 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
24087 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
24090 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
24093 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
24094 is slightly tricky:
24097 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
24103 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
24106 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
24112 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
24119 and is equal to the previous range.
24121 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
24122 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
24123 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
24127 range = simple-range / normal-range
24128 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
24129 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
24130 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
24131 number *[ " " contents ]
24134 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
24135 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
24136 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
24137 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
24138 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
24143 @subsection Group Info
24145 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
24146 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
24147 describes the group.
24149 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
24150 second is a more complex one:
24153 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
24155 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
24156 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
24158 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
24161 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
24162 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
24163 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
24164 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
24165 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
24166 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
24167 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
24168 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
24169 this section is about.
24171 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
24172 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
24173 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
24175 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
24178 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
24179 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
24180 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24181 group = quote <string> quote
24182 ralevel = rank / level
24183 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
24184 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
24185 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
24187 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
24188 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
24189 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
24190 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
24193 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
24194 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
24197 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
24198 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
24201 @item gnus-info-group
24202 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
24203 @findex gnus-info-group
24204 @findex gnus-info-set-group
24205 Get/set the group name.
24207 @item gnus-info-rank
24208 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
24209 @findex gnus-info-rank
24210 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
24211 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
24213 @item gnus-info-level
24214 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
24215 @findex gnus-info-level
24216 @findex gnus-info-set-level
24217 Get/set the group level.
24219 @item gnus-info-score
24220 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
24221 @findex gnus-info-score
24222 @findex gnus-info-set-score
24223 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
24225 @item gnus-info-read
24226 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
24227 @findex gnus-info-read
24228 @findex gnus-info-set-read
24229 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
24231 @item gnus-info-marks
24232 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
24233 @findex gnus-info-marks
24234 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
24235 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
24237 @item gnus-info-method
24238 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
24239 @findex gnus-info-method
24240 @findex gnus-info-set-method
24241 Get/set the group select method.
24243 @item gnus-info-params
24244 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
24245 @findex gnus-info-params
24246 @findex gnus-info-set-params
24247 Get/set the group parameters.
24250 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
24251 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
24253 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
24254 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
24255 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
24256 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
24259 @node Extended Interactive
24260 @subsection Extended Interactive
24261 @cindex interactive
24262 @findex gnus-interactive
24264 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
24265 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
24266 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
24269 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
24270 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
24275 The best thing to do would have been to implement
24276 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
24277 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
24278 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
24279 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
24280 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
24281 @code{interactive}.
24283 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
24288 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
24289 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
24293 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
24294 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
24295 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
24298 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
24302 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
24306 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
24312 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
24313 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
24317 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
24318 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
24319 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
24321 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24322 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24323 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24324 Gnus, that's very useful.
24326 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24327 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24328 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24329 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24330 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24331 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24332 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24333 following function:
24336 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24340 (,function ,@@args))
24344 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24345 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24346 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24349 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24350 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24351 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24353 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24354 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24355 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24358 @node Various File Formats
24359 @subsection Various File Formats
24362 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24363 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24367 @node Active File Format
24368 @subsubsection Active File Format
24370 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24371 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24374 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24377 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24378 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24379 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24380 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24381 no.general 1000 900 y
24384 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24387 active = *group-line
24388 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24389 group = <non-white-space string>
24391 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24392 low-number = <positive integer>
24393 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24396 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24397 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24400 @node Newsgroups File Format
24401 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24403 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24404 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24405 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24408 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24409 Here's the definition:
24413 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24414 group = <non-white-space string>
24416 description = <string>
24421 @node Emacs for Heathens
24422 @section Emacs for Heathens
24424 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24425 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24426 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24427 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24428 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24429 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24430 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24434 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24435 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24440 @subsection Keystrokes
24444 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24447 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24450 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24451 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24452 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24453 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24454 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24455 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24457 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24458 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24459 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24460 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24461 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24462 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24463 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24465 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24466 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24467 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24468 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24469 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24470 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24471 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24473 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24474 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24475 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24476 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24477 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24483 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24485 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24486 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24487 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24488 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24490 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24491 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24492 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24493 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24494 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24495 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24496 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24499 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24500 write the following:
24503 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24506 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24507 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24508 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24511 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24512 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24513 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24514 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24515 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24517 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24518 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24519 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24523 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24527 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24530 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24531 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24534 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24537 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24538 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24541 @include gnus-faq.texi
24561 @c Local Variables:
24563 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24565 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24566 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24567 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24568 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24569 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref