10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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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.
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 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.05
396 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
397 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
399 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
400 being accused of plagiarism:
402 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
403 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
404 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
405 can even read news with it!
407 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
408 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
409 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
410 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
411 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
417 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
418 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
419 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
420 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
421 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
422 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
423 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
424 * Various:: General purpose settings.
425 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
426 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
427 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
428 * Key Index:: Key Index.
431 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
443 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
444 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
450 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
451 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
455 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
456 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
457 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
458 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
459 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
460 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
461 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
462 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
463 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
464 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
465 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
466 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
467 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
468 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
469 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
470 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
471 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
475 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
476 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
477 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
483 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
484 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
485 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
489 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
490 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
491 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
492 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
493 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
497 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
498 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
499 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
500 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
501 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
504 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
505 * Threading:: How threads are made.
506 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
507 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
508 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
509 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
510 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
511 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
512 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
513 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
514 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
515 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
516 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
517 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
518 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
519 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
520 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
521 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
522 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
523 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
524 or reselecting the current group.
525 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
526 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
527 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
528 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
530 Summary Buffer Format
532 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
533 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
534 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
535 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
539 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
540 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
542 Reply, Followup and Post
544 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
545 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
546 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
547 * Canceling and Superseding::
551 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
552 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
553 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
555 * Generic Marking Commands::
556 * Setting Process Marks::
560 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
561 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
562 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
566 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
567 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
569 Customizing Threading
571 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
572 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
573 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
574 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
578 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
579 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
580 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
581 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
582 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
583 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
587 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
588 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
589 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
593 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
594 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
595 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
596 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
597 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
598 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
599 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
600 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
601 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
602 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
604 Alternative Approaches
606 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
607 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
609 Various Summary Stuff
611 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
612 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
613 * Summary Generation Commands::
614 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
618 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
619 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
620 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
621 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
622 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
626 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
627 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
628 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
629 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
630 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
631 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
632 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
633 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
637 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
638 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
642 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
643 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
644 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
648 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
649 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
650 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
651 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
652 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
653 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
654 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
658 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
659 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
663 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
664 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
665 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
669 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
670 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
671 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
672 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
673 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
674 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
675 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
676 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
677 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
678 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
679 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
680 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
681 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
685 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
686 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
687 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
689 Choosing a Mail Back End
691 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
692 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
693 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
694 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
695 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
696 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
701 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
702 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
703 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
704 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
705 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
706 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
710 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
711 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
712 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
716 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
717 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
718 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
719 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
720 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
724 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
728 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
729 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
730 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
734 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
735 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
739 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
740 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
741 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
744 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
745 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
746 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
747 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
748 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
752 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
753 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
754 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
758 * Group Agent Commands::
759 * Summary Agent Commands::
760 * Server Agent Commands::
764 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
765 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
766 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
767 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
768 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
769 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
770 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
771 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
772 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
773 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
774 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
775 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
776 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
777 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
778 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
779 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
780 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
784 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
785 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
786 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
787 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
791 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
792 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
793 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
797 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
798 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
799 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
800 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
801 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
802 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
803 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
804 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
805 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
806 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
807 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
808 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
809 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
810 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
811 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
812 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
813 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
814 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
815 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
819 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
820 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
821 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
822 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
823 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
824 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
825 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
826 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
830 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
831 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
832 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
833 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
834 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
838 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
839 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
840 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
841 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
842 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
846 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
847 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
848 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
849 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
850 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
851 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
852 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
853 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
854 * Frequently Asked Questions::
858 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
859 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
860 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
861 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
862 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
863 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
864 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
865 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
866 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
870 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
871 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
872 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
873 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
874 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
878 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
879 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
880 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
881 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
885 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
886 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
887 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
888 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
889 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
890 * Group Info:: The group info format.
891 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
892 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
893 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
897 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
898 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
899 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
900 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
901 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
902 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
906 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
907 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
911 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
912 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
918 @chapter Starting Gnus
923 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
924 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
927 @findex gnus-other-frame
928 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
929 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
930 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
932 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
933 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
934 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
936 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
937 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
940 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
941 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
942 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
943 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
944 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
945 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
946 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
947 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
948 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
949 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
950 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
954 @node Finding the News
955 @section Finding the News
958 @vindex gnus-select-method
960 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
961 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
962 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
963 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
966 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
967 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
970 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
973 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
976 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
979 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
980 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
981 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
983 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
985 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
986 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
987 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
988 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
989 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
990 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
992 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
993 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
994 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
995 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
997 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
998 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
999 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1000 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1001 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1002 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1003 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1004 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1005 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1008 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1010 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1011 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1012 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1013 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1014 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1015 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1019 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1020 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1021 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1022 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1023 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1024 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1027 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1028 you would typically set this variable to
1031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1035 @node The First Time
1036 @section The First Time
1037 @cindex first time usage
1039 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1040 be subscribed by default.
1042 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1043 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1044 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1045 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1048 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1049 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1050 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1052 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1053 help you with most common problems.
1055 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1056 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1060 @node The Server is Down
1061 @section The Server is Down
1062 @cindex server errors
1064 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1065 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1066 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1068 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1069 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1070 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1071 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1072 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1073 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1074 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1076 @findex gnus-no-server
1077 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1079 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1080 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1081 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1082 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1083 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1084 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1085 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1089 @section Slave Gnusae
1092 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1093 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1094 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1095 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1097 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1098 @code{.newsrc} file.
1100 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1101 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1102 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1103 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1104 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1105 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1106 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1108 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1109 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1110 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1111 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1112 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1113 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1114 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1115 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1117 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1118 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1121 @node Fetching a Group
1122 @section Fetching a Group
1123 @cindex fetching a group
1125 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1126 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1127 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1128 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1129 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1130 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1136 @cindex subscription
1138 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1139 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1140 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1141 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1142 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1143 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1144 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1145 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1146 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1149 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1150 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1151 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1155 @node Checking New Groups
1156 @subsection Checking New Groups
1158 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1159 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1160 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1161 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1162 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1163 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1164 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1165 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1166 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1167 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1169 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1170 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1171 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1172 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1173 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1174 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1175 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1176 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1177 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1178 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1179 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1181 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1182 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1183 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1184 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1185 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1186 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1189 @node Subscription Methods
1190 @subsection Subscription Methods
1192 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1193 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1194 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1196 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1197 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1199 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1203 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1204 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1205 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1206 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1207 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1209 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1211 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1212 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1214 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1216 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1218 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1219 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1220 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1221 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1222 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1223 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1224 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1225 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1226 up. Or something like that.
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1230 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1231 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1232 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1236 Kill all new groups.
1238 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1240 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1241 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1242 topic parameter that looks like
1248 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1251 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1257 A closely related variable is
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1259 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1260 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1261 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1264 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1265 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1266 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1267 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1270 @node Filtering New Groups
1271 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1273 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1274 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1275 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1278 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1282 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1283 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1284 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1285 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1286 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1287 subscribing these groups.
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1289 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1291 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1292 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1293 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1294 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1295 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1296 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1297 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1298 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1300 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1301 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1302 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1303 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1304 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1305 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1306 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1307 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1308 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1309 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1311 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1312 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1315 @node Changing Servers
1316 @section Changing Servers
1317 @cindex changing servers
1319 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1320 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1321 very flaky and you want to use another.
1323 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1324 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1328 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1329 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1330 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1331 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1334 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1335 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1336 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1337 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1339 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1340 @findex gnus-change-server
1341 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1342 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1343 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1344 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1345 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1347 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1348 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1349 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1351 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1353 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1354 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1355 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1356 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1357 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1358 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1361 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1362 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1363 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1365 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1366 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1367 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1368 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1369 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1370 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1371 cache for all groups).
1375 @section Startup Files
1376 @cindex startup files
1381 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1382 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1384 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1385 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1386 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1387 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1388 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1389 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1390 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1392 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1393 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1394 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1395 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1396 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1397 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1399 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1400 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1401 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1402 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1403 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1404 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1405 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1406 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1407 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1408 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1410 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1411 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1412 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1413 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1414 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1415 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1416 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1417 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1418 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1419 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1420 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1421 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1423 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1424 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1425 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1426 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1428 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1429 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1430 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1431 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1432 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1433 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1434 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1435 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1436 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1437 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1440 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1441 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1443 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1444 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1447 @vindex gnus-init-file
1448 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1449 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1450 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1451 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1452 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1453 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1454 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1455 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1456 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1462 @cindex dribble file
1465 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1466 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1467 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1468 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1469 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1472 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1473 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1476 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1477 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1478 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1480 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1481 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1482 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1483 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1484 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1485 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1487 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1488 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1489 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1492 @node The Active File
1493 @section The Active File
1495 @cindex ignored groups
1497 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1498 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1499 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1501 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1502 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1503 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1504 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1505 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1506 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1507 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1510 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1511 @c if you set it to anything else.
1513 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1515 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1516 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1517 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1519 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1520 you actually subscribe to.
1522 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1523 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1524 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1525 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1527 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1528 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1529 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1530 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1531 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1532 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1534 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1535 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1536 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1539 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1540 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1541 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1542 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1543 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1544 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1546 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1547 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1549 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1550 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1552 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1553 secondary select methods.
1556 @node Startup Variables
1557 @section Startup Variables
1561 @item gnus-load-hook
1562 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1563 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1564 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1565 times you start Gnus.
1567 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1568 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1569 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1571 @item gnus-startup-hook
1572 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1573 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1575 @item gnus-started-hook
1576 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1577 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1580 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1582 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1583 generating the group buffer.
1585 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1586 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1587 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1588 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1589 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1590 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1591 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1592 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1594 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1595 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1596 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1597 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1598 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1599 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1601 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1602 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1603 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1605 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1606 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1607 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1609 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1610 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1611 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1612 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1618 @chapter Group Buffer
1619 @cindex group buffer
1621 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1623 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1624 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1625 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1626 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1627 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1628 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1629 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1630 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1631 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1632 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1633 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1634 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1635 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1636 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1637 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1638 @c human rights at 9...
1641 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1642 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1643 long as Gnus is active.
1647 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1648 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1649 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1650 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1651 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1652 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1653 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1654 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1660 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1661 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1662 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1663 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1664 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1665 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1666 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1667 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1668 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1669 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1670 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1671 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1672 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1673 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1674 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1675 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1676 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1680 @node Group Buffer Format
1681 @section Group Buffer Format
1684 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1685 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1686 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1690 @node Group Line Specification
1691 @subsection Group Line Specification
1692 @cindex group buffer format
1694 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1695 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1697 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1700 25: news.announce.newusers
1701 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1706 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1707 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1708 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1709 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1711 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1712 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1713 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1714 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1715 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1716 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1718 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1720 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1721 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1722 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1723 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1724 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1726 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1727 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1728 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1730 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1735 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1738 Whether the group is subscribed.
1741 Level of subscribedness.
1744 Number of unread articles.
1747 Number of dormant articles.
1750 Number of ticked articles.
1753 Number of read articles.
1756 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1757 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1759 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1760 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1761 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1762 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1763 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1764 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1765 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1766 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1769 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1772 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1781 Newsgroup description.
1784 @samp{m} if moderated.
1787 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1796 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1800 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1803 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1804 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1805 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1806 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1807 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1810 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1812 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1816 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1819 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1823 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1824 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1825 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1826 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1827 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1828 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1833 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1834 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1835 group, or a bogus native group.
1838 @node Group Modeline Specification
1839 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1840 @cindex group modeline
1842 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1843 The mode line can be changed by setting
1844 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1845 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1849 The native news server.
1851 The native select method.
1855 @node Group Highlighting
1856 @subsection Group Highlighting
1857 @cindex highlighting
1858 @cindex group highlighting
1860 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1861 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1862 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1863 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1864 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1866 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1870 (cond (window-system
1871 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1872 (defface my-group-face-1
1873 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1874 (defface my-group-face-2
1875 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1876 (defface my-group-face-3
1877 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1878 (defface my-group-face-4
1879 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1880 (defface my-group-face-5
1881 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1883 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1884 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1885 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1886 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1887 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1888 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1891 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1893 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1900 The number of unread articles in the group.
1904 Whether the group is a mail group.
1906 The level of the group.
1908 The score of the group.
1910 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1912 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1913 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1915 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1916 topic being inserted.
1919 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1920 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1921 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1923 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1924 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1925 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1926 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1927 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1930 @node Group Maneuvering
1931 @section Group Maneuvering
1932 @cindex group movement
1934 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1935 expected, hopefully.
1941 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1942 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1943 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1949 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1950 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1951 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1956 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1960 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1961 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1965 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1966 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1967 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1971 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1972 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1973 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1976 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1982 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1983 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1984 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1989 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1990 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1991 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1995 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1996 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1997 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2000 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2001 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2002 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2003 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2007 @node Selecting a Group
2008 @section Selecting a Group
2009 @cindex group selection
2014 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2015 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2016 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2017 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2018 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2019 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2020 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2021 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2022 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2023 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2025 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2026 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2027 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2029 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2030 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2035 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2036 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2037 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2038 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2039 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2043 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2044 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2045 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2046 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2047 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2048 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2049 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2050 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2051 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2052 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2055 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2056 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2057 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2058 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2059 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2062 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2063 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2064 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2065 doing any processing of its contents
2066 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2067 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2068 manner will have no permanent effects.
2072 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2073 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2074 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2075 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2076 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2077 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2078 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2079 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2082 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2083 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2084 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2085 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2086 Which article this is is controlled by the
2087 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2093 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2096 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2099 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2101 @item unseen-or-unread
2102 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2103 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2107 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2111 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2112 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2114 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2115 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2116 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2117 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2121 @node Subscription Commands
2122 @section Subscription Commands
2123 @cindex subscription
2131 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2132 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2133 Toggle subscription to the current group
2134 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2140 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2141 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2142 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2143 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2149 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2150 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2151 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2157 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2158 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2161 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2162 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2163 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2164 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2165 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2171 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2172 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2176 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2177 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2180 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2181 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2182 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2183 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2184 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2185 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2186 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2187 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2188 @file{.newsrc} file.
2192 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2202 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2203 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2204 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2205 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2206 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2207 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2212 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2213 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2214 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2218 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2219 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2220 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2222 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2223 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2224 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2225 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2226 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2227 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2234 @section Group Levels
2238 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2239 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2240 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2241 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2242 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2244 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2250 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2251 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2252 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2253 prompted for a level.
2256 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2257 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2258 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2259 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2260 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2261 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2262 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2263 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2264 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2265 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2266 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2267 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2268 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2269 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2270 reasons of efficiency.
2272 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2273 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2275 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2276 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2277 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2278 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2279 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2280 groups are hidden, in a way.
2282 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2283 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2284 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2285 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2286 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2287 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2289 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2290 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2291 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2292 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2293 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2294 list of killed groups.)
2296 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2297 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2298 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2300 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2301 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2302 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2303 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2304 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2305 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2306 relevant valid ranges.
2308 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2309 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2310 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2311 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2312 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2313 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2316 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2317 one with the best level.
2319 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2320 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2321 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2324 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2325 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2326 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2327 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2330 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2331 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2332 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2333 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2335 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2336 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2337 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2338 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2339 to 5. The default is 6.
2343 @section Group Score
2348 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2349 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2350 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2353 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2354 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2355 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2356 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2357 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2358 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2359 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2360 least significant part.))
2362 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2363 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2364 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2365 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2366 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2367 action after each summary exit, you can add
2368 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2369 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2370 slow things down somewhat.
2373 @node Marking Groups
2374 @section Marking Groups
2375 @cindex marking groups
2377 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2378 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2379 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2380 bidding on those groups.
2382 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2383 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2384 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2392 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2393 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2399 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2400 Remove the mark from the current group
2401 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2406 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2410 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2411 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2415 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2416 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2420 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2421 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2422 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2425 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2427 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2428 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2429 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2430 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2431 the command to be executed.
2434 @node Foreign Groups
2435 @section Foreign Groups
2436 @cindex foreign groups
2438 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2439 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2440 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2441 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2448 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2449 @cindex making groups
2450 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2451 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2452 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2456 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2457 @cindex renaming groups
2458 Rename the current group to something else
2459 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2460 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2466 @findex gnus-group-customize
2467 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2471 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2472 @cindex renaming groups
2473 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2474 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2479 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2480 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2485 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2486 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2492 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2493 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2498 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2499 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2503 @cindex (ding) archive
2504 @cindex archive group
2505 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2506 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2507 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2508 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2509 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2510 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2511 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2515 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2517 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2518 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2519 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2520 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2524 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2526 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2527 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2528 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2532 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2533 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2535 Make a group based on some file or other
2536 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2537 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2538 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2539 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2540 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2541 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2542 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2543 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2544 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2548 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2549 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2550 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2551 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2560 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2561 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2562 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2563 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2564 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2565 @xref{Web Searches}.
2567 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2568 to a particular group by using a match string like
2569 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2572 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2573 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2574 This function will delete the current group
2575 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2576 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2577 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2578 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2579 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2583 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2584 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2585 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2589 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2590 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2591 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2594 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2597 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2598 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2599 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2600 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2601 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2602 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2606 @node Group Parameters
2607 @section Group Parameters
2608 @cindex group parameters
2610 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2611 Here's an example group parameter list:
2614 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2618 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2619 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2620 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2621 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2623 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2624 is an alist of regexps and values.
2626 The following group parameters can be used:
2631 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2634 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2637 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2638 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2639 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2640 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2641 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2643 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2644 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2645 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2646 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2647 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2648 list address instead.
2650 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2654 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2657 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2660 It is totally ignored
2661 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2662 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2664 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2665 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2666 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2667 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2668 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2670 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2671 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2672 sending the message.
2674 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2675 @cindex Mail List Groups
2676 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2677 entering summary buffer.
2679 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2683 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2684 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2685 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information
2686 will help it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To headers for your
2687 posts to these lists.
2689 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2690 directly uses this group parameter.
2694 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2695 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2696 of whether it has any unread articles.
2698 @item broken-reply-to
2699 @cindex broken-reply-to
2700 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2701 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2702 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2703 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2704 broken behavior. So there!
2708 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2709 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2713 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2714 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2715 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2720 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2721 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2722 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2723 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2724 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2725 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2726 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2730 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2731 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2732 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2734 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2737 @cindex total-expire
2738 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2739 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2740 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2741 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2744 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2748 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2749 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2750 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2751 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2752 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2753 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2756 @cindex score file group parameter
2757 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2758 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2759 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2762 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2763 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2764 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2765 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2768 @cindex admin-address
2769 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2770 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2771 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2772 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2776 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2777 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2781 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2784 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2785 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2788 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2792 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2794 Here are some examples:
2798 Display only read articles.
2801 Display everything except expirable articles.
2803 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2804 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2808 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2809 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2810 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2811 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2812 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2816 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2817 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2818 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2822 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2823 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2824 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2829 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2830 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2831 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2833 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2835 @item ignored-charsets
2836 @cindex ignored-charset
2837 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2838 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2839 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2841 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2844 @cindex posting-style
2845 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2846 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2847 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2848 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2849 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2851 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2852 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2853 like this in the group parameters:
2858 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2863 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2864 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2868 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2869 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2870 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2871 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2872 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2876 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2877 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2878 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2879 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2881 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2882 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2883 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2884 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2887 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2888 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2892 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2895 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2896 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2897 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2898 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2899 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2900 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2901 @code{eval}ed there.
2903 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2904 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2905 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2906 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2907 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2911 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2912 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2913 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2914 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2915 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2917 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2918 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2922 (setq gnus-parameters
2924 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2925 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2926 (gnus-summary-line-format
2927 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2931 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2935 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2939 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2942 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2943 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2946 @node Listing Groups
2947 @section Listing Groups
2948 @cindex group listing
2950 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2958 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2959 List all groups that have unread articles
2960 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2961 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2962 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2963 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2970 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2971 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2972 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2973 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2974 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2975 unsubscribed groups).
2979 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2980 List all unread groups on a specific level
2981 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2982 with no unread articles.
2986 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2987 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2988 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2989 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2994 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2995 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2999 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3000 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3001 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3005 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3006 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3010 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3011 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3012 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3013 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3014 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3015 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3016 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3017 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3021 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3022 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3023 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3027 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3028 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3029 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3033 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3034 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3038 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3039 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3043 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3044 List groups limited within the current selection
3045 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3049 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3050 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3054 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3055 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3059 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3060 @cindex visible group parameter
3061 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3062 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3063 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3064 get the same effect.
3066 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3067 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3068 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3069 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3070 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3073 @node Sorting Groups
3074 @section Sorting Groups
3075 @cindex sorting groups
3077 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3078 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3079 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3080 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3081 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3082 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3087 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3088 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3089 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3091 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3092 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3093 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3095 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3096 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3097 Sort by group level.
3099 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3100 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3101 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3103 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3104 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3105 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3106 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3108 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3109 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3110 Sort by number of unread articles.
3112 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3113 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3114 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3116 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3117 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3118 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3123 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3124 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3128 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3129 some sorting criteria:
3133 @kindex G S a (Group)
3134 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3135 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3136 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3139 @kindex G S u (Group)
3140 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3141 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3142 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3145 @kindex G S l (Group)
3146 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3147 Sort the group buffer by group level
3148 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3151 @kindex G S v (Group)
3152 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3153 Sort the group buffer by group score
3154 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3157 @kindex G S r (Group)
3158 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3159 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3160 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3163 @kindex G S m (Group)
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3165 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3166 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3170 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3171 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3173 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3174 commands will sort in reverse order.
3176 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3180 @kindex G P a (Group)
3181 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3182 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3183 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3186 @kindex G P u (Group)
3187 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3188 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3189 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3192 @kindex G P l (Group)
3193 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3194 Sort the groups by group level
3195 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3198 @kindex G P v (Group)
3199 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3200 Sort the groups by group score
3201 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3204 @kindex G P r (Group)
3205 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3206 Sort the groups by group rank
3207 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3210 @kindex G P m (Group)
3211 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3212 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3213 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3217 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3221 @node Group Maintenance
3222 @section Group Maintenance
3223 @cindex bogus groups
3228 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3229 Find bogus groups and delete them
3230 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3234 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3235 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3236 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3237 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3238 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3242 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3243 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3244 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3245 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3246 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3247 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3250 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3251 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3252 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3253 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3258 @node Browse Foreign Server
3259 @section Browse Foreign Server
3260 @cindex foreign servers
3261 @cindex browsing servers
3266 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3267 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3268 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3269 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3272 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3273 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3274 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3275 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3277 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3282 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3283 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3287 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3288 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3291 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3292 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3293 Enter the current group and display the first article
3294 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3297 @kindex RET (Browse)
3298 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3299 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3303 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3304 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3305 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3311 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3312 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3316 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3317 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3318 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3323 @section Exiting Gnus
3324 @cindex exiting Gnus
3326 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3331 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3332 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3333 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3334 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3338 @findex gnus-group-exit
3339 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3340 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3344 @findex gnus-group-quit
3345 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3346 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3349 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3350 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3351 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3352 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3353 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3358 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3359 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3360 trying to customize meta-variables.
3365 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3366 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3367 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3373 @section Group Topics
3376 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3377 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3378 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3379 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3380 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3381 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3385 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3386 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3397 2: alt.religion.emacs
3400 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3402 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3403 13: comp.sources.unix
3406 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3408 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3409 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3410 is a toggling command.)
3412 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3413 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3414 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3415 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3418 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3419 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3420 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3423 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3427 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3428 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3429 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3430 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3431 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3435 @node Topic Commands
3436 @subsection Topic Commands
3437 @cindex topic commands
3439 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3440 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3441 definitions slightly.
3443 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3444 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3445 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3446 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3447 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3448 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3450 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3457 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3458 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3459 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3463 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3465 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3466 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3467 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3468 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3471 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3472 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3473 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3474 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3478 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3479 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3480 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3481 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3487 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3488 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3489 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3493 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3494 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3495 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3498 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3499 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3500 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3501 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3502 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3504 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3505 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3509 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3510 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3517 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3519 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3520 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3521 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3522 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3523 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3524 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3528 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3534 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3535 Move the current group to some other topic
3536 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3537 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3541 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3542 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3546 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3547 Copy the current group to some other topic
3548 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3549 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3553 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3554 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3555 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3559 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3560 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3561 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3565 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3566 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3567 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3568 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3569 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3570 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3571 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3574 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3575 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3579 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3580 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3581 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3585 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3586 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3587 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3591 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3592 Toggle hiding empty topics
3593 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3597 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3598 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3599 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3602 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3603 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3604 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3605 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3608 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3609 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3610 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3611 expiry process (if any)
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3617 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3620 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3621 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3622 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3626 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3627 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3628 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3631 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3632 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3633 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3636 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3637 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3638 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3642 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3643 @cindex group parameters
3644 @cindex topic parameters
3646 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3647 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3652 @node Topic Variables
3653 @subsection Topic Variables
3654 @cindex topic variables
3656 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3657 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3659 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3660 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3661 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3674 Number of groups in the topic.
3676 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3678 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3681 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3682 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3683 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3686 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3687 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3689 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3690 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3691 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3695 @subsection Topic Sorting
3696 @cindex topic sorting
3698 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3704 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3705 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3706 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3707 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3710 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3711 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3712 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3713 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3716 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3717 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3718 Sort the current topic by group level
3719 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3722 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3723 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3724 Sort the current topic by group score
3725 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3728 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3729 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3730 Sort the current topic by group rank
3731 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3734 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3735 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3736 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3737 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3740 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3741 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3742 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3743 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3747 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3750 @node Topic Topology
3751 @subsection Topic Topology
3752 @cindex topic topology
3755 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3761 2: alt.religion.emacs
3764 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3766 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3767 13: comp.sources.unix
3770 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3771 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3772 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3777 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3778 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3782 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3783 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3784 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3785 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3786 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3787 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3789 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3790 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3791 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3794 @node Topic Parameters
3795 @subsection Topic Parameters
3796 @cindex topic parameters
3798 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3799 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3800 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3802 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3807 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3808 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3809 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3812 @item subscribe-level
3813 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3814 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3815 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3819 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3820 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3821 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3822 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3828 2: alt.religion.emacs
3832 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3834 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3835 13: comp.sources.unix
3839 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3840 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3841 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3842 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3843 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3844 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3846 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3847 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3848 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3849 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3850 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3852 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3853 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3854 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3855 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3856 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3857 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3858 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3859 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3862 @node Misc Group Stuff
3863 @section Misc Group Stuff
3866 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3867 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3868 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3869 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3870 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3877 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3878 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3879 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3883 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3884 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3885 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3886 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3887 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3888 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3889 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3893 @findex gnus-group-mail
3894 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3895 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3896 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3897 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3901 @findex gnus-group-news
3902 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3903 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3904 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3906 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3907 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3908 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3909 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3910 for this to work though.
3914 Variables for the group buffer:
3918 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3919 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3920 is called after the group buffer has been
3923 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3924 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3925 is called after the group buffer is
3926 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3929 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3930 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3931 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3932 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3934 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3935 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3936 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3937 whether they are empty or not.
3939 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3940 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3941 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3942 non-ASCII group names.
3946 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3947 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3950 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3951 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3952 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3953 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3954 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3955 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3959 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3960 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3965 @node Scanning New Messages
3966 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3967 @cindex new messages
3968 @cindex scanning new news
3974 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3975 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3976 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3977 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3978 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3979 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3984 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3985 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3986 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3987 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3988 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3989 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3990 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3992 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3993 @cindex activating groups
3995 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3996 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4001 @findex gnus-group-restart
4002 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4003 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4004 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4008 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4009 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4011 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4012 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4016 @node Group Information
4017 @subsection Group Information
4018 @cindex group information
4019 @cindex information on groups
4026 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4027 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4030 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4031 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4032 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4033 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4034 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4035 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4036 for fetching the file.
4038 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4039 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4043 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4045 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4046 @cindex describing groups
4047 @cindex group description
4048 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4049 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4050 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4054 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4055 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4056 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4063 @findex gnus-version
4064 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4068 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4069 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4072 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4075 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4076 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4080 @node Group Timestamp
4081 @subsection Group Timestamp
4083 @cindex group timestamps
4085 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4086 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4087 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4090 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4093 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4095 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4096 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4099 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4100 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4103 This will result in lines looking like:
4106 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4107 0: custom 19961002T012713
4110 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4111 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4115 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4116 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4119 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4120 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4124 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4125 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4126 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4127 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4129 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4135 @subsection File Commands
4136 @cindex file commands
4142 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4143 @vindex gnus-init-file
4144 @cindex reading init file
4145 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4146 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4150 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4151 @cindex saving .newsrc
4152 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4153 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4154 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4157 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4158 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4159 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4164 @node Sieve Commands
4165 @subsection Sieve Commands
4166 @cindex group sieve commands
4168 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4169 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4170 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4171 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4172 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4174 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4175 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4176 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4177 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4178 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4179 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4180 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4181 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4182 regenerate the Sieve script.
4184 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4185 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4186 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4187 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4188 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4189 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4190 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4191 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4192 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4193 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4196 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4197 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4202 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4208 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4209 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4210 @cindex generating sieve script
4211 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4212 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4216 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4217 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4218 @cindex updating sieve script
4219 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4220 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4221 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4226 @node Summary Buffer
4227 @chapter Summary Buffer
4228 @cindex summary buffer
4230 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4231 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4233 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4234 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4236 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4239 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4240 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4241 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4242 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4243 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4244 * Delayed Articles::
4245 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4246 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4247 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4248 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4249 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4250 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4251 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4252 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4253 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4254 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4255 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4256 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4257 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4258 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4259 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4260 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4261 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4262 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4263 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4264 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4265 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4266 or reselecting the current group.
4267 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4268 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4269 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4270 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4274 @node Summary Buffer Format
4275 @section Summary Buffer Format
4276 @cindex summary buffer format
4280 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4281 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4282 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4288 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4289 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4290 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4291 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4294 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4295 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4296 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4297 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4298 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4299 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4300 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4301 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4302 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4303 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4304 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4307 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4308 'mail-extract-address-components)
4311 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4312 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4313 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4314 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4317 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4318 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4320 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4321 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4322 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4323 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4324 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4326 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4327 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4328 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4329 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4330 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4331 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4333 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4335 The following format specification characters and extended format
4336 specification(s) are understood:
4342 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4343 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4345 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4346 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4347 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4349 Full @code{From} header.
4351 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4353 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4354 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4356 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4357 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4358 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4359 may be more thorough.
4361 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4364 Number of lines in the article.
4366 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4367 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4369 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4371 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4374 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4375 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4377 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4378 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4380 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4381 for adopted articles.
4383 One space for each thread level.
4385 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4387 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4390 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4391 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4392 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4395 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4397 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4398 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4399 default level. If the difference between
4400 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4401 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4409 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4411 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4417 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4418 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4420 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4421 article has any children.
4427 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4428 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4430 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4431 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4432 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4433 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4434 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4435 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4438 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4439 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4440 There can only be one such area.
4442 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4443 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4444 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4445 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4446 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4447 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4449 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4450 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4452 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4455 @node To From Newsgroups
4456 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4460 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4461 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4462 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4463 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4464 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4468 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4469 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4470 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4474 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4475 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4478 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4479 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4482 @findex gnus-extra-header
4483 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4484 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4485 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4488 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4492 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4493 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4494 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4495 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4496 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4497 headers are used instead.
4501 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4502 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4503 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4504 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4507 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4508 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4509 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4510 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4512 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4516 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4518 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4519 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4520 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4521 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4525 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4528 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4529 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4536 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4537 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4540 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4541 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4543 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4544 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4545 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4546 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4548 Here are the elements you can play with:
4554 Unprefixed group name.
4556 Current article number.
4558 Current article score.
4562 Number of unread articles in this group.
4564 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4567 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4568 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4569 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4570 and no unselected ones.
4572 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4573 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4575 Subject of the current article.
4577 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4579 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4581 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4583 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4585 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4587 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4591 @node Summary Highlighting
4592 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4596 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4597 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4598 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4599 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4600 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4602 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4603 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4604 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4605 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4607 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4608 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4609 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4610 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4612 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4613 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4614 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4615 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4616 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4617 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4620 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4621 ((> score default) . bold))
4623 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4624 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4628 @node Summary Maneuvering
4629 @section Summary Maneuvering
4630 @cindex summary movement
4632 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4633 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4635 None of these commands select articles.
4640 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4641 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4642 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4643 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4644 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4648 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4649 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4650 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4651 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4652 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4655 @kindex G g (Summary)
4656 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4657 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4658 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4661 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4662 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4663 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4664 to the group buffer.
4666 Variables related to summary movement:
4670 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4671 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4672 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4673 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4674 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4675 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4676 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4677 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4678 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4679 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4680 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4681 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4682 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4683 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4685 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4686 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4687 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4688 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4689 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4690 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4691 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4693 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4695 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4696 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4697 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4698 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4699 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4701 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4702 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4703 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4704 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4705 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4706 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4707 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4708 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4711 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4712 the given number of lines from the top.
4717 @node Choosing Articles
4718 @section Choosing Articles
4719 @cindex selecting articles
4722 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4723 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4727 @node Choosing Commands
4728 @subsection Choosing Commands
4730 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4731 and they all select and display an article.
4733 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4734 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4738 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4739 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4740 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4741 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4746 @kindex G n (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4748 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4749 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4754 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4755 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4756 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4761 @kindex G N (Summary)
4762 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4763 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4768 @kindex G P (Summary)
4769 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4770 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4773 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4774 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4775 Go to the next article with the same subject
4776 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4779 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4780 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4781 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4782 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4786 @kindex G f (Summary)
4788 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4789 Go to the first unread article
4790 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4794 @kindex G b (Summary)
4796 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4797 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4798 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4799 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4804 @kindex G l (Summary)
4805 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4806 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4809 @kindex G o (Summary)
4810 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4812 @cindex article history
4813 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4814 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4815 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4816 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4817 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4818 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4823 @kindex G j (Summary)
4824 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4825 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4826 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4831 @node Choosing Variables
4832 @subsection Choosing Variables
4834 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4837 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4838 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4839 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4840 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4841 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4842 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4844 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4845 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4846 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4847 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4849 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4850 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4851 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4852 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4853 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4854 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4855 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4856 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4857 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4858 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4859 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4860 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4861 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4862 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4867 @node Paging the Article
4868 @section Scrolling the Article
4869 @cindex article scrolling
4874 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4875 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4876 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4877 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4878 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4881 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4882 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4883 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4886 @kindex RET (Summary)
4887 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4888 Scroll the current article one line forward
4889 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4892 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4893 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4894 Scroll the current article one line backward
4895 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4899 @kindex A g (Summary)
4901 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4902 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4903 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4904 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4905 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4906 the way it came from the server.
4908 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4909 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4910 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4913 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4918 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4923 @kindex A < (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4925 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4926 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4931 @kindex A > (Summary)
4932 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4933 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4937 @kindex A s (Summary)
4939 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4940 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4941 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4945 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4946 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4951 @node Reply Followup and Post
4952 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4955 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4956 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4957 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4958 * Canceling and Superseding::
4962 @node Summary Mail Commands
4963 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4965 @cindex composing mail
4967 Commands for composing a mail message:
4973 @kindex S r (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4976 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4977 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4978 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4979 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4984 @kindex S R (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4986 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4987 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4988 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4989 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4992 @kindex S w (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4994 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4996 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4997 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5000 @kindex S V (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5002 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5003 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5004 the process/prefix convention.
5007 @kindex S v (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5009 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5010 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5011 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5012 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5013 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5017 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5018 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5019 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5020 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5021 Forward the current article to some other person
5022 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5023 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5024 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5025 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5026 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5027 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5028 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5029 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5030 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5035 @kindex S m (Summary)
5036 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5037 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5038 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5039 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5040 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5045 @kindex S i (Summary)
5046 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5047 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5048 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5049 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5051 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5052 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5053 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5054 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5055 for this to work though.
5058 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5060 @cindex bouncing mail
5061 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5062 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5063 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5064 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5065 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5066 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5067 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5068 very well fail, though.
5071 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5073 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5074 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5075 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5076 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5077 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5078 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5079 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5080 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5082 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5083 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5084 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5085 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5086 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
5088 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5089 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5092 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5094 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5095 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5096 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5099 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5100 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5101 @cindex crossposting
5102 @cindex excessive crossposting
5103 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5104 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5106 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5107 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5108 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5109 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5110 command understands the process/prefix convention
5111 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5115 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5116 Manual}, for more information.
5119 @node Summary Post Commands
5120 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5122 @cindex composing news
5124 Commands for posting a news article:
5130 @kindex S p (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5132 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5133 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5134 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5135 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5140 @kindex S f (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5142 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5143 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5147 @kindex S F (Summary)
5149 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5150 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5151 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5152 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5153 process/prefix convention.
5156 @kindex S n (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5158 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5159 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5162 @kindex S N (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5164 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5165 message through mail and include the original message
5166 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5167 the process/prefix convention.
5170 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5172 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5173 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5174 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5175 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5176 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5177 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5178 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5179 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5180 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5181 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5182 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5185 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5188 @cindex making digests
5189 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5190 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5191 process/prefix convention.
5194 @kindex S u (Summary)
5195 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5196 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5197 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5198 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5201 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5202 Manual}, for more information.
5205 @node Summary Message Commands
5206 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5210 @kindex S y (Summary)
5211 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5212 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5213 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5214 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5215 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5220 @node Canceling and Superseding
5221 @subsection Canceling Articles
5222 @cindex canceling articles
5223 @cindex superseding articles
5225 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5226 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5228 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5230 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5232 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5233 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5234 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5235 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5236 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5237 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5239 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5240 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5243 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5244 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5245 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5247 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5248 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5249 your original article.
5251 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5253 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5254 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5255 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5258 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5259 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5260 have posted almost the same article twice.
5262 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5263 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5264 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5265 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5266 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5267 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5268 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5269 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5270 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5271 canceled/superseded.
5273 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5275 @node Delayed Articles
5276 @section Delayed Articles
5277 @cindex delayed sending
5278 @cindex send delayed
5280 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5281 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5282 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5283 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5286 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5289 @findex gnus-delay-article
5290 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5291 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5292 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5293 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5297 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5298 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5299 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5300 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5303 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5304 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5305 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5308 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5309 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5310 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5311 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5312 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5313 that means a time tomorrow.
5316 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5317 couple of variables:
5320 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5321 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5322 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5323 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5325 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5326 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5327 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5328 formats described above.
5330 @item gnus-delay-group
5331 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5332 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5333 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5334 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5336 @item gnus-delay-header
5337 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5338 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5339 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5340 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5343 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5344 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5345 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5346 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5347 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5349 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5350 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5351 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5352 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5353 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5354 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5357 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5358 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5359 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5360 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5361 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5362 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5363 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5364 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5366 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5367 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5368 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5369 forget to set that up :-)
5373 @node Marking Articles
5374 @section Marking Articles
5375 @cindex article marking
5376 @cindex article ticking
5379 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5381 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5382 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5383 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5385 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5388 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5389 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5390 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5394 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5398 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5399 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5400 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5404 @node Unread Articles
5405 @subsection Unread Articles
5407 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5412 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5413 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5415 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5416 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5417 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5418 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5419 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5420 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5421 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5424 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5425 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5427 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5428 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5429 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5430 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5434 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5435 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5437 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5442 @subsection Read Articles
5443 @cindex expirable mark
5445 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5450 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5451 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5452 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5455 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5456 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5459 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5460 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5461 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5464 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5465 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5468 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5469 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5472 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5473 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5476 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5477 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5480 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5481 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5484 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5485 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5488 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5489 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5493 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5494 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5495 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5499 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5500 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5502 One more special mark, though:
5506 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5507 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5509 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5510 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5511 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5512 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5518 @subsection Other Marks
5519 @cindex process mark
5522 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5528 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5529 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5530 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5531 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5532 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5535 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5536 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5537 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5538 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5540 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5541 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5542 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5544 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5545 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5546 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5547 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5550 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5551 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5552 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5555 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5556 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5557 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5558 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5561 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5562 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5563 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5564 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5565 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5568 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5569 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5570 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5573 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5574 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5575 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5576 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5577 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5580 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5581 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5582 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5583 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5584 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5585 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5589 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5590 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5591 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5593 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5594 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5595 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5599 @subsection Setting Marks
5600 @cindex setting marks
5602 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5607 @kindex M c (Summary)
5608 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5609 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5610 @cindex mark as unread
5611 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5612 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5618 @kindex M t (Summary)
5619 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5620 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5621 @xref{Article Caching}.
5626 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5627 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5628 Mark the current article as dormant
5629 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5633 @kindex M d (Summary)
5635 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5636 Mark the current article as read
5637 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5641 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5642 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5643 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5648 @kindex M k (Summary)
5649 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5650 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5651 and then select the next unread article
5652 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5656 @kindex M K (Summary)
5657 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5658 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5659 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5660 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5663 @kindex M C (Summary)
5664 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5665 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5666 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5669 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5670 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5671 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5672 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5675 @kindex M H (Summary)
5676 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5677 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5681 @kindex M h (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5683 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5684 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5687 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5689 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5690 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5693 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5695 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5696 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5700 @kindex M e (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5703 Mark the current article as expirable
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5707 @kindex M b (Summary)
5708 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5709 Set a bookmark in the current article
5710 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5713 @kindex M B (Summary)
5714 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5715 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5716 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5719 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5721 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5722 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5725 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5727 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5728 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5731 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5733 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5734 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5735 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5738 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5739 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5740 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5741 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5742 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5743 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5744 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5745 The default is @code{t}.
5748 @node Generic Marking Commands
5749 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5751 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5752 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5753 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5754 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5755 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5758 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5759 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5762 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5763 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5764 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5765 to list in this manual.
5767 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5768 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5769 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5770 article, you could say something like:
5773 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5774 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5775 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5781 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5782 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5786 @node Setting Process Marks
5787 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5788 @cindex setting process marks
5795 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5797 Mark the current article with the process mark
5798 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5799 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5803 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5804 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5805 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5806 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5809 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5811 Remove the process mark from all articles
5812 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5815 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5817 Invert the list of process marked articles
5818 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5821 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5823 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5824 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5827 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5829 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5830 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5833 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5835 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5838 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5840 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5841 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5844 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5845 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5846 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5847 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5850 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5852 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5853 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5856 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5858 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5861 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5863 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5864 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5867 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5869 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5872 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5874 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5875 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5878 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5880 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5881 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5884 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5886 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5887 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5890 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5892 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5893 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5897 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5898 set process marks based on article body contents.
5905 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5906 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5907 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5910 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5911 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5912 additional articles.
5918 @kindex / / (Summary)
5919 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5920 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5921 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5925 @kindex / a (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5927 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5928 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5932 @kindex / x (Summary)
5933 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5934 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5935 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5936 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5941 @kindex / u (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5944 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5946 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5947 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5950 @kindex / m (Summary)
5951 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5952 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5953 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5956 @kindex / t (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5958 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5959 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5960 articles younger than that number of days.
5963 @kindex / n (Summary)
5964 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5965 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5966 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5967 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5970 @kindex / w (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5972 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5973 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5977 @kindex / v (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5979 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5980 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5983 @kindex / p (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5985 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5986 group parameter predicate
5987 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5988 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5992 @kindex M S (Summary)
5993 @kindex / E (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5995 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5999 @kindex / D (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6001 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6002 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6005 @kindex / * (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6007 Include all cached articles in the limit
6008 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6011 @kindex / d (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6013 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6017 @kindex / M (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6019 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6022 @kindex / T (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6024 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6027 @kindex / c (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6029 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6033 @kindex / C (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6035 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6037 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6040 @kindex / N (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6042 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6043 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6046 @kindex / o (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6048 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6049 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6057 @cindex article threading
6059 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6060 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6061 hierarchical fashion.
6063 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6064 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6065 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6066 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6067 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6068 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6069 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6071 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6075 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6078 A tree-like article structure.
6081 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6084 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6085 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6086 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6087 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6088 called loose threads.
6090 @item thread gathering
6091 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6093 @item sparse threads
6094 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6095 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6101 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6102 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6106 @node Customizing Threading
6107 @subsection Customizing Threading
6108 @cindex customizing threading
6111 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6112 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6113 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6114 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6119 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6122 @cindex loose threads
6125 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6126 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6127 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6128 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6129 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6130 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6132 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6133 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6134 There are four possible values:
6138 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6139 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6140 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6141 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6142 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6147 @cindex adopting articles
6152 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6153 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6154 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6155 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6158 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6159 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6160 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6161 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6162 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6163 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6164 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6167 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6168 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6169 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6173 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6174 display them after one another.
6177 Don't gather loose threads.
6180 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6181 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6182 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6183 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6184 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6185 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6186 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6187 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6188 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6189 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6190 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6192 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6193 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6194 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6197 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6198 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6199 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6200 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6201 simplification is used.
6203 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6204 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6205 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6206 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6208 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6210 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6216 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6217 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6218 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6219 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6224 (mapconcat 'identity
6225 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6227 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6230 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6233 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6234 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6235 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6236 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6237 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6238 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6240 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6243 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6244 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6245 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6247 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6248 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6251 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6252 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6253 Remove excessive whitespace.
6256 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6259 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6260 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6261 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6262 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6263 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6264 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6265 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6266 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6268 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6269 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6270 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6271 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6272 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6273 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6274 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6275 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6276 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6280 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6281 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6282 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6283 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6285 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6286 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6287 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6290 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6294 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6295 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6301 @node Filling In Threads
6302 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6305 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6306 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6307 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6308 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6309 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6310 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6311 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6312 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6313 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6314 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6315 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6316 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6318 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6319 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6320 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6322 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6323 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6324 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6325 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6326 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6327 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6328 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6329 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6330 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6331 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6332 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6333 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6334 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6335 @code{nil} by default.
6337 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6338 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6339 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6340 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6341 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6342 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6343 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6345 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6346 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6347 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6352 @node More Threading
6353 @subsubsection More Threading
6356 @item gnus-show-threads
6357 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6358 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6359 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6360 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6361 slower and more awkward.
6363 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6364 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6365 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6368 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6369 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6370 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6371 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6372 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6373 threads are expunged.
6375 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6376 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6377 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6380 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6381 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6382 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6383 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6384 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6385 result in a new thread.
6387 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6388 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6389 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6392 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6393 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6394 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6395 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6396 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6397 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6398 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6399 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6400 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6401 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6402 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6407 @node Low-Level Threading
6408 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6412 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6413 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6414 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6416 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6417 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6418 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6419 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6420 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6421 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6422 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6423 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6424 meaningful. Here's one example:
6427 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6429 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6430 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6432 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6434 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6441 @node Thread Commands
6442 @subsection Thread Commands
6443 @cindex thread commands
6449 @kindex T k (Summary)
6450 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6451 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6452 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6453 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6454 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6459 @kindex T l (Summary)
6460 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6461 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6462 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6463 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6466 @kindex T i (Summary)
6467 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6468 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6469 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6472 @kindex T # (Summary)
6473 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6474 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6475 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6478 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6479 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6480 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6481 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6484 @kindex T T (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6486 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6489 @kindex T s (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6491 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6492 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6495 @kindex T h (Summary)
6496 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6497 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6500 @kindex T S (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6502 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6505 @kindex T H (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6507 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6510 @kindex T t (Summary)
6511 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6512 Re-thread the current article's thread
6513 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6514 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6517 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6518 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6519 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6520 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6524 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6525 understand the numeric prefix.
6530 @kindex T n (Summary)
6532 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6534 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6535 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6536 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6539 @kindex T p (Summary)
6541 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6543 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6545 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6548 @kindex T d (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6550 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6553 @kindex T u (Summary)
6554 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6555 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6558 @kindex T o (Summary)
6559 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6560 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6563 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6564 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6565 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6566 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6567 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6568 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6569 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6570 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6571 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6572 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6573 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6574 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6578 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6579 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6581 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6582 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6583 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6584 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6585 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6586 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6587 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6588 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6589 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6590 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6591 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6592 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6594 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6595 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6596 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6597 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6598 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6599 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6600 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6602 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6603 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6604 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6606 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6607 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6608 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6609 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6610 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6611 ascending article order.
6613 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6614 by number, you could do something like:
6617 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6618 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6619 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6620 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6623 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6624 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6625 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6626 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6627 which the articles arrived.
6629 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6633 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6635 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6636 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6639 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6640 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6641 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6642 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6645 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6646 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6647 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6648 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6649 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6650 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6651 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6652 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6653 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6654 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6655 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6656 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6657 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6659 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6663 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6664 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6665 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6670 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6671 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6672 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6673 @cindex article pre-fetch
6676 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6677 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6678 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6679 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6680 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6682 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6683 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6685 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6686 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6687 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6688 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6689 connection is blocked.
6691 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6692 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6693 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6694 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6696 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6697 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6698 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6699 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6702 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6705 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6706 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6707 happen automatically.
6709 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6710 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6711 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6712 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6713 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6714 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6715 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6717 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6718 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6719 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6720 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6721 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6722 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6723 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6724 data structure as the only parameter.
6726 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6729 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6730 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6731 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6732 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6735 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6738 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6739 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6740 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6742 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6743 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6744 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6745 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6749 Remove articles when they are read.
6752 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6755 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6757 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6758 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6759 @c from the next group.
6762 @node Article Caching
6763 @section Article Caching
6764 @cindex article caching
6767 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6768 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6769 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6770 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6771 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6773 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6775 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6776 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6777 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6778 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6779 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6780 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6781 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6782 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6784 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6785 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6786 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6787 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6788 as dormant, and don't worry.
6790 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6792 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6793 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6794 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6795 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6796 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6797 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6798 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6799 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6800 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6801 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6803 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6804 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6805 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6806 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6807 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6808 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6809 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6810 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6811 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6812 not then be downloaded by this command.
6814 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6815 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6816 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6817 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6818 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6819 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6821 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6822 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6823 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6824 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6825 variables, the group is not cached.
6827 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6828 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6829 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6830 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6831 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6832 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6833 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6834 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6835 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6838 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6839 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6840 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6841 where, isn't that cool?
6843 @node Persistent Articles
6844 @section Persistent Articles
6845 @cindex persistent articles
6847 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6848 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6849 useful in my opinion.
6851 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6852 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6853 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6854 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6855 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6856 the expiry going on at the news server.
6858 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6859 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6860 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6866 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6867 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6870 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6872 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6873 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6877 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6879 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6880 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6881 interested in persistent articles:
6884 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6888 @node Article Backlog
6889 @section Article Backlog
6891 @cindex article backlog
6893 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6894 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6895 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6896 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6897 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6898 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6899 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6900 increase memory usage some.
6902 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6903 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6904 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6905 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6906 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6907 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6908 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6910 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6913 @node Saving Articles
6914 @section Saving Articles
6915 @cindex saving articles
6917 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6918 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6919 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6920 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6921 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6923 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6924 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6925 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6927 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6928 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6929 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6930 deleted before saving.
6936 @kindex O o (Summary)
6938 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6940 Save the current article using the default article saver
6941 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6944 @kindex O m (Summary)
6945 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6946 Save the current article in mail format
6947 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6950 @kindex O r (Summary)
6951 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6952 Save the current article in rmail format
6953 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6956 @kindex O f (Summary)
6957 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6958 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6959 Save the current article in plain file format
6960 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6963 @kindex O F (Summary)
6964 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6965 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6966 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6969 @kindex O b (Summary)
6970 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6971 Save the current article body in plain file format
6972 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6975 @kindex O h (Summary)
6976 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6977 Save the current article in mh folder format
6978 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6981 @kindex O v (Summary)
6982 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6983 Save the current article in a VM folder
6984 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6988 @kindex O p (Summary)
6990 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6991 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6992 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6995 @kindex O P (Summary)
6996 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
6997 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
6998 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
6999 external program Muttprint (see
7000 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7001 options to use is controlled by the variable
7002 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7006 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7007 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7008 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7009 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7010 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7011 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7012 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7013 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7014 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7015 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7016 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7017 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7021 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7022 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7023 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7024 functions below, or you can create your own.
7028 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7029 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7030 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7031 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7032 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7033 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7034 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7036 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7037 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7038 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7039 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7040 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7041 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7043 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7044 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7045 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7046 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7047 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7048 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7049 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7051 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7052 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7053 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7054 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7055 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7056 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7058 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7059 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7060 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7061 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7062 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7064 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7065 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7066 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7067 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7068 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7071 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7072 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7073 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7074 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7075 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7077 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7078 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7079 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7080 reader to use this setting.
7083 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7084 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7085 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7086 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7089 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7090 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7091 available functions that generate names:
7095 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7096 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7097 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7099 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7100 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7101 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7103 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7104 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7105 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7107 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7108 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7109 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7111 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7112 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7113 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7116 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7117 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7118 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7119 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7120 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7124 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7125 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7126 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7127 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7130 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7131 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7132 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7133 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7134 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7135 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7136 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7137 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7138 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7140 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7141 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7142 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7143 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7145 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7146 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7147 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7150 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7151 lots of mail groups called things like
7152 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7153 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7154 following will do just that:
7157 (defun my-save-name (group)
7158 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7159 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7161 (setq gnus-split-methods
7162 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7167 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7168 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7169 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7170 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7171 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7172 all the files in the top level directory
7173 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7174 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7175 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7176 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7178 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7179 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7180 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7181 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7182 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7185 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7189 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7190 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7191 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7194 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7195 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7196 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7197 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7200 @node Decoding Articles
7201 @section Decoding Articles
7202 @cindex decoding articles
7204 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7205 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7208 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7209 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7210 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7211 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7212 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7213 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7217 @cindex article series
7218 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7219 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7220 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7221 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7222 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7224 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7225 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7226 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7228 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7229 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7230 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7232 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7233 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7234 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7237 @node Uuencoded Articles
7238 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7240 @cindex uuencoded articles
7245 @kindex X u (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7247 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7248 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7251 @kindex X U (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7253 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7254 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7257 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7258 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7259 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7262 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7263 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7264 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7265 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7269 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7270 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7271 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7272 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7273 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7275 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7276 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7277 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7278 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7281 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7282 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7283 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7284 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7285 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7286 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7290 @node Shell Archives
7291 @subsection Shell Archives
7293 @cindex shell archives
7294 @cindex shared articles
7296 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7297 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7298 some commands to deal with these:
7303 @kindex X s (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7305 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7308 @kindex X S (Summary)
7309 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7310 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7313 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7315 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7318 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7319 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7320 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7321 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7325 @node PostScript Files
7326 @subsection PostScript Files
7332 @kindex X p (Summary)
7333 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7334 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7337 @kindex X P (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7339 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7340 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7343 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7345 View the current PostScript series
7346 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7349 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7350 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7351 View and save the current PostScript series
7352 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7357 @subsection Other Files
7361 @kindex X o (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7363 Save the current series
7364 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7367 @kindex X b (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7369 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7370 doesn't really work yet.
7374 @node Decoding Variables
7375 @subsection Decoding Variables
7377 Adjective, not verb.
7380 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7381 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7382 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7386 @node Rule Variables
7387 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7388 @cindex rule variables
7390 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7391 variables are of the form
7394 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7401 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7402 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7404 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7405 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7408 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7409 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7412 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7413 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7414 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7415 user and default view rules.
7417 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7418 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7419 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7424 @node Other Decode Variables
7425 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7428 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7430 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7431 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7432 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7433 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7434 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7438 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7439 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7442 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7443 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7444 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7447 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7448 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7449 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7450 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7451 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7454 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7455 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7456 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7458 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7459 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7460 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7461 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7462 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7465 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7466 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7467 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7469 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7470 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7471 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7472 looking for files to display.
7474 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7475 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7476 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7479 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7480 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7481 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7484 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7485 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7486 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7489 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7490 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7491 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7494 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7495 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7496 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7497 decoded articles as unread.
7499 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7500 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7501 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7502 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7504 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7505 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7506 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7508 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7509 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7511 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7512 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7513 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7514 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7516 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7517 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7518 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7519 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7520 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7521 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7522 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7523 simply dropped them.
7528 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7529 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7533 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7534 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7535 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7536 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7537 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7538 for you when you post the article.
7540 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7541 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7542 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7543 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7545 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7546 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7547 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7548 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7549 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7550 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7551 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7553 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7554 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7555 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7556 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7557 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7558 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7559 Default is @code{t}.
7565 @subsection Viewing Files
7566 @cindex viewing files
7567 @cindex pseudo-articles
7569 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7570 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7571 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7572 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7573 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7574 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7575 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7577 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7578 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7579 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7580 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7582 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7583 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7584 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7586 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7587 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7588 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7589 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7590 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7592 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7593 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7594 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7595 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7596 a list of parameters to that command.
7598 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7599 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7600 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7602 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7603 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7604 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7607 @node Article Treatment
7608 @section Article Treatment
7610 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7611 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7612 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7613 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7614 these articles easier.
7617 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7618 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7619 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7620 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7621 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7622 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7623 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7624 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7625 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7626 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7630 @node Article Highlighting
7631 @subsection Article Highlighting
7632 @cindex highlighting
7634 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7635 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7640 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7641 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7642 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7643 Do much highlighting of the current article
7644 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7645 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7648 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7649 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7650 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7651 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7652 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7653 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7654 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7655 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7656 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7657 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7658 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7659 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7662 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7663 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7664 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7666 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7669 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7671 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7672 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7673 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7675 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7676 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7677 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7679 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7680 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7681 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7682 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7683 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7684 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7686 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7687 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7688 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7690 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7691 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7692 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7694 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7695 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7696 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7697 that it's a citation.
7699 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7700 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7701 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7703 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7704 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7705 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7707 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7708 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7709 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7710 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7716 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7717 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7718 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7719 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7720 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7721 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7722 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7723 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7728 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7731 @node Article Fontisizing
7732 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7734 @cindex article emphasis
7736 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7737 @kindex W e (Summary)
7738 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7739 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7740 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7741 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7743 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7744 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7745 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7746 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7747 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7748 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7749 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7750 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7754 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7755 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7756 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7765 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7766 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7767 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7768 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7769 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7770 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7771 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7772 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7773 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7774 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7775 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7776 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7777 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7779 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7780 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7781 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7785 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7788 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7790 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7791 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7792 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7793 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7795 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7798 @node Article Hiding
7799 @subsection Article Hiding
7800 @cindex article hiding
7802 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7803 too much cruft in most articles.
7808 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7809 @findex gnus-article-hide
7810 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7811 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7812 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7815 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7817 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7821 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7822 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7823 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7824 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7827 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7828 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7829 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7833 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7834 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7835 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7836 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7837 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7838 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7839 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7840 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7844 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7845 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7846 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7847 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7852 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7853 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7854 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7855 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7856 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7857 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7858 articles that have signatures in them do:
7860 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7862 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7864 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7865 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7867 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7870 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7875 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7876 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7877 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7878 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7881 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7885 @cindex stripping advertisements
7886 @cindex advertisements
7887 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7888 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7889 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7890 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7891 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7892 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7893 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7894 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7895 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7896 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7900 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7901 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7902 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7903 customizing the hiding:
7907 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7908 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7909 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7910 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7911 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7912 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7913 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7918 Starting point of the hidden text.
7920 Ending point of the hidden text.
7922 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7924 Number of lines of hidden text.
7927 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7928 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7929 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7930 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7931 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7936 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7937 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7939 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7940 following two variables:
7943 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7944 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7945 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7946 50), hide the cited text.
7948 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7949 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7950 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7955 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7956 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7957 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7958 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7959 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7960 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7964 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7965 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7966 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7968 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7969 citation customization.
7971 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7975 @node Article Washing
7976 @subsection Article Washing
7978 @cindex article washing
7980 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7981 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7983 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7984 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7987 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7988 articles by default.
7993 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7994 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7998 @kindex W l (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8000 Remove page breaks from the current article
8001 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8005 @kindex W r (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8007 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8008 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8009 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8010 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8011 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8013 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8014 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8015 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8016 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8020 @kindex W t (Summary)
8022 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8023 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8024 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8027 @kindex W v (Summary)
8028 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
8029 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8030 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
8033 @kindex W o (Summary)
8034 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8035 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8038 @kindex W d (Summary)
8039 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8040 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8042 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8044 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8045 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8046 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8047 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8050 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8051 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8052 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8053 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8056 @kindex W w (Summary)
8057 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8058 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8060 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8064 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8065 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8066 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8069 @kindex W C (Summary)
8070 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8071 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8072 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8075 @kindex W c (Summary)
8076 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8077 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8078 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8079 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8080 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8083 @kindex W q (Summary)
8084 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8085 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8086 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8087 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8088 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8089 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
8090 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8091 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8092 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8095 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8096 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8097 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8098 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8099 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8100 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8101 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8103 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8106 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8107 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8108 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8109 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8110 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8113 @kindex W h (Summary)
8114 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8115 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8116 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8117 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8119 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8122 @kindex W b (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8124 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8125 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8128 @kindex W B (Summary)
8129 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8130 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8131 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8134 @kindex W p (Summary)
8135 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8136 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8137 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8138 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8139 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8140 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8141 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8144 @kindex W s (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8146 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8147 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8150 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8151 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8152 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8153 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8156 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8157 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8158 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8159 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8162 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8163 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8164 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8165 lines with a single empty line.
8166 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8169 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8170 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8171 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8172 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8175 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8176 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8177 Do all the three commands above
8178 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8181 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8182 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8183 Remove all blank lines
8184 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8187 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8189 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8190 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8193 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8195 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8196 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8200 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8203 @node Article Header
8204 @subsection Article Header
8206 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8211 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8212 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8213 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8216 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8217 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8218 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8219 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8222 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8223 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8224 Fold all the message headers
8225 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8230 @node Article Buttons
8231 @subsection Article Buttons
8234 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8235 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8236 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8237 button on these references.
8239 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8240 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8241 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8246 @item gnus-button-alist
8247 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8248 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8251 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8257 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8258 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8259 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8262 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8263 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8264 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8267 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8268 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8269 avoid false matches.
8272 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8275 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8276 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8280 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8283 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8286 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8287 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8288 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8289 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8290 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8293 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8296 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8298 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8299 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8300 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8301 default values of the variables above.
8303 @item gnus-article-button-face
8304 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8305 Face used on buttons.
8307 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8308 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8309 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8313 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8317 @subsection Article Date
8319 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8320 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8321 when the article was sent.
8326 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8328 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8329 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8332 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8333 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8335 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8336 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8339 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8340 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8341 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8344 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8345 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8346 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8347 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8350 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8351 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8352 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8353 @findex format-time-string
8354 Display the date using a user-defined format
8355 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8356 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8357 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8358 for a list of possible format specs.
8361 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8362 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8363 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8364 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8365 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8366 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8369 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8372 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8373 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8376 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8377 into wonderful absurdities.
8379 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8382 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8385 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8386 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8390 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8391 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8392 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8393 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8394 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8395 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8396 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8400 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8401 preferred format automatically.
8404 @node Article Display
8405 @subsection Article Display
8410 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8411 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8413 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8414 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8416 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8417 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8419 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8420 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8422 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8427 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8429 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8430 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8433 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-smiley-smiley
8435 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8438 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8440 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8443 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8445 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8446 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8449 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8451 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8452 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8455 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8456 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8457 Remove all images from the article buffer
8458 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8464 @node Article Signature
8465 @subsection Article Signature
8467 @cindex article signature
8469 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8470 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8471 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8472 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8473 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8474 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8475 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8476 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8477 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8480 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8481 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8482 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8483 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8484 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8485 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8486 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8487 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8490 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8493 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8494 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8495 signature when displaying articles.
8499 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8502 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8505 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8506 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8508 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8509 in question is not a signature.
8512 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8513 listed above. Here's an example:
8516 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8517 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8520 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8521 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8522 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8523 signature after all.
8526 @node Article Miscellania
8527 @subsection Article Miscellania
8531 @kindex A t (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-article-babel
8533 Translate the article from one language to another
8534 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8540 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8541 @cindex MIME decoding
8543 @cindex viewing attachments
8545 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8546 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8552 @kindex K v (Summary)
8553 View the @sc{mime} part.
8556 @kindex K o (Summary)
8557 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8560 @kindex K c (Summary)
8561 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8564 @kindex K e (Summary)
8565 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8568 @kindex K i (Summary)
8569 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8572 @kindex K | (Summary)
8573 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8576 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8581 @kindex K b (Summary)
8582 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8583 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8587 @kindex K m (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8589 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8590 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8591 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8592 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8595 @kindex X m (Summary)
8596 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8597 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8598 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8599 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8602 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8603 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8604 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8605 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8608 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8609 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8610 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8613 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8614 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8615 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8617 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8618 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8619 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8620 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8621 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8622 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8625 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8626 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8627 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8634 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8635 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8636 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8637 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8640 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8643 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8647 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8648 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8649 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8650 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8651 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8652 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8655 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8656 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8657 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8658 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8659 displayed. This variable overrides
8660 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8662 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8663 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8664 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8666 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8667 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8668 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8669 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8670 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8671 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8672 save all jpegs into some directory).
8674 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8677 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8678 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8680 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8681 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8682 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8683 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8684 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8687 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8688 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8689 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8691 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8692 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8693 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8694 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8696 Ready-made functions include@*
8697 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8698 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8699 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8700 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8701 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8702 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8703 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8704 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8705 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8706 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8707 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8708 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8710 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8711 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8713 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8714 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8715 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8718 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8719 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8720 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8721 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8725 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8734 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8735 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8736 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8737 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8738 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8739 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8740 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8742 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8743 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8744 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8745 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8747 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8748 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8749 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8750 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8751 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8752 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8753 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8754 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8756 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8757 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8758 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8759 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8760 quoted-printable header encoding.
8762 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8763 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8764 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8768 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8771 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8772 means encode all charsets),
8774 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8775 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8776 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8783 @cindex coding system aliases
8784 @cindex preferred charset
8786 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8788 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8789 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8792 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8793 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8796 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8797 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8799 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8802 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8805 This will almost do the right thing.
8807 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8811 (codepage-setup 1251)
8812 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8816 @node Article Commands
8817 @section Article Commands
8824 @kindex A P (Summary)
8825 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8826 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8827 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8828 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8829 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8830 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8835 @node Summary Sorting
8836 @section Summary Sorting
8837 @cindex summary sorting
8839 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8840 can't really see why you'd want that.
8845 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8846 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8847 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8850 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8851 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8852 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8855 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8856 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8857 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8860 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8861 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8862 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8865 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8866 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8867 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8870 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8871 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8872 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8875 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8876 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8877 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8880 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8881 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8882 Sort using the default sorting method
8883 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8886 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8887 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8888 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8889 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8890 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8894 @node Finding the Parent
8895 @section Finding the Parent
8896 @cindex parent articles
8897 @cindex referring articles
8902 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8903 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8904 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8905 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8906 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8907 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8908 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8909 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8910 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8912 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8913 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8914 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8915 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8916 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8920 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8921 @kindex A R (Summary)
8922 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8923 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8926 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8927 @kindex A T (Summary)
8928 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8929 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8930 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8931 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8932 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8933 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8934 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8936 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8937 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8938 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8939 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8940 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8941 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8944 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8945 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8947 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8948 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8949 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8950 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8951 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8952 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8953 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8956 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8957 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8958 by giving this command a prefix.
8960 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8961 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8962 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8963 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8964 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8965 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8968 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8969 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8970 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8973 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8974 then ask Deja if that fails:
8977 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8979 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8982 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8983 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8984 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8985 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8986 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8987 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8991 @node Alternative Approaches
8992 @section Alternative Approaches
8994 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8995 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8998 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8999 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9004 @subsection Pick and Read
9005 @cindex pick and read
9007 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9008 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9009 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9010 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9012 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9013 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9014 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9015 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9016 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9017 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9019 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9024 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9025 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9026 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9027 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9028 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9029 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9030 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9031 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9034 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9035 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9036 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9037 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9041 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9042 Unpick the thread or article
9043 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9044 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9045 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9046 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9047 the thread or article at that line.
9051 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9052 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9053 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9054 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9055 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9056 will still be visible when you are reading.
9060 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9061 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9062 which is mapped to the same function
9063 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9065 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9068 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9071 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9072 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9074 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9075 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9076 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9078 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9079 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9080 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9081 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9082 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9083 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9084 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9088 @subsection Binary Groups
9089 @cindex binary groups
9091 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9092 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9093 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9094 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9095 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9096 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9097 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9100 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9101 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9102 command, when you have turned on this mode
9103 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9105 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9106 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9110 @section Tree Display
9113 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9114 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9115 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9116 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9119 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9122 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9123 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9124 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9126 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9127 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9128 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9129 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9130 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9132 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9133 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9134 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9135 default is @code{modeline}.
9137 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9138 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9139 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9140 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9141 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9142 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9143 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9149 The name of the poster.
9151 The @code{From} header.
9153 The number of the article.
9155 The opening bracket.
9157 The closing bracket.
9162 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9164 Variables related to the display are:
9167 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9168 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9169 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9170 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9171 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9172 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9174 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9175 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9176 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9177 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9181 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9182 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9183 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9184 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9185 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9186 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9187 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9188 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9189 other windows displayed next to it.
9191 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9195 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9196 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9199 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9200 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9201 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9202 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9203 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9204 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9205 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9209 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9212 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9222 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9226 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9227 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9229 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9231 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9236 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9237 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9238 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9241 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9242 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9243 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9244 (gnus-add-configuration
9248 (summary 0.75 point)
9253 @xref{Window Layout}.
9256 @node Mail Group Commands
9257 @section Mail Group Commands
9258 @cindex mail group commands
9260 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9261 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9263 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9264 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9269 @kindex B e (Summary)
9270 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9271 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9272 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9273 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9274 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9277 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9278 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9279 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9280 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9281 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9282 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9285 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9287 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9288 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9289 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9290 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9293 @kindex B m (Summary)
9295 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9296 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9297 Move the article from one mail group to another
9298 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9299 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9302 @kindex B c (Summary)
9304 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9305 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9306 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9307 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9308 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9311 @kindex B B (Summary)
9312 @cindex crosspost mail
9313 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9314 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9315 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9316 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9317 be properly updated.
9320 @kindex B i (Summary)
9321 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9322 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9323 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9324 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9327 @kindex B r (Summary)
9328 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9329 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9330 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9331 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9332 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9333 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9334 (which is the default).
9338 @kindex B w (Summary)
9340 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9341 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9342 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9343 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9344 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9345 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9348 @kindex B q (Summary)
9349 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9350 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9351 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9352 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9355 @kindex B t (Summary)
9356 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9357 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9358 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9361 @kindex B p (Summary)
9362 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9363 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9364 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9365 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9366 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9367 article from your news server (or rather, from
9368 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9369 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9370 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9371 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9372 just not have arrived yet.
9376 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9377 @cindex moving articles
9378 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9379 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9380 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9381 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9382 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9383 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9384 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9387 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9388 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9389 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9390 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9394 @node Various Summary Stuff
9395 @section Various Summary Stuff
9398 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9399 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9400 * Summary Generation Commands::
9401 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9405 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9406 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9407 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9409 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9410 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9411 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9412 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9413 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9414 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9417 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9418 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9419 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9420 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9421 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9423 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9424 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9425 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9428 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9429 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9430 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9431 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9432 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9433 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9434 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9435 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9436 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9437 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9439 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9440 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9441 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9442 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9443 list of articles to be selected.
9445 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9446 the list in one particular group:
9449 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9450 (if (string= group "some.group")
9451 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9455 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9456 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9457 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9458 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9459 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9460 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9461 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9462 buffers. For example:
9465 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9466 '(message-use-followup-to
9467 (gnus-visible-headers .
9468 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9474 @node Summary Group Information
9475 @subsection Summary Group Information
9480 @kindex H f (Summary)
9481 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9482 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9483 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9484 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9485 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9486 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9487 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9488 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9489 be used for fetching the file.
9492 @kindex H d (Summary)
9493 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9494 Give a brief description of the current group
9495 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9496 rereading the description from the server.
9499 @kindex H h (Summary)
9500 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9501 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9502 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9505 @kindex H i (Summary)
9506 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9507 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9511 @node Searching for Articles
9512 @subsection Searching for Articles
9517 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9518 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9519 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9520 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9523 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9524 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9525 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9526 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9530 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9531 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9532 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9533 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9534 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9535 search backward instead.
9537 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9538 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9541 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9542 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9543 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9544 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9547 @node Summary Generation Commands
9548 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9553 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9554 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9555 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9558 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9559 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9560 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9561 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9566 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9567 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9573 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9574 @kindex A D (Summary)
9575 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9576 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9577 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9578 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9579 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9580 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9581 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9582 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9586 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9588 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9589 several documents into one biiig group
9590 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9591 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9592 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9593 command understands the process/prefix convention
9594 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9597 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9598 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9599 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9600 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9601 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9602 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9606 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9607 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9608 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9611 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9612 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9613 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9614 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9617 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9618 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9619 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9620 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9625 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9626 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9627 @cindex summary exit
9628 @cindex exiting groups
9630 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9631 group and return you to the group buffer.
9637 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9640 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9641 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9642 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9643 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9644 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9645 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9646 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9647 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9648 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9649 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9653 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9655 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9656 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9657 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9661 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9663 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9664 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9665 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9666 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9669 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9670 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9671 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9672 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9675 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9676 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9677 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9678 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9681 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9683 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9684 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9685 all articles, both read and unread.
9689 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9690 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9691 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9692 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9693 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9694 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9695 articles, both read and unread.
9698 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9699 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9700 Exit the group and go to the next group
9701 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9704 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9705 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9706 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9707 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9710 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9711 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9712 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9713 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9714 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9715 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9718 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9719 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9720 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9721 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9723 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9724 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9725 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9726 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9727 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9728 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9729 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9730 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9731 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9732 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9733 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9734 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9736 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9738 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9739 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9740 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9741 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9742 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9743 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9744 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9745 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9746 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9749 @node Crosspost Handling
9750 @section Crosspost Handling
9754 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9755 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9756 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9757 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9758 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9759 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9762 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9763 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9764 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9765 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9766 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9768 @cindex cross-posting
9771 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9772 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9773 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9774 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9775 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9776 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9777 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9778 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9779 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9780 the cross reference mechanism.
9782 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9783 @cindex overview.fmt
9784 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9785 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9786 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9787 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9788 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9789 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9792 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9793 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9794 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9799 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9802 @node Duplicate Suppression
9803 @section Duplicate Suppression
9805 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9806 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9807 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9808 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9813 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9814 is evil and not very common.
9817 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9818 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9821 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9822 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9825 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9828 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9829 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9831 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9832 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9833 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9834 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9835 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9836 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9837 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9840 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9841 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9842 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9843 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9844 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9848 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9849 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9850 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9852 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9853 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9854 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9855 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9856 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9857 session are suppressed.
9859 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9860 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9861 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9862 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9864 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9865 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9866 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9867 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9870 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9871 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9872 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9873 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9874 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9875 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9876 to you to figure out, I think.
9881 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9882 The formats that are supported are PGP, PGP/MIME and S/MIME, however
9883 you need some external programs to get things to work:
9887 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9888 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9891 To handle S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9892 or newer is recommended.
9896 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9897 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
9900 @item mm-verify-option
9901 @vindex mm-verify-option
9902 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9903 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9904 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9906 @item mm-decrypt-option
9907 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9908 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9909 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
9910 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9915 @section Mailing List
9917 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9918 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9919 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9922 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9925 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9930 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9931 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9932 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9935 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9937 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9940 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9941 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9942 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9946 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9947 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9948 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9951 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9952 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9953 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9956 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9957 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9958 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9962 @node Article Buffer
9963 @chapter Article Buffer
9964 @cindex article buffer
9966 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9967 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9968 tell Gnus otherwise.
9971 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9972 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9973 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9974 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9975 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9979 @node Hiding Headers
9980 @section Hiding Headers
9981 @cindex hiding headers
9982 @cindex deleting headers
9984 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9985 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9987 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9988 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9989 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9990 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9991 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9992 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9993 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9994 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9995 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9997 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10001 @item gnus-visible-headers
10002 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10003 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10004 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10005 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10007 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10008 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10011 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10014 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10017 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10018 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10019 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10020 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10021 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10022 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10024 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10025 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10028 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10031 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10034 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10035 variable will have no effect.
10039 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10040 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10041 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10042 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10043 the headers are to be displayed.
10045 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10046 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10049 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10052 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10053 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10055 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10056 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10057 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10058 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10059 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10060 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10061 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10064 These conditions are:
10067 Remove all empty headers.
10069 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10070 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10072 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10073 @code{From} header.
10075 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10078 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10079 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10081 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10084 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10086 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10089 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
10092 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10093 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10096 This is also the default value for this variable.
10100 @section Using MIME
10103 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10104 while people stand around yawning.
10106 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10107 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10109 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10110 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10111 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10113 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10114 @findex gnus-display-mime
10115 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10116 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10117 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10118 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10120 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10124 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10125 @item RET (Article)
10126 @kindex RET (Article)
10127 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10128 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10129 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
10131 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10132 @item M-RET (Article)
10133 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10135 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10136 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10138 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10140 @kindex t (Article)
10141 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10142 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10144 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10146 @kindex C (Article)
10147 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10148 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10150 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10152 @kindex o (Article)
10153 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10154 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10156 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10157 @item C-o (Article)
10158 @kindex C-o (Article)
10159 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10160 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10161 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10162 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10163 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10164 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10166 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10168 @kindex c (Article)
10169 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10170 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10172 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10174 @kindex p (Article)
10175 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10176 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10177 @file{.mailcap} file.
10179 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10181 @kindex i (Article)
10182 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10183 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10184 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10185 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10186 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10189 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
10191 @kindex E (Article)
10192 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10193 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10194 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
10196 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
10198 @kindex e (Article)
10199 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10200 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
10202 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10204 @kindex | (Article)
10205 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10207 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10209 @kindex . (Article)
10210 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10211 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10215 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10216 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
10219 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10220 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10221 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10222 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10223 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10224 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10225 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10226 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10227 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10229 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10231 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10234 @node Customizing Articles
10235 @section Customizing Articles
10236 @cindex article customization
10238 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10239 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10240 called automatically when you select the articles.
10242 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10243 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10244 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10245 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10247 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10248 for sensible values.
10252 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10255 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10258 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10261 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10264 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10268 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10269 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10270 regexps in the list.
10273 A list where the first element is not a string:
10275 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10276 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10277 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10281 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10286 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10287 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10288 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10289 considered to contain just a single part.
10291 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10292 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10293 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10294 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10295 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10296 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10297 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10299 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10300 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10301 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10302 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10305 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10306 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10308 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10310 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10311 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10312 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10313 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10314 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10315 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10316 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10317 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10318 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10320 @xref{Article Washing}.
10322 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10323 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10324 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10325 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10326 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10327 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10328 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10330 @xref{Article Date}.
10332 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10333 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10334 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10338 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10340 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10342 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10343 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10344 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10348 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10352 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10353 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10354 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10355 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10356 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10357 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10358 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10359 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10361 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10363 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10364 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10365 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10367 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10369 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10370 @item gnus-treat-translate
10371 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10373 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10374 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10375 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10381 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10382 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10383 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10384 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10385 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10389 @node Article Keymap
10390 @section Article Keymap
10392 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10393 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10394 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10395 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10398 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10403 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10404 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10405 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10408 @kindex DEL (Article)
10409 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10410 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10413 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10414 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10415 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10416 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10417 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10420 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10421 @findex gnus-article-mail
10422 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10423 given a prefix, include the mail.
10426 @kindex s (Article)
10427 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10428 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10429 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10432 @kindex ? (Article)
10433 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10434 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10435 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10438 @kindex TAB (Article)
10439 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10440 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10441 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10444 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10445 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10446 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10449 @kindex R (Article)
10450 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10451 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10452 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10453 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10457 @kindex F (Article)
10458 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10459 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10460 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10461 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10469 @section Misc Article
10473 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10474 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10475 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10476 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10479 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10480 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10482 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10483 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10485 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10486 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10487 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10488 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10489 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10490 the contents of the article buffer.
10492 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10493 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10494 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10496 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10497 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10498 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10499 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10501 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10502 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10503 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10504 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10505 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10511 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10512 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10513 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10518 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10521 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10524 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10525 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10526 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10529 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10532 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10535 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10540 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10544 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10546 @item gnus-break-pages
10547 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10548 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10549 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10550 paging will not be done.
10552 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10553 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10554 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10559 @node Composing Messages
10560 @chapter Composing Messages
10561 @cindex composing messages
10564 @cindex sending mail
10569 @cindex using s/mime
10570 @cindex using smime
10572 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10573 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10574 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10575 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10576 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10577 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10580 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10581 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10582 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10583 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10584 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10585 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10586 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10587 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10590 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10591 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10597 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10600 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10601 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10602 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10603 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10605 @item gnus-add-to-list
10606 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10607 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10608 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10613 @node Posting Server
10614 @section Posting Server
10616 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10617 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10619 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10621 @vindex gnus-post-method
10623 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10624 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10625 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10626 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10627 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10628 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10629 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10632 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10635 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10636 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10637 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10638 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10640 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10641 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10643 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10644 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10647 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10648 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10651 @node Mail and Post
10652 @section Mail and Post
10654 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10658 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10659 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10660 @cindex mailing lists
10662 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10663 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10664 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10665 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10666 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10667 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10668 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10669 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10670 still a pain, though.
10674 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10675 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10676 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10679 @findex ispell-message
10681 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10684 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10685 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10688 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10692 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10693 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10695 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10698 Modify to suit your needs.
10701 @node Archived Messages
10702 @section Archived Messages
10703 @cindex archived messages
10704 @cindex sent messages
10706 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10707 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10708 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10709 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10712 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10713 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10714 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10717 (nnfolder "archive"
10718 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10719 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10720 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10721 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10724 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10725 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10726 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10727 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10730 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10731 '(nnfolder "archive"
10732 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10733 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10734 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10737 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10739 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10740 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10741 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10743 This variable can be used to do the following:
10748 Messages will be saved in that group.
10750 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10751 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10752 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10753 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10754 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10755 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10756 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10757 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10761 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10763 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10764 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10767 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10772 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10774 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10777 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10779 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10782 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10784 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10785 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10786 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10787 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10790 More complex stuff:
10792 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10793 '((if (message-news-p)
10798 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10799 messages in one file per month:
10802 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10803 '((if (message-news-p)
10805 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10808 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10809 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10811 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10812 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10813 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10814 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10815 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10816 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10817 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10818 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10819 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10820 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10822 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10823 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10824 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10825 this will disable archiving.
10828 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10829 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10830 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10831 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10832 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10835 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10836 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10837 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10840 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10841 but the latter is the preferred method.
10843 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10844 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10845 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10850 @node Posting Styles
10851 @section Posting Styles
10852 @cindex posting styles
10855 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10857 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10858 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10859 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10862 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10863 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10864 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10865 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10866 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10871 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10872 (organization "What me?"))
10874 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10875 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10876 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10879 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10880 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10881 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10882 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10883 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10884 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10885 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10886 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10888 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10889 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10890 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10891 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10892 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10893 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10894 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10895 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10896 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10898 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10899 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10900 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10901 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10902 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10903 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10904 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10905 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10906 result is thrown away.
10908 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10909 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10910 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10911 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10912 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10913 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10915 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10916 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10917 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10919 @findex message-mail-p
10920 @findex message-news-p
10922 So here's a new example:
10925 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10927 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10929 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10930 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10932 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10933 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10934 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10936 (signature my-news-signature))
10937 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10938 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10939 ((posting-from-work-p)
10940 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10941 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10942 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10943 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10945 (From (save-excursion
10946 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10947 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10949 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10952 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10953 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10954 if you fill many roles.
10961 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10962 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10963 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10964 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10965 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10967 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10968 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10969 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10970 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10971 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10975 @vindex nndraft-directory
10976 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10977 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10978 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10979 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10980 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10981 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10983 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10984 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10987 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10988 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10989 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10990 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10991 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10992 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10993 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10994 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10995 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10996 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10997 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10998 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10999 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11000 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11002 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11003 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11004 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11006 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11007 @kindex D e (Draft)
11008 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11009 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11010 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11012 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11015 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11016 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11017 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11018 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11019 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11020 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11021 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11024 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11025 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11026 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11029 @node Rejected Articles
11030 @section Rejected Articles
11031 @cindex rejected articles
11033 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11034 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11035 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11036 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11038 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11039 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11040 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11041 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11042 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11044 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11045 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11046 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11048 @node Signing and encrypting
11049 @section Signing and encrypting
11051 @cindex using s/mime
11052 @cindex using smime
11054 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11055 format or PGP/MIME or S/MIME. For decoding such messages, see the
11056 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11057 (@pxref{Security}).
11059 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11060 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The S/MIME
11061 support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11063 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a MIME part is done
11064 using the @code{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @code{C-c C-m
11065 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11070 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11071 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
11073 Digitally sign current MIME part using S/MIME.
11076 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11077 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11079 Digitally sign current MIME part using PGP.
11082 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11083 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11085 Digitally sign current MIME part using PGP/MIME.
11088 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11089 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11091 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using S/MIME.
11094 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11095 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11097 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using PGP.
11100 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11101 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11103 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using PGP/MIME.
11107 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11109 @node Select Methods
11110 @chapter Select Methods
11111 @cindex foreign groups
11112 @cindex select methods
11114 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11115 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11116 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11117 personal mail group.
11119 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11120 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11121 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11122 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11123 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11124 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11126 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11127 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11129 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11132 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11133 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11134 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11135 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11136 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11138 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11141 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11142 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11143 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11144 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11145 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11146 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11147 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11148 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11152 @node Server Buffer
11153 @section Server Buffer
11155 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11156 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11157 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11158 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11159 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11160 back end represents a virtual server.
11162 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11163 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11164 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11165 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11167 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11168 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11169 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11170 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11171 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11172 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11173 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11175 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11176 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11179 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11180 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11181 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11182 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11183 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11184 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11185 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11188 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11189 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11192 @node Server Buffer Format
11193 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11194 @cindex server buffer format
11196 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11197 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11198 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11199 variable, with some simple extensions:
11204 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11207 The name of this server.
11210 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11213 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11216 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11217 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11218 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11219 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11229 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11232 @node Server Commands
11233 @subsection Server Commands
11234 @cindex server commands
11240 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11241 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11245 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11246 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11249 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11250 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11251 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11255 @findex gnus-server-exit
11256 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11260 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11261 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11265 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11266 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11270 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11271 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11275 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11276 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11280 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11281 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11282 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11287 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11288 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11289 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11290 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11295 @node Example Methods
11296 @subsection Example Methods
11298 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11301 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11304 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11310 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11311 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11314 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11315 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11317 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11318 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11322 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11325 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11326 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11328 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11329 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11330 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11334 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11337 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11340 Here's the method for a public spool:
11344 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11345 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11351 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11352 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11353 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11354 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11355 should probably look something like this:
11359 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11360 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11361 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11362 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11365 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11366 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11367 configuration to the example above:
11370 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11373 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11374 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11375 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11379 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11380 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11381 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11382 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11385 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11386 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11387 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11388 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11391 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11392 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11394 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11395 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11397 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11398 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11399 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11401 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11403 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11404 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11405 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11406 will contain the following:
11416 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11417 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11418 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11421 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11422 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11423 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11426 @node Server Variables
11427 @subsection Server Variables
11429 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11430 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11431 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11432 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11433 won't change the "derived" variables.
11435 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11436 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11437 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11438 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11439 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11440 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11441 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11442 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11443 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11447 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11448 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11449 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11453 @node Servers and Methods
11454 @subsection Servers and Methods
11456 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11457 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11458 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11459 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11463 @node Unavailable Servers
11464 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11466 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11467 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11468 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11469 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11470 actually the case or not.
11472 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11473 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11474 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11475 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11476 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11477 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11478 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11479 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11481 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11482 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11484 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11485 with the following commands:
11491 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11492 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11493 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11497 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11498 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11499 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11503 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11504 Mark the current server as unreachable
11505 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11508 @kindex M-o (Server)
11509 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11510 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11511 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11514 @kindex M-c (Server)
11515 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11516 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11517 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11521 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11522 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11523 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11529 @section Getting News
11530 @cindex reading news
11531 @cindex news back ends
11533 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11534 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11535 or it can read from a local spool.
11538 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11539 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11544 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11547 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11548 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11549 server as the, uhm, address.
11551 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11552 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11553 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11554 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11556 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11557 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11558 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11560 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11565 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11566 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11567 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11569 @cindex authentification
11570 @cindex nntp authentification
11571 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11572 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11573 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11574 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11575 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11576 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11577 present in this hook.
11579 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11580 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11581 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11582 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11583 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11584 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11585 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11586 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11587 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11588 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11589 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11590 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11594 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11597 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11599 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11600 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11601 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11602 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11603 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11604 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11605 @samp{force} is explained below.
11609 Here's an example file:
11612 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11613 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11616 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11617 have to be first, for instance.
11619 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11620 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11621 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11622 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11623 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11624 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11625 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11627 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11628 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11634 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11635 previously mentioned.
11637 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11639 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11640 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11641 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11642 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11643 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11646 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11647 '(("innd" (ding))))
11650 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11652 The default value is
11655 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11656 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11657 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11660 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11661 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11663 @item nntp-maximum-request
11664 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11665 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11666 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11667 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11668 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11669 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11670 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11672 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11673 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11674 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11675 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11676 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11677 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11678 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11679 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11680 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11681 no timeouts are done.
11683 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11684 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11685 @c @cindex PPP connections
11686 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11687 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11688 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11689 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11690 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11691 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11692 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11693 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11694 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11695 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11697 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11698 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11699 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11700 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11701 @c described above.
11703 @item nntp-server-hook
11704 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11705 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11708 @item nntp-buggy-select
11709 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11710 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11712 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11713 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11714 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11715 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11718 @item nntp-xover-commands
11719 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11722 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11723 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11727 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11728 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11729 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11730 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11731 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11732 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11733 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11734 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11735 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11736 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11737 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11739 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11740 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11741 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11743 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11744 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11745 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11746 server closes connection.
11748 @item nntp-record-commands
11749 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11750 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11751 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11752 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11753 that doesn't seem to work.
11755 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11756 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11757 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11758 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11759 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11760 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11761 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11762 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11764 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11765 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11766 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11767 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11768 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11769 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11770 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11773 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11776 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11777 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11781 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11782 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11783 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11787 @node Direct Functions
11788 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11789 @cindex direct connection functions
11791 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11792 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11793 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11794 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11797 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11798 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11799 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11802 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11803 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11804 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11805 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11806 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11807 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11808 define a server as follows:
11811 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11813 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11815 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11816 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11817 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11818 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11821 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11822 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11823 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11824 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11825 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11826 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11827 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11828 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11832 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11833 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11834 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11837 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11838 session, which is not a good idea.
11842 @node Indirect Functions
11843 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11844 @cindex indirect connection functions
11846 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11847 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11848 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11849 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11850 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11851 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11854 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11855 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11856 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11857 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11858 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11860 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11863 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11864 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11865 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11866 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11869 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11870 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11871 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11872 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11874 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11877 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11878 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11879 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11882 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11883 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11884 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11885 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11887 @item nntp-via-user-password
11888 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11889 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11891 @item nntp-via-envuser
11892 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11893 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11894 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11895 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11897 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11898 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11899 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11900 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11907 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11912 @item nntp-via-user-name
11913 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11914 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11916 @item nntp-via-address
11917 @vindex nntp-via-address
11918 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11923 @node Common Variables
11924 @subsubsection Common Variables
11926 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11927 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11932 @item nntp-pre-command
11933 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11934 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11935 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11936 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11937 wrapper for instance.
11940 @vindex nntp-address
11941 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11943 @item nntp-port-number
11944 @vindex nntp-port-number
11945 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11947 @item nntp-end-of-line
11948 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11949 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11950 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11951 using a non native connection function.
11953 @item nntp-telnet-command
11954 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11955 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11956 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11957 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11959 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11960 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11961 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11968 @subsection News Spool
11972 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11973 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11974 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11977 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11978 anything else) as the address.
11980 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11981 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11982 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11983 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11987 @item nnspool-inews-program
11988 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11989 Program used to post an article.
11991 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11992 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11993 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11995 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11996 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11997 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11998 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12000 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12001 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12002 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12003 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12005 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12006 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12007 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12009 @item nnspool-active-file
12010 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12011 The path to the active file.
12013 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12014 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12015 The path to the group descriptions file.
12017 @item nnspool-history-file
12018 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12019 The path to the news history file.
12021 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12022 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12023 The path to the active date file.
12025 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12026 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12027 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12030 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12031 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12033 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12034 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12035 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12041 @section Getting Mail
12042 @cindex reading mail
12045 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12049 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12050 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12051 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12052 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12053 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12054 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12055 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12056 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12057 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12058 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12059 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12060 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12061 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12065 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12066 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12068 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12069 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12070 of a culture shock.
12072 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12073 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12075 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12076 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12077 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12078 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12080 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12082 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12083 deleted? How awful!
12085 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12086 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12087 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12088 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12091 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12092 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12093 they want to treat a message.
12095 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12096 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12097 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12098 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12099 archived somewhere else.
12101 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12102 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12103 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12104 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12105 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12107 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12108 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12109 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12111 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12112 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12115 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12116 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12117 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12118 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12119 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12121 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12122 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12123 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12124 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12125 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12126 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12130 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12131 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12133 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12134 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12135 and things will happen automatically.
12137 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12138 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12141 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12144 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12145 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12146 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12147 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12148 like any other group.
12150 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12153 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12154 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12155 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12159 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12160 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12161 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12164 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12165 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12166 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12169 @node Splitting Mail
12170 @subsection Splitting Mail
12171 @cindex splitting mail
12172 @cindex mail splitting
12174 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12175 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12176 to be split into groups.
12179 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12180 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12181 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12182 ("mail.other" "")))
12185 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12186 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12187 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12188 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12189 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12190 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12191 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12194 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12197 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12198 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12199 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12200 mail belongs in that group.
12202 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12203 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12204 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12205 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12206 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12207 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12209 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12210 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12211 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12212 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12213 thinks should carry this mail message.
12215 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12216 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12217 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12218 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12220 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12221 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12222 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12223 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12224 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12226 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12229 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12230 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12231 links. If that's the case for you, set
12232 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12233 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12235 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12236 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12237 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12238 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12239 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12240 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12243 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12244 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12245 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12246 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12247 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12248 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12249 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12250 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12251 month's rent money.
12255 @subsection Mail Sources
12257 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12258 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12262 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12263 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12264 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12268 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12269 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12271 @cindex mail server
12274 @cindex mail source
12276 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12277 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12282 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12285 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12286 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12287 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12290 The following mail source types are available:
12294 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12300 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12301 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12304 An example file mail source:
12307 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12310 Or using the default path:
12316 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12317 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12318 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12321 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12325 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12328 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12332 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12335 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12337 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12340 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12344 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12345 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12346 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12347 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12348 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12349 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12350 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12351 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12357 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12361 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12365 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12366 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12367 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12368 predicate are considered.
12372 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12376 An example directory mail source:
12379 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12384 Get mail from a POP server.
12390 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12391 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12394 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12395 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12396 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12397 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12398 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12401 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12405 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12409 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12410 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12413 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12416 The valid format specifier characters are:
12420 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12421 included in this string.
12424 The name of the server.
12427 The port number of the server.
12430 The user name to use.
12433 The password to use.
12436 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12437 corresponding keywords.
12440 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12441 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12444 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12445 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12448 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12449 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12452 @item :authentication
12453 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12454 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12459 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12460 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12462 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12463 default user name, and default fetcher:
12469 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12472 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12473 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12476 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12479 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12483 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12484 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12485 contains exactly one mail.
12491 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12492 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12495 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12496 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12498 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12499 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12500 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12503 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12504 from locking problems).
12508 Two example maildir mail sources:
12511 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12512 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12516 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12521 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12522 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12523 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12524 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12527 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12528 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12534 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12535 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12538 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12539 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12542 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12546 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12550 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12551 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12552 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12553 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12555 @item :authentication
12556 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12557 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12558 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12559 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12562 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12563 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12564 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12570 The valid format specifier characters are:
12574 The name of the server.
12577 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12580 The port number of the server.
12583 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12584 corresponding keywords.
12587 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12588 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12591 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12592 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12593 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12594 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12595 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12596 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12599 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12600 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12601 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12602 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12605 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12606 after finishing the fetch.
12610 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12613 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12615 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12619 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12620 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12622 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12625 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12626 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12628 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12634 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12635 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12638 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12642 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12646 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12647 folder after finishing the fetch.
12651 An example webmail source:
12654 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12656 :password "secret")
12661 @item Common Keywords
12662 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12668 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12669 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12673 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12678 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12679 useful when you use local mail and news.
12684 @subsubsection Function Interface
12686 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12687 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12688 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12689 consider the following mail-source setting:
12692 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12693 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12696 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12697 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12698 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12699 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12700 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12702 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12705 @node Mail Source Customization
12706 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12708 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12709 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12713 @item mail-source-crash-box
12714 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12715 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12716 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12718 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12719 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12720 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12722 @item mail-source-directory
12723 @vindex mail-source-directory
12724 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12725 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12726 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12729 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12730 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12731 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12732 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12733 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12734 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12736 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12737 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12738 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12740 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12741 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12742 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12743 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12748 @node Fetching Mail
12749 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12751 @vindex mail-sources
12752 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12753 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12754 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12755 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12757 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12758 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12761 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12762 mail server, you'd say something like:
12767 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12768 :password "secret")))
12771 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12775 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12776 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12779 :password "secret")))
12783 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12784 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12785 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12786 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12787 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12788 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12792 @node Mail Back End Variables
12793 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12795 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12799 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12800 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12801 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12802 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12804 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12805 @item nnmail-split-hook
12806 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12807 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12808 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12809 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12810 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12811 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12812 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12813 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12814 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12817 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12818 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12819 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12820 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12821 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12822 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12823 starting to handle the new mail) and
12824 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12825 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12826 default file modes the new mail files get:
12829 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12830 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12832 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12833 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12836 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12837 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12838 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12839 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12840 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12841 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12842 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12844 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12845 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12846 @findex delete-file
12847 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12849 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12850 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12851 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12852 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12853 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12858 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12859 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12860 @cindex mail splitting
12861 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12863 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12864 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12865 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12866 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12867 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12868 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12870 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12873 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12874 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12875 ;; from real errors.
12876 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12878 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12879 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12880 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12881 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12882 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12883 ;; Other mailing lists...
12884 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12885 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12886 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12887 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12888 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12889 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12890 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12891 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12893 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12894 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12898 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12899 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12900 the five possible split syntaxes:
12905 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12906 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12910 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12911 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12912 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12913 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12914 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12915 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12916 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12917 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12920 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12921 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12922 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12923 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12926 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12927 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12930 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12931 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12934 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12935 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12936 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12937 function should return a @var{split}.
12940 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12941 body of the messages:
12944 (defun split-on-body ()
12946 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12947 (goto-char (point-min))
12948 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12952 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12953 when the @code{:} function is run.
12956 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12957 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12958 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12962 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12966 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12967 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12968 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12969 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12970 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12972 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12973 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12974 are expanded as specified by the variable
12975 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12976 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12979 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12980 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12981 when all this splitting is performed.
12983 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12984 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12985 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12988 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12991 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12992 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12994 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12995 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12996 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12997 groupings 1 through 9.
12999 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13000 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13001 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13002 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13003 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13004 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13005 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13006 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13007 it once per thread.
13009 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13010 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13011 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13014 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13015 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13016 ;; other splits go here
13020 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13021 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13022 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13023 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13024 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13025 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13026 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13027 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13028 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13029 unless the group name matches the regexp
13030 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13031 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13032 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13033 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13034 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13035 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13036 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13037 messages goes into the new group.
13040 @node Group Mail Splitting
13041 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13042 @cindex mail splitting
13043 @cindex group mail splitting
13045 @findex gnus-group-split
13046 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13047 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13048 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13049 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13050 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13051 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13052 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13053 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13055 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13056 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13057 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13058 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13060 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13061 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13062 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13063 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13064 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13065 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13066 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13068 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13069 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13070 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13071 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13072 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13073 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13074 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13076 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13077 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13078 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13079 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13080 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13081 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13082 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13083 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13084 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13085 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13086 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13087 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13088 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13090 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13095 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13096 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13098 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13099 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13100 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13101 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13103 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13106 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13107 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13108 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13111 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13112 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13113 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13117 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13118 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13119 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13123 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13126 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13127 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13128 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13129 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13130 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13131 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13132 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13133 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13134 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13136 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13137 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13138 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13139 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13140 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13141 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13142 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13143 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13144 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13146 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13147 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13148 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13149 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13150 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13151 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13154 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13157 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13158 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13159 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13160 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13161 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13164 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13165 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13166 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13167 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13169 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13170 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13171 @cindex incorporating old mail
13172 @cindex import old mail
13174 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13175 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13176 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13179 Doing so can be quite easy.
13181 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13182 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13183 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13184 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13185 your @code{nnml} groups.
13191 Go to the group buffer.
13194 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13195 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13198 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13201 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13202 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13205 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13206 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13209 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13210 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13211 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13212 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13213 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13215 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13216 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13217 using the new mail back end.
13220 @node Expiring Mail
13221 @subsection Expiring Mail
13222 @cindex article expiry
13224 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13225 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13226 different approach to mail reading.
13228 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13229 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13230 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13231 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13232 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13233 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13236 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13237 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13238 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13239 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13240 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13241 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13242 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13243 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13245 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13246 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13247 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13248 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13249 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13250 column in the summary buffer.
13252 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13253 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13254 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13255 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13258 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13260 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13261 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13262 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13265 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13266 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13267 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13268 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13269 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13271 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13272 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13275 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13276 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13279 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13280 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13282 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13283 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13284 don't really mix very well.
13286 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13287 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13288 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13289 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13292 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13293 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13294 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13295 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13298 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13300 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13302 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13304 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13306 ((string= group "important")
13312 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13313 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13315 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13316 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13317 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13320 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13321 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13323 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13324 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13325 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13326 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13327 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13328 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13329 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13330 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13331 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13332 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13333 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13334 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13335 name or @code{delete}.
13337 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13339 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13342 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13343 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13344 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13345 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13346 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13349 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13350 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13351 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13352 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13353 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13356 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13357 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13358 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13359 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13360 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13361 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13363 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13364 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13365 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13366 easier for procmail users.
13368 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13369 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13370 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13371 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13372 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13373 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13374 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13375 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13376 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13377 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13378 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13379 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13380 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13383 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13385 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13386 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13387 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13388 auto-expire turned on.
13392 @subsection Washing Mail
13393 @cindex mail washing
13394 @cindex list server brain damage
13395 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13397 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13398 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13399 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13400 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13401 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13402 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13404 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13405 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13406 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13409 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13410 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13411 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13412 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13415 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13416 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13417 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13418 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13419 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13422 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13423 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13424 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13425 Emacs running on MS machines.
13429 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13430 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13431 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13432 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13435 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13436 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13437 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13438 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13440 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13441 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13442 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13443 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13444 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13445 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13446 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13449 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13450 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13453 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13454 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13457 This can also be done non-destructively with
13458 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13460 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13461 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13462 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13464 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13465 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13467 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13468 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13469 @code{References} headers.
13473 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13474 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13475 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13479 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13480 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13481 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13488 @subsection Duplicates
13490 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13491 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13492 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13493 @cindex duplicate mails
13494 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13495 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13496 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13497 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13498 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13499 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13500 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13501 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13502 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13503 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13504 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13505 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13506 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13508 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13509 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13510 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13511 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13513 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13516 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13517 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13521 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13522 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13523 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13524 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13525 (any mail "mail.misc")
13532 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13533 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13538 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13539 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13540 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13541 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13542 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13545 @node Not Reading Mail
13546 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13548 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13549 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13550 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13552 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13553 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13554 mail, which should help.
13556 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13557 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13558 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13559 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13560 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13561 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13562 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13563 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13564 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13565 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13566 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13568 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13569 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13573 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13574 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13576 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13577 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13578 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13580 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13581 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13582 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13583 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13584 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13585 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13586 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13589 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13590 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13591 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13592 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13593 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13594 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13598 @node Unix Mail Box
13599 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13601 @cindex unix mail box
13603 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13604 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13605 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13606 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13607 which group it belongs in.
13609 Virtual server settings:
13612 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13613 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13614 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13617 @item nnmbox-active-file
13618 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13619 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13620 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13622 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13623 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13624 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13625 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13630 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13634 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13635 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13636 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13637 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13638 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13640 Virtual server settings:
13643 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13644 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13645 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13647 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13648 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13649 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13650 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13652 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13653 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13654 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13660 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13662 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13664 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13665 format. It should be used with some caution.
13667 @vindex nnml-directory
13668 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13669 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13670 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13671 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13673 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13676 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13677 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13678 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13679 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13680 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13681 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13682 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13683 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13685 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13686 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13687 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13688 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13690 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13691 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13692 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13693 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13694 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13695 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13696 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13697 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13698 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13701 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13702 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13703 them next time it starts.
13705 Virtual server settings:
13708 @item nnml-directory
13709 @vindex nnml-directory
13710 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13711 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13714 @item nnml-active-file
13715 @vindex nnml-active-file
13716 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13717 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13719 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13720 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13721 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13722 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13724 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13725 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13726 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13729 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13730 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13731 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13732 default is @code{nil}.
13734 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13735 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13736 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13738 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13739 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13740 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13742 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13743 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13744 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13745 default is @code{nil}.
13747 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13748 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13749 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13753 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13754 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13755 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13756 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13757 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13758 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13759 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13764 @subsubsection MH Spool
13766 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13768 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13769 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13770 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13771 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13773 Virtual server settings:
13776 @item nnmh-directory
13777 @vindex nnmh-directory
13778 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13779 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13782 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13783 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13784 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13788 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13789 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13790 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13791 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13792 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13793 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13794 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13799 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13801 @cindex mbox folders
13802 @cindex mail folders
13804 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13805 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13806 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13809 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13810 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13811 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13812 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13813 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13814 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13815 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13816 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13817 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13818 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13819 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13821 Virtual server settings:
13824 @item nnfolder-directory
13825 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13826 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13827 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13830 @item nnfolder-active-file
13831 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13832 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13834 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13835 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13836 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13837 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13839 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13840 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13841 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13844 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13845 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13846 @cindex backup files
13847 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13848 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13849 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13850 your @file{.emacs} file:
13853 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13854 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13856 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13859 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13860 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13861 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13862 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13863 extract some information from it before removing it.
13865 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13866 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13867 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13868 default is @code{nil}.
13870 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13871 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13872 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13874 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13875 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13876 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13877 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13879 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13880 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13881 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13882 default is @code{nil}.
13884 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13885 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13886 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13888 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13889 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13890 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13891 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13896 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13897 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13898 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13899 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13900 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13901 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13904 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13905 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13907 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13908 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13909 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13910 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13911 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13913 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13914 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13915 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13916 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13917 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13918 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13919 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13920 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13923 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13924 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13925 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13926 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13931 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13932 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13933 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13934 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13935 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13936 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13937 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13938 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13939 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13940 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13941 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13942 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13943 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13948 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13949 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13950 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13951 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13952 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13953 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13954 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13955 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13956 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13957 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13958 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13959 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13960 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13961 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13963 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13964 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13969 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13970 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13971 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13972 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13973 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13974 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13975 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13976 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13977 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13978 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13979 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13980 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13981 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13982 provided by the active file and overviews.
13984 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13985 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13986 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13987 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13988 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13991 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13992 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13997 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13998 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13999 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14000 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14001 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14002 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14003 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14007 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14008 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14009 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14010 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14011 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14012 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14013 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14014 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14015 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14017 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14018 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14019 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14020 friendly mail back end all over.
14024 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14025 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14026 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14027 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14028 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14029 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14030 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14031 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14034 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14035 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14036 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14037 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14038 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14039 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14040 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14041 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14042 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14043 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14044 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14046 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14047 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14048 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14049 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14050 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14051 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14052 This will probably be changed in the future.
14054 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14055 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14056 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14057 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14058 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14061 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14062 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14064 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14065 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14066 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14067 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14068 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14069 would) to make it use less memory.
14071 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14072 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14073 depending in part on your filesystem.
14075 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14076 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14081 @node Browsing the Web
14082 @section Browsing the Web
14084 @cindex browsing the web
14088 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14089 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14090 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14091 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14092 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14093 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14094 even know what a news group is.
14096 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14097 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14098 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14099 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14100 you mad in the end.
14102 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14105 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14106 interfaces to these sources.
14110 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14111 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14112 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14113 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14114 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14115 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14118 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14120 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14121 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14122 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14123 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14124 though, you should be ok.
14126 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14127 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14128 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14129 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14130 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14132 @node Archiving Mail
14133 @subsection Archiving Mail
14134 @cindex archiving mail
14135 @cindex backup of mail
14137 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
14138 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
14139 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
14141 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14142 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
14145 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
14146 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
14147 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
14148 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
14149 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
14150 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
14151 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
14154 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
14155 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
14156 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
14157 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
14158 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
14159 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
14160 notice the new directory.
14163 @subsection Web Searches
14167 @cindex InReference
14168 @cindex Usenet searches
14169 @cindex searching the Usenet
14171 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14172 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14173 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14174 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14175 searches without having to use a browser.
14177 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14178 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14179 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14180 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14181 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14183 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14184 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14185 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14186 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14187 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14188 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14189 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14190 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14191 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14192 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14195 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14196 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14197 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14198 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14199 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14200 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14202 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14203 to use @code{nnweb}.
14205 Virtual server variables:
14210 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14211 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14215 @vindex nnweb-search
14216 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14218 @item nnweb-max-hits
14219 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14220 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14223 @item nnweb-type-definition
14224 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14225 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14226 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14231 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14235 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14238 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14241 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14245 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14252 @subsection Slashdot
14256 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14257 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14258 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14260 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14261 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14264 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14265 '((nnslashdot "")))
14268 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14269 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14270 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14271 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14272 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14275 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14276 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14278 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14279 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14280 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14281 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14282 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14283 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14286 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14289 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14290 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14291 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14292 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14293 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14294 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14295 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14297 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14298 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14299 The login name to use when posting.
14301 @item nnslashdot-password
14302 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14303 The password to use when posting.
14305 @item nnslashdot-directory
14306 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14307 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14308 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14310 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14311 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14312 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14313 news articles and comments. The default is
14314 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14316 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14317 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14318 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14320 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14322 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14323 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14324 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14326 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14328 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14329 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14330 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14332 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14333 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14334 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14335 updated. The default is 0.
14342 @subsection Ultimate
14344 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14346 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14347 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14348 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14349 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14351 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14352 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14353 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14354 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14355 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14356 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14357 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14359 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14362 @item nnultimate-directory
14363 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14364 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14365 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14370 @subsection Web Archive
14372 @cindex Web Archive
14374 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14375 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14376 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14377 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14380 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14381 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14382 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14383 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14384 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14385 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14386 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14388 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14391 @item nnwarchive-directory
14392 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14393 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14394 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14396 @item nnwarchive-login
14397 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14398 The account name on the web server.
14400 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14401 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14402 The password for your account on the web server.
14410 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14411 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14412 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14415 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14416 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14419 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14422 @item nnrss-directory
14423 @vindex nnrss-directory
14424 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14425 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14429 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14430 the summary buffer.
14433 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14434 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14436 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14438 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14439 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14442 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14445 (require 'browse-url)
14447 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14449 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14452 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14453 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14455 (browse-url (cdr url))
14456 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14458 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14459 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14460 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14461 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14464 @node Customizing w3
14465 @subsection Customizing w3
14471 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14472 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14473 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14475 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14476 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14477 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14480 (eval-after-load "w3"
14482 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14483 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14484 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14485 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14487 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14490 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14491 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14500 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14501 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14502 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14503 specify the network address of the server.
14505 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14506 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14507 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14508 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14509 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14511 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14512 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14513 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14514 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14516 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14517 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14518 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14519 usage explained in this section.
14521 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14522 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14523 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14526 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14527 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14528 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14530 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14531 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14532 ; a UW server running on localhost
14534 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14535 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14536 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14537 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14538 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14539 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14540 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14541 (nnimap-stream network))
14542 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14544 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14545 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14546 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14549 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14554 @item nnimap-address
14555 @vindex nnimap-address
14557 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14558 server name if not specified.
14560 @item nnimap-server-port
14561 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14562 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14564 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14567 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14568 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14571 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14572 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14573 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14574 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14575 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14576 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14577 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14579 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14580 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14581 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14584 Example server specification:
14587 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14588 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14589 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14592 @item nnimap-stream
14593 @vindex nnimap-stream
14594 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14595 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14596 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14597 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14599 Example server specification:
14602 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14603 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14606 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14610 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14611 @samp{imtest} program.
14613 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14615 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14616 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14619 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14620 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14621 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14623 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14625 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14628 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14629 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14630 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14631 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14632 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14633 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14634 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14635 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14636 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14639 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14640 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14641 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14642 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14643 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14644 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14645 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14646 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14647 distribution, for instance).
14649 @vindex imap-shell-program
14650 @vindex imap-shell-host
14651 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14652 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14654 @item nnimap-authenticator
14655 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14657 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14658 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14660 Example server specification:
14663 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14664 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14667 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14671 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14672 external program @code{imtest}.
14674 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14677 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14678 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14680 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14682 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14684 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14687 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14689 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14690 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14691 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14692 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14693 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14694 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14697 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14698 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14699 running in circles yet?
14701 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14702 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14705 The possible options are:
14710 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14713 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14714 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14715 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14716 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14718 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14723 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14724 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14726 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14727 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14728 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14729 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14730 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14732 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14733 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14736 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14737 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14738 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14739 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14742 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14743 as ticked for other users.
14745 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14747 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14749 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14750 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14751 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14752 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14754 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14755 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14756 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14757 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14759 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14760 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14762 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14763 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14764 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14770 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14771 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14772 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14777 @node Splitting in IMAP
14778 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14779 @cindex splitting imap mail
14781 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14782 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14783 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14784 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14785 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14789 Here are the variables of interest:
14793 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14794 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14796 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14798 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14799 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14801 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14803 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14804 @cindex splitting, inbox
14806 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14808 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14809 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14813 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14814 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14817 No nnmail equivalent.
14819 @item nnimap-split-rule
14820 @cindex Splitting, rules
14821 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14823 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14826 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14827 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14828 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14829 Neither did I, we need examples.
14832 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14834 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14835 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14836 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14839 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14840 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14841 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14843 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14844 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14848 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14851 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14852 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14853 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14854 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14856 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14857 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14858 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14859 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14860 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14861 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14863 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14864 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14865 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14867 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14868 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14869 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14871 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14873 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14874 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14875 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14878 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14879 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14880 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14881 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14882 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14883 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14886 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14887 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14888 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14889 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14890 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14891 group/function elements.
14893 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14895 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14897 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14899 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14900 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14902 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14903 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14904 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14907 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14908 @cindex splitting, fancy
14909 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14910 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14912 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14913 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14914 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14916 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14917 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14918 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14919 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14924 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14925 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14928 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14932 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14933 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14934 @cindex editing imap acls
14935 @cindex Access Control Lists
14936 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14938 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14940 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14941 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14942 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14945 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14946 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14947 editing window with detailed instructions.
14949 Some possible uses:
14953 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14954 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14955 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14957 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14958 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14959 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14963 @node Expunging mailboxes
14964 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14968 @cindex Manual expunging
14970 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14972 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14973 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14974 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14976 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14981 @node Other Sources
14982 @section Other Sources
14984 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14985 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14989 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14990 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14991 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14992 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14993 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14997 @node Directory Groups
14998 @subsection Directory Groups
15000 @cindex directory groups
15002 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15003 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15006 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15007 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15008 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15009 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15011 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15012 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15013 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15014 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15015 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15017 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15019 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15020 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15021 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15022 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15025 @node Anything Groups
15026 @subsection Anything Groups
15029 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15030 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15031 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15034 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15035 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15036 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15037 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15038 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15039 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15040 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15041 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15042 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15043 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15046 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15047 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15048 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15049 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15051 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15052 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15053 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15054 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15056 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15057 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15058 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15059 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15060 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15061 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15062 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15063 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15068 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15069 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15070 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15071 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15073 @item nneething-exclude-files
15074 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15075 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15076 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15078 @item nneething-include-files
15079 @vindex nneething-include-files
15080 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15081 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15083 @item nneething-map-file
15084 @vindex nneething-map-file
15085 Name of the map files.
15089 @node Document Groups
15090 @subsection Document Groups
15092 @cindex documentation group
15095 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15096 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15103 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15108 The standard Unix mbox file.
15110 @cindex MMDF mail box
15112 The MMDF mail box format.
15115 Several news articles appended into a file.
15118 @cindex rnews batch files
15119 The rnews batch transport format.
15120 @cindex forwarded messages
15123 Forwarded articles.
15126 Netscape mail boxes.
15129 MIME multipart messages.
15131 @item standard-digest
15132 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15135 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15138 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15139 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15140 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15143 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15144 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15145 group. And that's it.
15147 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15148 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15149 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15150 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15151 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15152 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15153 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15154 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15155 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15156 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15158 Virtual server variables:
15161 @item nndoc-article-type
15162 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15163 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15164 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15165 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15166 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
15167 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
15169 @item nndoc-post-type
15170 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15171 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15172 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15177 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15181 @node Document Server Internals
15182 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15184 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15185 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15186 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15187 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15189 First, here's an example document type definition:
15193 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15194 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15197 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15198 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15199 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15200 types can be defined with very few settings:
15203 @item first-article
15204 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15205 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15208 @item article-begin
15209 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15210 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15212 @item head-begin-function
15213 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15216 @item nndoc-head-begin
15217 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15220 @item nndoc-head-end
15221 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15222 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15224 @item body-begin-function
15225 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15229 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15232 @item body-end-function
15233 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15237 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15240 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15241 regexp will be totally ignored.
15245 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15246 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15247 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15248 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15249 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15252 @item prepare-body-function
15253 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15254 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15255 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15257 @item article-transform-function
15258 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15259 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15260 body of the article.
15262 @item generate-head-function
15263 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15264 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15265 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15266 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15270 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15275 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15276 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15277 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15278 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15279 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15280 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15281 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15282 (subtype digest guess))
15285 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15286 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15287 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15288 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15289 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15291 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15292 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15293 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15294 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15295 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
15296 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15297 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15298 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15299 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15300 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15308 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15309 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15310 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15312 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15313 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15314 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15317 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15318 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15319 that interested in doing things properly.
15321 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15322 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15325 First some terminology:
15330 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15331 get news and/or mail from.
15334 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15335 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15338 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15342 @item message packets
15343 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15344 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15345 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15347 @item response packets
15348 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15349 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15350 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15360 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15361 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15362 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15363 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15366 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15369 You put the packet in your home directory.
15372 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15373 the native or secondary server.
15376 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15377 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15380 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15384 You transfer this packet to the server.
15387 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15390 You then repeat until you die.
15394 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15395 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15398 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15399 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15400 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15404 @node SOUP Commands
15405 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15407 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15411 @kindex G s b (Group)
15412 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15413 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15414 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15415 process/prefix convention.
15418 @kindex G s w (Group)
15419 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15420 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15423 @kindex G s s (Group)
15424 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15425 Send all replies from the replies packet
15426 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15429 @kindex G s p (Group)
15430 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15431 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15434 @kindex G s r (Group)
15435 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15436 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15439 @kindex O s (Summary)
15440 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15441 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15442 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15443 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15448 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15453 @item gnus-soup-directory
15454 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15455 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15456 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15458 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15459 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15460 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15461 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15463 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15464 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15465 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15466 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15468 @item gnus-soup-packer
15469 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15470 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15471 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15473 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15474 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15475 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15476 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15478 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15479 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15480 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15482 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15483 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15484 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15485 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15491 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15494 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15495 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15496 you can read them at leisure.
15498 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15502 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15503 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15504 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15505 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15507 @item nnsoup-directory
15508 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15509 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15510 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15512 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15513 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15514 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15515 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15517 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15518 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15519 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15520 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15521 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15523 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15524 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15525 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15526 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15528 @item nnsoup-active-file
15529 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15530 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15531 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15532 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15533 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15535 @item nnsoup-packer
15536 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15537 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15538 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15540 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15541 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15542 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15543 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15545 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15546 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15547 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15550 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15551 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15552 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15555 @item nnsoup-always-save
15556 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15557 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15563 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15565 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15566 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15567 more for that to happen.
15569 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15570 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15571 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15574 In specific, this is what it does:
15577 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15578 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15581 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15582 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15583 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15586 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15587 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15588 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15591 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15592 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15593 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15595 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15601 @item nngateway-address
15602 @vindex nngateway-address
15603 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15605 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15606 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15607 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15608 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15609 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15610 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15611 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15614 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15615 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15616 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15619 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15622 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15625 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15628 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15630 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15633 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15634 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15635 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15637 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15639 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15640 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15641 @code{nngateway-address}.
15646 (setq gnus-post-method
15648 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15649 (nngateway-header-transformation
15650 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15658 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15661 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15666 @node Combined Groups
15667 @section Combined Groups
15669 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15673 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15674 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15678 @node Virtual Groups
15679 @subsection Virtual Groups
15681 @cindex virtual groups
15682 @cindex merging groups
15684 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15687 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15688 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15689 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15691 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15692 regexp to match component groups.
15694 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15695 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15696 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15697 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15698 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15699 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15700 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15701 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15703 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15704 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15707 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15710 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15711 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15713 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15714 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15715 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15716 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15719 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15722 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15723 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15724 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15726 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15727 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15728 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15729 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15730 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15732 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15733 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15734 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15736 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15737 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15738 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15739 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15740 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15741 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15742 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15743 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15744 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15745 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15746 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15748 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15749 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15750 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15751 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15752 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15753 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15754 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15756 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15757 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15759 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15760 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15764 @node Kibozed Groups
15765 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15769 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15770 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15771 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15772 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15774 @kindex G k (Group)
15775 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15778 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15779 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15780 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15781 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15783 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15784 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15785 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15787 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15788 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15789 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15790 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15791 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15792 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15793 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15794 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15796 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15797 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15798 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15799 Stranger things have happened.
15801 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15802 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15804 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15805 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15806 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15807 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15808 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15809 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15811 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15812 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15815 @node Gnus Unplugged
15816 @section Gnus Unplugged
15821 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15823 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15824 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15825 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15826 read news. Believe it or not.
15828 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15829 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15830 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15831 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15832 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15834 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15835 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15836 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15837 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15838 reading news on a machine.
15840 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15844 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15845 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15849 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15850 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15857 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15859 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15862 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15863 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15864 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15865 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15866 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15867 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15868 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15869 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15870 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15871 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15876 @subsection Agent Basics
15878 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15880 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15881 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15882 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15883 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15885 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15886 connected to the net continuously.
15888 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15889 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15891 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15896 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15897 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15898 already fetched while in this mode.
15901 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15902 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15903 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15904 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15905 Source Specifiers}).
15908 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15909 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15910 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15911 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15912 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15915 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15916 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15917 then you read the news offline.
15920 And then you go to step 2.
15923 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15929 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15930 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15931 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15932 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15933 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15934 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15937 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15944 @node Agent Categories
15945 @subsection Agent Categories
15947 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15948 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15949 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15950 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15951 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15952 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15953 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15955 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15956 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15957 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15958 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15959 managing categories.
15962 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15963 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15964 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15968 @node Category Syntax
15969 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15971 A category consists of two things.
15975 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15976 are eligible for downloading; and
15979 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15980 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15981 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15984 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15985 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15986 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15987 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15989 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15990 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15991 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15993 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15994 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15995 operators sprinkled in between.
15997 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15999 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16000 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16006 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16007 short (for some value of ``short'').
16009 Here's a more complex predicate:
16018 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16019 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16022 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16023 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16024 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16026 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16027 you want to do, you can write your own.
16031 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16032 lines; default 100.
16035 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16036 lines; default 200.
16039 True iff the article has a download score less than
16040 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16043 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16044 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16047 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16048 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16049 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16058 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16059 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16060 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16063 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16064 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16065 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16066 something along the lines of the following:
16069 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16070 "Say whether an article is old."
16071 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16072 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16075 with the predicate then defined as:
16078 (not my-article-old-p)
16081 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16082 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16083 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
16084 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
16087 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16088 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16089 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16092 and simply specify your predicate as:
16098 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16099 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16100 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16101 just don't give a damn.
16103 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16104 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16105 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16106 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16107 parameters like so:
16110 (agent-predicate . short)
16113 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16114 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16115 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16117 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16120 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16123 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16124 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16125 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16128 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16129 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16130 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16131 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16132 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16133 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16135 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16136 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16137 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16138 if it's to be specific to that group.
16140 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16147 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16148 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16154 Category specification
16158 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16164 Group Parameter specification
16167 (agent-score ("from"
16168 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16173 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16179 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16186 Category specification
16189 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16195 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16199 Group Parameter specification
16202 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16205 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16210 Use @code{normal} score files
16212 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16213 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16214 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16215 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16217 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16218 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16219 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16220 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16224 Category Specification
16231 Group Parameter specification
16234 (agent-score . file)
16239 @node Category Buffer
16240 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16242 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16243 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16244 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16246 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16250 @kindex q (Category)
16251 @findex gnus-category-exit
16252 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16255 @kindex k (Category)
16256 @findex gnus-category-kill
16257 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16260 @kindex c (Category)
16261 @findex gnus-category-copy
16262 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16265 @kindex a (Category)
16266 @findex gnus-category-add
16267 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16270 @kindex p (Category)
16271 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16272 Edit the predicate of the current category
16273 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16276 @kindex g (Category)
16277 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16278 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16279 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16282 @kindex s (Category)
16283 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16284 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16285 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16288 @kindex l (Category)
16289 @findex gnus-category-list
16290 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16294 @node Category Variables
16295 @subsubsection Category Variables
16298 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16299 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16300 Hook run in category buffers.
16302 @item gnus-category-line-format
16303 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16304 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16305 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16309 The name of the category.
16312 The number of groups in the category.
16315 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16316 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16317 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16319 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16320 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16321 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16323 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16324 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16325 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16327 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16328 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16329 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16332 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16333 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16334 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16340 @node Agent Commands
16341 @subsection Agent Commands
16343 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16344 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16345 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16349 * Group Agent Commands::
16350 * Summary Agent Commands::
16351 * Server Agent Commands::
16354 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16355 following incantation:
16357 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16359 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16364 @node Group Agent Commands
16365 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16369 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16370 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16371 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16372 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16375 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16376 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16377 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16380 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16381 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16382 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16383 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16386 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16387 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16388 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16389 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16392 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16393 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16394 Add the current group to an Agent category
16395 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16396 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16399 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16400 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16401 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16402 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16403 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16406 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16407 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16408 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16414 @node Summary Agent Commands
16415 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16419 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16420 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16421 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16424 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16425 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16426 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16427 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16430 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16431 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16432 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16435 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16436 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16437 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16440 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16441 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16442 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16443 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16448 @node Server Agent Commands
16449 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16453 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16454 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16455 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16456 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16459 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16460 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16461 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16462 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16468 @subsection Agent Expiry
16470 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16471 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16472 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16473 @cindex Agent expiry
16474 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16477 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16478 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16479 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16480 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16481 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16482 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16484 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16485 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16486 expiry in different groups.
16489 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16495 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16496 method---it must always match all groups.
16498 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16499 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16500 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16501 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16502 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16505 @node Agent and IMAP
16506 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16508 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16509 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16510 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16511 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16513 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16514 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16515 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16516 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16518 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16519 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16520 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16521 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16522 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16524 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16525 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16526 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16527 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16528 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16529 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16531 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16532 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16533 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16534 in the group buffer by default.
16536 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16537 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16542 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16545 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16549 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16550 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16551 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16552 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16553 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16554 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16555 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16556 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16559 @node Outgoing Messages
16560 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16562 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16563 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16564 after posting, and edit them at will.
16566 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16567 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16568 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16569 messages in the draft group.
16573 @node Agent Variables
16574 @subsection Agent Variables
16577 @item gnus-agent-directory
16578 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16579 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16580 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16582 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16583 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16584 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16585 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16586 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16589 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16590 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16591 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16593 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16594 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16595 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16597 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16598 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16599 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16601 @item gnus-agent-cache
16602 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16603 Variable to control whether use the locally stored NOV and articles when
16606 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16607 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16608 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16609 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16610 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16611 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16612 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16618 @node Example Setup
16619 @subsection Example Setup
16621 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16622 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16623 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16626 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16627 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16628 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16630 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16631 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16632 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16634 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16635 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16637 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16641 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16642 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16645 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16646 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16647 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16648 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16649 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16652 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16653 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16654 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16655 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16656 back all the killed groups.)
16658 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16659 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16660 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16663 @node Batching Agents
16664 @subsection Batching Agents
16666 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16667 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16668 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16672 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16676 @node Agent Caveats
16677 @subsection Agent Caveats
16679 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16680 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16684 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16688 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16690 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16694 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16695 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16696 locally stored articles.
16703 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16704 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16705 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16708 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16709 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16710 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16711 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16712 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16714 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16715 before generating the summary buffer.
16717 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16718 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16719 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16721 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16722 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16723 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16724 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16727 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16728 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16729 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16730 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16731 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16732 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16733 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16734 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16735 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16736 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16737 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16738 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16739 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16740 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16741 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16742 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16743 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16747 @node Summary Score Commands
16748 @section Summary Score Commands
16749 @cindex score commands
16751 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16752 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16753 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16754 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16755 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16757 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16758 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16759 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16760 score file the current one.
16762 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16767 @kindex V s (Summary)
16768 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16769 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16772 @kindex V S (Summary)
16773 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16774 Display the score of the current article
16775 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16778 @kindex V t (Summary)
16779 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16780 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16781 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16784 @kindex V R (Summary)
16785 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16786 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16787 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16788 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16789 effect you're having.
16792 @kindex V c (Summary)
16793 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16794 Make a different score file the current
16795 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16798 @kindex V e (Summary)
16799 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16800 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16801 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16805 @kindex V f (Summary)
16806 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16807 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16808 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16811 @kindex V F (Summary)
16812 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16813 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16814 after editing score files.
16817 @kindex V C (Summary)
16818 @findex gnus-score-customize
16819 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16820 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16824 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16829 @kindex V m (Summary)
16830 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16831 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16832 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16835 @kindex V x (Summary)
16836 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16837 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16838 expunge all articles below this score
16839 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16842 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16843 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16846 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16847 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16851 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16852 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16854 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16855 keys are available:
16859 Score on the author name.
16862 Score on the subject line.
16865 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16868 Score on the @code{References} line.
16874 Score on the number of lines.
16877 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16880 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16881 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16882 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16891 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16897 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16898 what headers you are scoring on.
16910 Substring matching.
16913 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16942 Greater than number.
16947 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16948 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16949 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16953 Temporary score entry.
16956 Permanent score entry.
16959 Immediately scoring.
16964 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16965 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16966 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16967 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16969 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16970 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16971 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16972 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16973 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16975 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16976 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16977 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16978 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16979 current score file.
16981 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16982 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16983 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16986 @node Group Score Commands
16987 @section Group Score Commands
16988 @cindex group score commands
16990 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16995 @kindex W f (Group)
16996 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16997 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16998 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16999 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17003 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17005 @findex gnus-batch-score
17006 @cindex batch scoring
17008 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17012 @node Score Variables
17013 @section Score Variables
17014 @cindex score variables
17018 @item gnus-use-scoring
17019 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17020 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17021 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17023 @item gnus-kill-killed
17024 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17025 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17026 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17027 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17028 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17029 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17030 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17032 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17033 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17034 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17035 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17036 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17038 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17039 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17040 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17041 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17043 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17044 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17045 @cindex score cache
17046 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17047 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17048 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
17049 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17050 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17051 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17054 @item gnus-save-score
17055 @vindex gnus-save-score
17056 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17057 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17058 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17060 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17061 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17062 across group visits.
17064 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17065 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17066 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17067 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17068 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17069 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17070 manually entered data.
17072 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17073 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17074 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17076 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17077 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17078 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17079 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17080 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17081 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17083 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17084 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17085 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17086 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17088 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17089 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17090 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17091 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17093 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17094 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17095 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17096 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17098 Predefined functions available are:
17101 @item gnus-score-find-single
17102 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17103 Only apply the group's own score file.
17105 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17106 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17107 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17108 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17109 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17110 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17111 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17112 then a regexp match is done.
17114 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17115 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17117 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17118 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17119 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17120 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17122 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17123 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17124 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17125 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17126 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17130 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17131 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17132 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17133 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17134 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17135 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17136 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17139 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17140 overall score file, you could use the value
17142 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17143 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17146 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17147 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17148 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17149 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17150 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17152 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17153 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17154 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17155 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17156 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17157 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17158 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17159 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17161 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17162 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17163 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17165 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17166 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17167 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17168 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17169 threading---according to the current value of
17170 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17171 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17172 simplified in this manner.
17177 @node Score File Format
17178 @section Score File Format
17179 @cindex score file format
17181 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17182 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17183 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17185 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17189 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17191 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17193 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17195 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17200 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17204 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17205 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17206 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17207 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17211 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17212 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17214 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17215 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17216 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17218 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17223 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17224 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17225 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17226 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17227 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17228 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17229 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17230 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17231 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17232 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17233 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17234 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17235 to articles that matches these score entries.
17237 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17238 score entry has one to four elements.
17242 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17243 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17247 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17248 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17249 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17250 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17251 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17252 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17255 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17256 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17257 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17258 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17259 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17262 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17263 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17264 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17265 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17268 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17269 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17270 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17271 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17272 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17273 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17274 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17275 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17276 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17277 instead, if you feel like.
17280 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17281 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17283 These predicates are true if
17286 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17289 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17290 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17297 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17298 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17299 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17300 it's not. I think.)
17302 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17303 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17304 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17305 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17308 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17309 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17310 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17311 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17312 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17313 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17314 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17318 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17319 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17320 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17321 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17322 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17323 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17324 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17325 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17328 @item Head, Body, All
17329 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17333 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17334 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17335 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17336 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17337 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17338 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17339 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17343 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17344 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17345 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17346 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17347 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17348 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17349 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17350 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17351 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17352 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17353 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17357 @cindex Score File Atoms
17359 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17360 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17363 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17364 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17366 @item mark-and-expunge
17367 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17368 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17371 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17372 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17373 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17374 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17375 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17378 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17379 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17382 @item exclude-files
17383 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17384 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17388 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17389 ignored when handling global score files.
17392 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17393 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17394 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17395 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17398 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17399 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17400 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17401 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17403 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17407 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17410 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17411 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17412 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17413 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17414 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17416 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17417 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17418 scoring rules exist.
17421 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17422 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17423 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17424 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17425 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17426 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17427 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17428 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17429 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17430 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17431 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17435 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17436 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17437 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17438 file for a number of groups.
17441 @cindex local variables
17442 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17443 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17444 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17445 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17446 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17450 @node Score File Editing
17451 @section Score File Editing
17453 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17454 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17455 with a mode for that.
17457 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17458 additional commands:
17463 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17464 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17465 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17466 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17469 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17470 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17471 Insert the current date in numerical format
17472 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17473 you were wondering.
17476 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17477 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17478 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17479 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17480 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17485 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17487 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17488 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17490 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17491 e} to begin editing score files.
17494 @node Adaptive Scoring
17495 @section Adaptive Scoring
17496 @cindex adaptive scoring
17498 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17499 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17500 stupidity, to be precise.
17502 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17503 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17504 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17505 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17506 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17507 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17508 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17509 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17510 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17512 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17513 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17514 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17515 might look something like this:
17518 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17519 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17520 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17521 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17522 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17523 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17524 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17525 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17526 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17527 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17528 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17529 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17532 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17533 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17534 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17535 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17536 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17537 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17540 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17541 will be applied to each article.
17543 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17544 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17545 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17546 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17548 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17549 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17550 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17551 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17553 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17554 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17555 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17556 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17558 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17559 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17560 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17561 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17562 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17563 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17565 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17566 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17567 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17568 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17569 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17570 aspirins afterwards.)
17572 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17573 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17574 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17576 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17577 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17578 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17580 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17581 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17582 let you use different rules in different groups.
17584 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17585 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17586 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17589 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17590 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17591 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17592 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17593 the length of the match is less than
17594 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17595 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17598 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17599 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17600 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17601 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17602 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17605 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17606 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17607 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17608 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17609 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17612 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17613 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17614 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17615 score with 30 points.
17617 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17618 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17619 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17620 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17621 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17623 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17624 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17625 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17626 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17627 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17629 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17630 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17631 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17632 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17634 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17635 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17636 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17637 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17639 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17640 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17641 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17642 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17643 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17645 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17646 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17647 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17649 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17650 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17651 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17652 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17655 @node Home Score File
17656 @section Home Score File
17658 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17659 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17660 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17661 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17663 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17664 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17665 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17667 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17668 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17673 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17677 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17678 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17682 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17686 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17687 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17690 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17691 the home score file.
17694 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17697 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17702 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17705 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17706 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17709 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17710 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17712 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17714 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17715 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17718 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17719 Other functions include
17722 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17723 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17724 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17725 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17729 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17730 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17731 their own home score files:
17734 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17735 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17736 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17737 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17738 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17741 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17742 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17743 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17744 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17745 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17747 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17748 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17749 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17750 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17751 precedence over this variable.
17754 @node Followups To Yourself
17755 @section Followups To Yourself
17757 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17758 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17759 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17760 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17761 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17762 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17766 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17767 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17768 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17771 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17772 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17773 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17777 @vindex message-sent-hook
17778 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17779 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17781 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17785 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17786 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17790 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17791 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17794 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17795 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17800 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17804 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17805 is system-dependent.
17808 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17809 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17810 @cindex scoring on other headers
17812 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17813 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17814 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17815 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17816 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17818 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17819 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17820 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17821 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17822 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17824 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17827 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17828 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17831 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17832 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17833 time if you have much mail.
17835 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17836 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17842 @section Scoring Tips
17843 @cindex scoring tips
17849 @cindex scoring crossposts
17850 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17851 the @code{Xref} header.
17853 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17856 @item Multiple crossposts
17857 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17858 more than, say, 3 groups:
17861 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17865 @item Matching on the body
17866 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17867 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17868 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17869 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17870 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17871 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17872 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17875 @item Marking as read
17876 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17877 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17878 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17882 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17884 @item Negated character classes
17885 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17886 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17887 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17891 @node Reverse Scoring
17892 @section Reverse Scoring
17893 @cindex reverse scoring
17895 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17896 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17897 like this in your score file:
17901 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17906 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17907 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17910 @node Global Score Files
17911 @section Global Score Files
17912 @cindex global score files
17914 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17915 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17916 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17918 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17919 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17920 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17922 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17923 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17924 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17925 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17926 files are applicable to which group.
17928 To use the score file
17929 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17930 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17934 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17935 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17936 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17939 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17941 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17942 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17943 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17944 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17946 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17947 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17949 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17950 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17951 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17952 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17953 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17954 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17956 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17962 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17964 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17966 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17968 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17969 lowered out of existence.
17971 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17972 articles completely.
17975 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17976 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17977 old articles for a long time.
17980 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17981 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17982 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17983 holding our breath yet?
17987 @section Kill Files
17990 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17991 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17992 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17994 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17995 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17996 files into score files.
17998 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17999 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18000 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18001 that isn't a very good idea.
18003 Normal kill files look like this:
18006 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18007 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18011 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18012 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18014 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18015 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18018 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18023 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18024 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18025 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18028 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18029 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18030 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18033 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18038 @kindex M-k (Group)
18039 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18040 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18043 @kindex M-K (Group)
18044 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18045 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18048 Kill file variables:
18051 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18052 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18053 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18054 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18055 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18056 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18057 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18059 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18060 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18061 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18062 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18065 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18066 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18067 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18068 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18069 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18070 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18071 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18072 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18073 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18075 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18076 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18077 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18082 @node Converting Kill Files
18083 @section Converting Kill Files
18085 @cindex converting kill files
18087 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18088 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18089 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18092 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18093 You can fetch it from
18094 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18096 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18097 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18098 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18106 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18107 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18108 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18109 news articles generated every day.
18111 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18112 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18113 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18114 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18115 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18116 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18117 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18118 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18121 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18122 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18125 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18126 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18127 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18128 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18132 @node Using GroupLens
18133 @subsection Using GroupLens
18135 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18137 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18138 better bit in town at the moment.
18140 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18144 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18145 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18146 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18147 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18149 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18150 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18151 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18152 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18154 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18155 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18156 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18160 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18161 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18162 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18163 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18164 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18165 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18168 @node Rating Articles
18169 @subsection Rating Articles
18171 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18172 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18173 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18174 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18177 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18182 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18183 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18184 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18187 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18188 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18189 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18190 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18191 threads in rec.humor.
18195 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18196 the score of the article you're reading.
18201 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18202 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18203 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18206 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18207 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18208 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18212 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18213 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18216 @node Displaying Predictions
18217 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18219 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18220 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18221 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18222 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18223 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18225 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18226 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18227 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18228 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18229 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18230 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18231 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18232 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18233 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18234 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18235 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18236 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18237 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18239 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18240 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18241 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18242 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18244 The following are valid values for that variable.
18247 @item prediction-spot
18248 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18251 @item confidence-interval
18252 A numeric confidence interval.
18254 @item prediction-bar
18255 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18257 @item confidence-bar
18258 Numerical confidence.
18260 @item confidence-spot
18261 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18263 @item prediction-num
18264 Plain-old numeric value.
18266 @item confidence-plus-minus
18267 Prediction +/- confidence.
18272 @node GroupLens Variables
18273 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18277 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18278 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18279 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18280 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18283 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18284 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18287 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18288 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18290 @item grouplens-score-offset
18291 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18292 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18295 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18296 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18297 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18302 @node Advanced Scoring
18303 @section Advanced Scoring
18305 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18306 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18307 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18308 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18309 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18311 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18315 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18316 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18317 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18321 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18322 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18324 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18325 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18326 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18327 non-@code{nil} value.
18329 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18330 operator, and various match operators.
18337 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18338 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18339 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18344 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18345 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18346 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18351 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18352 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18356 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18357 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18358 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18359 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18360 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18361 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18362 the ancestry you want to go.
18364 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18365 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18366 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18367 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18368 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18371 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18372 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18374 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18375 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18378 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18379 when he's talking about Gnus:
18383 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18384 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18390 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18394 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18401 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18402 really don't want to read what he's written:
18406 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18407 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18411 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18412 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18413 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18420 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18421 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18422 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18423 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18427 The possibilities are endless.
18430 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18431 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18433 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18434 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18435 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18436 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18437 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18438 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18439 @samp{subject}) first.
18441 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18442 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18453 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18454 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18460 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18467 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18468 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18473 @section Score Decays
18474 @cindex score decays
18477 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18478 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18479 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18480 use them in any sensible way.
18482 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18483 @findex gnus-decay-score
18484 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18485 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18486 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18487 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18488 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18489 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18490 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18491 definition of that function:
18494 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18496 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18497 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18500 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18502 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18504 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18507 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18508 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18509 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18510 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18514 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18517 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18520 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18524 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18525 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18526 the new score, which should be an integer.
18528 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18529 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18534 @include message.texi
18535 @chapter Emacs MIME
18536 @include emacs-mime.texi
18538 @include sieve.texi
18546 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18547 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18548 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18549 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18550 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18551 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18552 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18553 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18554 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18555 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18556 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18557 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18558 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18559 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18560 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18561 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18562 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18563 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18564 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18568 @node Process/Prefix
18569 @section Process/Prefix
18570 @cindex process/prefix convention
18572 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18573 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18575 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18576 command to be performed on.
18580 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18581 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18582 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18583 with the current one.
18585 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18586 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18587 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18589 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18590 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18593 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18594 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18596 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18599 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18600 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18601 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18602 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18604 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18605 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18606 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18607 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18608 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18609 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18610 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18611 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18613 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18614 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18615 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18616 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18617 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18621 @section Interactive
18622 @cindex interaction
18626 @item gnus-novice-user
18627 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18628 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18629 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18630 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18631 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18634 @item gnus-expert-user
18635 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18636 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18637 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18638 matter how strange.
18640 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18641 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18642 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18643 is @code{t} by default.
18645 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18646 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18647 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18652 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18653 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18654 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18656 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18657 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18658 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18659 rule of 900 to the current article.
18661 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18662 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18663 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18664 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18665 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18666 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18667 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18669 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18670 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18671 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18672 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18673 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18674 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18675 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18676 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18677 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18679 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18680 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18681 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18683 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18687 @node Formatting Variables
18688 @section Formatting Variables
18689 @cindex formatting variables
18691 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18692 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18693 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18694 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18695 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18698 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18699 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18700 lots of percentages everywhere.
18703 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18704 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18705 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18706 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18707 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18708 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18709 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18710 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18713 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18714 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18715 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18716 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18717 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18718 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18719 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18720 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18722 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18723 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18725 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18726 @findex gnus-update-format
18727 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18728 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18729 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18730 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18734 @node Formatting Basics
18735 @subsection Formatting Basics
18737 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18738 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18739 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18741 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18742 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18743 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18744 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18745 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18748 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18749 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18750 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18751 less than 4 characters wide.
18753 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18754 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18757 @node Mode Line Formatting
18758 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18760 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18761 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18762 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18763 with the following two differences:
18768 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18771 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18772 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18773 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18774 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18775 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18776 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18777 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18782 @node Advanced Formatting
18783 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18785 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18786 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18787 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18788 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18790 These are the valid modifiers:
18795 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18799 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18804 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18807 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18812 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18815 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18818 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18821 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18827 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
18832 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18833 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18834 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18835 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18836 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18837 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18838 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18840 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18841 last operation, padding.
18843 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18844 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18845 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18846 @xref{Compilation}.
18849 @node User-Defined Specs
18850 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18852 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18853 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18854 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18855 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18856 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18857 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18858 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18859 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18860 should protect against that.
18862 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18863 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18865 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18866 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18867 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18868 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18872 @node Formatting Fonts
18873 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18875 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18876 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18877 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18878 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18881 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18882 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18883 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18884 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18885 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18886 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18888 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18889 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18890 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18891 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18892 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18893 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18894 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18895 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18897 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18900 ;; Create three face types.
18901 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18902 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18904 ;; We want the article count to be in
18905 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18906 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18907 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18909 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18910 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18912 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18913 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18914 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18917 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18918 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18920 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18921 mode-line variables.
18923 @node Positioning Point
18924 @subsection Positioning Point
18926 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18927 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18928 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18930 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18932 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18933 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18934 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18936 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18937 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18938 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18943 @subsection Tabulation
18945 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18946 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18947 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18948 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18950 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18951 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18953 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18954 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18955 This is the soft tabulator.
18957 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18958 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18959 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18962 @node Wide Characters
18963 @subsection Wide Characters
18965 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18966 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18967 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18969 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18970 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18971 these coutries, that's not true.
18973 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18974 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18975 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18976 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18980 @node Window Layout
18981 @section Window Layout
18982 @cindex window layout
18984 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18986 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18987 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18988 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18989 @code{t} by default.
18991 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18992 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18994 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18995 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18996 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18999 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19000 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19001 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19005 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19006 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19007 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19008 possible names is listed below.
19010 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19011 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19014 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19018 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19019 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19020 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19021 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19022 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19023 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19024 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19025 size spec per split.
19027 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19028 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19029 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19030 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19031 present) gets focus.
19033 Here's a more complicated example:
19036 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19037 (summary 0.25 point)
19038 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19042 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19043 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19044 occupy, not a percentage.
19046 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19047 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19048 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19049 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19050 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19053 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19056 (article (horizontal 1.0
19061 (summary 0.25 point)
19066 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19067 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19069 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19070 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19071 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19072 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19073 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19075 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19076 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19077 lines from the splits.
19079 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19083 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19084 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19085 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19086 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19087 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19088 size = number | frame-params
19089 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19092 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19093 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19094 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19095 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19097 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19098 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19099 @cindex window height
19100 @cindex window width
19101 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19102 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19103 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19104 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19105 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19106 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19108 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19109 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19110 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19111 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19113 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19114 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19115 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19116 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19117 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19118 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19119 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19120 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19121 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19122 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19123 configuration list.
19126 (gnus-configure-frame
19130 (article 0.3 point))
19138 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19139 @code{frame} split:
19142 (gnus-configure-frame
19145 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19147 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19148 (user-position . t)
19149 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19154 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19155 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19156 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19157 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19158 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19159 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19160 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19161 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19163 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19164 be found in its default value.
19166 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19167 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19168 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19172 (message (horizontal 1.0
19173 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19175 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19180 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19181 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19182 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19187 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19188 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19189 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19190 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19191 (name . "Message"))
19192 (message 1.0 point))))
19195 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19196 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19197 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19198 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19199 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19202 (gnus-add-configuration
19203 '(article (vertical 1.0
19205 (summary .25 point)
19209 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19210 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19211 Gnus has been loaded.
19213 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19214 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19215 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19216 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19217 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19219 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19220 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19221 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19224 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19228 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19229 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19244 (gnus-add-configuration
19247 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19249 (summary 0.16 point)
19252 (gnus-add-configuration
19255 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19256 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19262 @node Faces and Fonts
19263 @section Faces and Fonts
19268 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19269 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19270 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19275 @section Compilation
19276 @cindex compilation
19277 @cindex byte-compilation
19279 @findex gnus-compile
19281 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19282 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19283 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19284 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19285 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19286 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19289 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19290 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19291 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19292 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19293 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19294 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19295 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19299 @section Mode Lines
19302 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19303 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19304 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19305 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19306 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19307 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19308 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19311 @cindex display-time
19313 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19314 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19315 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19316 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19317 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19318 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19319 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19320 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19323 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19325 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19326 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19328 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19329 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19330 (length display-time-string)))))
19333 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19334 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19335 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19336 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19337 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19340 @node Highlighting and Menus
19341 @section Highlighting and Menus
19343 @cindex highlighting
19346 @vindex gnus-visual
19347 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19348 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19349 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19352 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19353 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19356 @item group-highlight
19357 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19358 @item summary-highlight
19359 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19360 @item article-highlight
19361 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19363 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19365 Create menus in the group buffer.
19367 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19369 Create menus in the article buffer.
19371 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19373 Create menus in the server buffer.
19375 Create menus in the score buffers.
19377 Create menus in all buffers.
19380 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19381 buffers, you could say something like:
19384 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19387 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19390 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19393 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19394 in all Gnus buffers.
19396 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19399 @item gnus-mouse-face
19400 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19401 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19402 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19406 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19410 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19411 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19412 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19414 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19415 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19416 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19418 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19419 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19420 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19422 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19423 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19424 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19426 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19427 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19428 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19430 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19431 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19432 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19443 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19444 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19445 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19446 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19447 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19451 @vindex gnus-carpal
19452 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19453 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19454 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19459 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19460 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19461 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19463 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19464 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19465 Face used on buttons.
19467 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19468 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19469 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19471 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19472 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19473 Buttons in the group buffer.
19475 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19476 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19477 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19479 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19480 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19481 Buttons in the server buffer.
19483 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19484 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19485 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19488 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19489 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19490 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19498 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19499 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19500 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19501 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19502 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19504 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19505 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19506 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19508 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19509 been idle for thirty minutes:
19512 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19515 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19519 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19522 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19523 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19524 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19526 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19527 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19528 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19529 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19531 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19532 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19533 @var{idle} minutes.
19535 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19536 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19539 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19540 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19541 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19543 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19544 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19545 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19546 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19548 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19549 your @file{.gnus} file:
19551 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19553 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19556 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19557 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19558 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19559 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19560 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19561 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19562 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19563 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19564 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19565 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19566 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19568 @findex gnus-demon-init
19569 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19570 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19571 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19572 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19573 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19575 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19576 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19577 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19586 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19587 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19589 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19590 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19591 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19592 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19595 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19596 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19597 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19598 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19600 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19601 this will make spam disappear.
19603 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19606 @item gnus-use-nocem
19607 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19608 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19611 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19612 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19613 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19614 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19615 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19617 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19618 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19619 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19620 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19621 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19622 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19624 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19625 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19627 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19628 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19629 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19630 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19631 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19632 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19633 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19634 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19635 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19636 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19638 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19639 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19642 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19645 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19646 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19649 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19652 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19655 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19656 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19658 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19659 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19660 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19661 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19663 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19664 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19667 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19669 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19677 This might be dangerous, though.
19679 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19680 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19681 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19682 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19684 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19685 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19686 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19687 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19688 might then see old spam.
19690 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19691 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19692 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19693 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19694 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19697 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19698 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19699 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19700 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19704 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19705 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19706 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19707 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19714 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19715 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19716 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19718 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19719 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19720 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19721 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19722 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19723 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19724 @code{undo} function.
19726 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19727 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19728 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19729 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19730 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19731 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19732 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19733 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19734 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19735 never be totally undoable.
19737 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19738 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19740 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19741 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19742 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19743 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19747 @node Predicate Specifiers
19748 @section Predicate Specifiers
19749 @cindex predicate specifiers
19751 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19752 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19753 to type all that much.
19755 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19760 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19761 gnus-article-unread-p)
19764 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19765 functions all take one parameter.
19767 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19768 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19769 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19770 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
19775 @section Moderation
19778 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19779 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19780 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19783 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19787 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19790 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19792 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19797 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19798 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19799 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19802 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19803 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19806 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19807 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19811 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19814 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19815 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19819 @node Image Enhancements
19820 @section Image Enhancements
19822 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
19823 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
19826 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
19827 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19828 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
19829 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19830 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19843 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19844 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19845 over your shoulder as you read news.
19848 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19849 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19850 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19851 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19852 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19857 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19859 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19868 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19869 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19870 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19871 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19872 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19873 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19874 @code{GIF} formats.
19877 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19878 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19879 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19880 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19881 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19883 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19884 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19885 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19886 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19887 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19888 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19890 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
19891 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
19894 @node Picon Requirements
19895 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19897 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19898 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19899 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19900 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19902 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19903 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19904 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19905 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19906 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19907 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19910 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19912 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19913 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19916 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19917 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19920 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19921 containing the Picons databases.
19923 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19926 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19927 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19932 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19940 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19941 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19942 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19943 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19944 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19949 @item gnus-picons-database
19950 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19951 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19952 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19953 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19954 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19955 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19957 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19958 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19959 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19960 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19961 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19962 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19963 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19965 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19966 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19967 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19968 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19969 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19970 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19971 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19972 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19974 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19975 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19976 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19981 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19982 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19984 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19985 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19988 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19990 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19991 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19992 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19993 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19995 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19996 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19997 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19998 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20004 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20005 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20013 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20014 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20015 don't need to worry about.
20019 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20020 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20021 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20022 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20024 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20025 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20026 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20027 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20029 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20030 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20031 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20032 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20033 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20035 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20036 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20037 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20038 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20039 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20040 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20041 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20042 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20044 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20045 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20046 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20047 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20048 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20050 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20051 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20052 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20053 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20054 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20055 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20056 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20058 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20059 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20060 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20061 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20063 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20064 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20065 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20066 Defaults to @code{t}.
20068 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20069 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20070 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20071 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20073 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20074 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20075 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20077 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20078 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20079 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20080 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20082 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20083 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20085 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20086 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20087 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20088 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20089 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20090 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20091 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20092 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20103 @subsection Smileys
20108 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20113 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20114 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20116 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20117 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20120 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20123 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20124 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20125 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20126 text and maps that to file names.
20128 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20129 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20130 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20131 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20132 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20133 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20135 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20136 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20138 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20139 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20140 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20142 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20143 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20147 @item smiley-data-directory
20148 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20149 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20151 @item smiley-flesh-color
20152 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20153 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20155 @item smiley-features-color
20156 @vindex smiley-features-color
20157 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20159 @item smiley-tongue-color
20160 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20161 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20163 @item smiley-circle-color
20164 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20165 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20167 @item smiley-mouse-face
20168 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20169 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20178 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20179 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20180 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20184 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20185 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20186 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20187 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20195 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20196 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20197 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20198 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20200 The variable that controls this is the
20201 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20202 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20203 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20204 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20205 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20207 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20208 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20209 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20210 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20213 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20214 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20215 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20216 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20217 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20218 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20219 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20220 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20222 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20225 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20226 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20228 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20229 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20230 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20231 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20232 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20233 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20235 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20236 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20237 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20239 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20240 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20243 (setq message-required-news-headers
20244 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20245 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20248 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20251 (setq message-required-news-headers
20252 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20253 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20254 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20255 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20260 @subsection Toolbar
20270 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20271 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20272 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20273 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20274 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20276 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20277 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20278 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20280 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20281 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20282 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20284 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20285 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20286 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20292 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20295 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20296 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20297 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20298 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20299 unusual directory structure.
20301 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20302 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20303 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20304 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20306 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20307 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20308 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20309 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20310 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20311 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20313 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20314 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20315 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20329 @node Fuzzy Matching
20330 @section Fuzzy Matching
20331 @cindex fuzzy matching
20333 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20334 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20336 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20337 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20338 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20340 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20341 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20342 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20343 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20344 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20347 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20348 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20352 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20354 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20355 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20356 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20357 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20358 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20359 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20360 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20361 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20364 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20365 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20366 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20367 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20368 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20369 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20373 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20374 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20376 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20377 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20378 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20379 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20380 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20381 part of the mail address.)
20384 (setq message-default-news-headers
20385 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20388 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20389 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20394 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20395 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20396 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20402 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20403 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20404 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20405 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20407 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
20408 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20409 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20410 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20411 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20412 your fancy split rule in this way:
20417 (to "larsi" "misc")
20421 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20422 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20423 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20424 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20425 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20427 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20428 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20429 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20430 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20431 cosmic balance somewhat.
20433 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20434 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20435 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20436 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20439 @node Various Various
20440 @section Various Various
20446 @item gnus-home-directory
20447 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20448 defaults to @file{~/}.
20450 @item gnus-directory
20451 @vindex gnus-directory
20452 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20453 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20454 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20456 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20457 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20458 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20459 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20461 @item gnus-default-directory
20462 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20463 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20464 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20465 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20466 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20467 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20468 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20471 @vindex gnus-verbose
20472 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20473 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20474 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20475 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20476 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20478 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20479 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20480 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20481 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20483 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20484 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20485 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20486 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20487 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20488 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20489 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20490 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20491 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20492 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20494 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20495 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20496 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20497 read when doing the operation described above.
20499 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20500 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20502 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20503 @cindex characters in file names
20504 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20505 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20506 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20509 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20513 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20514 Windows (phooey) systems.
20516 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20517 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20518 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20519 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20520 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20522 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20523 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20524 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20525 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20526 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20528 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20529 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20530 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20532 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20533 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20535 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20536 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20537 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20538 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20541 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20549 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20550 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20552 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20554 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20560 Not because of victories @*
20563 but for the common sunshine,@*
20565 the largess of the spring.
20569 but for the day's work done@*
20570 as well as I was able;@*
20571 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20572 but at the common table.@*
20577 @chapter Appendices
20580 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20581 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20582 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20583 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20584 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20585 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20586 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20587 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20588 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20595 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20597 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20598 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20599 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20600 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20601 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20608 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20609 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20611 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20612 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20613 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20614 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20615 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20617 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20618 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20619 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20620 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20621 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20622 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20624 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20625 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20626 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20627 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20630 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20631 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20632 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20633 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20634 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20635 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20636 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20637 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20638 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20642 @node Gnus Versions
20643 @subsection Gnus Versions
20645 @cindex September Gnus
20647 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20648 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20652 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20653 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20654 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20656 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20657 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20659 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20660 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20662 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20663 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20665 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20666 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20669 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20671 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20672 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20673 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20674 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20675 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20676 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20679 @node Other Gnus Versions
20680 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20683 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20684 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20685 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20686 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20688 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20689 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20690 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20691 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20698 What's the point of Gnus?
20700 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20701 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20702 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20703 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20704 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20705 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20706 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20707 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20708 keep track of millions of people who post?
20710 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20711 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20712 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20713 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20714 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20715 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20716 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20717 every one of you to explore and invent.
20719 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20720 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20723 @node Compatibility
20724 @subsection Compatibility
20726 @cindex compatibility
20727 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20728 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20729 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20734 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20738 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20741 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20744 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20745 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20746 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20747 important variables have their values copied into their global
20748 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20749 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20751 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20752 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20753 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20754 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20755 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20759 @cindex highlighting
20760 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20761 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20762 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20763 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20764 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20765 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20768 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20769 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20770 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20771 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20773 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20774 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20775 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20776 to stop doing it the old way.
20778 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20780 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20782 @cindex reporting bugs
20784 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20785 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20786 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20788 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20789 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20790 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20791 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20796 @subsection Conformity
20798 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20799 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20807 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20811 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20813 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20814 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20815 We do have some breaches to this one.
20821 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20822 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20823 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20824 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20825 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20830 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20831 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20832 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20833 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20835 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
20837 All the various MIME RFCs are supported.
20839 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
20840 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
20842 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
20845 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
20846 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
20847 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-MIME aware PGP
20848 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
20849 decoding (verification and decryption).
20851 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
20852 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
20853 1991) describes the MIME-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
20854 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
20856 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
20857 RFC 2633 describes the S/MIME format.
20859 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
20860 RFC 1730 is IMAP version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (IMAP 4
20861 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for IMAP. RFC
20862 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for IMAP. RFC 2359
20863 describes a IMAP protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
20864 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with IMAP. RFC 1731 describes the
20865 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for IMAP.
20869 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20870 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20875 @subsection Emacsen
20881 Gnus should work on :
20889 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20893 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20894 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20897 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20898 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20899 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20903 @node Gnus Development
20904 @subsection Gnus Development
20906 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20907 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20908 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20909 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20910 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20911 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20912 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20913 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20915 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20916 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20917 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20918 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20919 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20922 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20923 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20924 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20925 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20926 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20928 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20929 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20930 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20931 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20932 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20933 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20934 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20935 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20936 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20937 can't be assumed to do so.
20942 @subsection Contributors
20943 @cindex contributors
20945 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20946 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20947 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20948 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20949 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20950 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20951 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20952 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20953 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20954 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20956 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20962 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20965 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20966 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20967 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20968 functionality and stuff.
20971 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20972 well as numerous other things).
20975 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20978 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20981 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20984 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20987 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20988 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20991 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20994 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20995 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20998 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21001 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21004 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21007 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21010 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21011 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21014 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21017 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21020 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21023 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21027 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21030 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21033 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21036 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21037 well as autoconf support.
21041 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21042 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21044 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21053 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21057 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21067 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21082 Massimo Campostrini,
21087 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21088 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21092 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21095 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21101 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21106 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21110 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21118 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21120 Michelangelo Grigni,
21124 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21126 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21128 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21135 François Felix Ingrand,
21136 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21137 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21139 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21150 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21151 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21153 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21154 Thor Kristoffersen,
21157 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21175 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21176 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21183 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21188 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21192 John McClary Prevost,
21198 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21203 Christian von Roques,
21206 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21213 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21215 Randal L. Schwartz,
21229 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21234 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21250 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21255 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21256 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21257 (550kB and counting).
21259 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21262 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21263 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21267 @subsection New Features
21268 @cindex new features
21271 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21272 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21273 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21274 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21275 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21278 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21279 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21280 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21283 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21285 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21290 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21291 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21294 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21295 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21298 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21301 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21302 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21303 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21306 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21307 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21308 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21309 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21312 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21313 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21316 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21317 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21318 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21321 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21322 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21325 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21326 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21327 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21330 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21331 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21332 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21335 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21336 the @file{.emacs} file.
21339 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21340 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21343 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21344 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21347 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21348 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21351 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21352 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21355 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21356 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21359 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21362 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21363 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21366 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21367 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21370 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21371 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21374 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21377 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21378 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21381 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21385 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21389 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21390 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21393 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21399 @node September Gnus
21400 @subsubsection September Gnus
21404 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21408 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21413 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21414 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21418 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21419 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21423 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21427 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21428 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21431 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21435 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21438 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21441 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21444 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21448 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21449 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21452 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21456 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21460 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21464 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21468 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21471 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21472 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21475 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21479 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21480 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21483 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21486 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21487 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21488 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21491 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21495 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21498 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21502 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21503 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21506 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21507 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21510 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21511 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21514 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21515 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21516 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21519 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21520 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21523 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21526 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21529 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21532 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21535 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21536 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21539 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21543 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21546 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21551 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21554 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21558 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21561 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21565 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21568 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21571 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21572 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21575 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21576 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21580 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21581 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21584 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21588 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21589 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21592 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21595 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21599 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21603 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21604 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21607 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21611 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21612 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21615 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21616 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21619 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21623 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21626 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21629 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21635 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21637 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21641 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21648 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21651 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21652 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21655 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21656 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21660 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21661 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21664 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21667 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21668 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21671 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21675 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21676 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21680 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21681 Server Internals}).
21684 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21688 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21691 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21692 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21695 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21696 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21697 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21700 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21701 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21704 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21705 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21708 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21712 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21713 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21716 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21717 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21720 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21724 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21727 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21731 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21732 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21735 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21736 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21739 A new command for reading collections of documents
21740 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21741 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21744 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21748 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21749 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21752 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21753 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21754 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21757 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21758 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21762 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21766 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21770 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21775 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21779 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21783 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21784 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21787 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21793 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21795 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21800 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21801 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21802 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21805 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21806 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21807 group, which is created automatically.
21810 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21814 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21817 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21818 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21821 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21825 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21828 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21829 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21832 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21835 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21836 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21839 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21840 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21843 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21844 control over simplification.
21847 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21850 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21854 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21857 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21860 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21861 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21862 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21865 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21866 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21869 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21873 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21874 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21877 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21878 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21881 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21885 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21888 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21891 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21892 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21895 A new function for citing in Message has been
21896 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21899 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21902 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21906 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21907 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21910 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21911 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21914 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21917 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21921 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21922 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21924 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21929 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21930 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21932 If you used procmail like in
21935 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21936 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21937 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21938 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21941 this now has changed to
21945 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21949 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21950 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21953 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21954 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21957 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21958 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21961 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21962 called to position point.
21965 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21966 summary buffers and NOV files.
21969 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21970 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21973 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21974 subtly different manner.
21977 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21978 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21979 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21982 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21990 @section The Manual
21994 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21995 either @code{texi2dvi}
21997 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21998 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22000 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22002 The following conventions have been used:
22007 This is a @samp{string}
22010 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22013 This is a @file{file}
22016 This is a @code{symbol}
22020 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22024 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22027 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22030 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22033 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22034 ever get them confused.
22038 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22039 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22040 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22041 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22042 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22043 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22044 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22050 @node On Writing Manuals
22051 @section On Writing Manuals
22053 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22054 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22055 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22056 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22057 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22058 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22061 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22062 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22063 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22066 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22067 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22072 @section Terminology
22074 @cindex terminology
22079 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22080 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22081 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22082 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22083 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22087 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22088 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22089 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22090 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22094 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22098 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22103 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22104 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22105 is all done by the back ends.
22109 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22110 default, way of getting news.
22114 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22115 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22120 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22121 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22125 A message that has been posted as news.
22128 @cindex mail message
22129 A message that has been mailed.
22133 A mail message or news article
22137 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22142 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22147 A line from the head of an article.
22151 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22152 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22156 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22157 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22158 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22159 normal @sc{head} format.
22163 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22164 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22165 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22166 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22167 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22168 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22170 @item killed groups
22171 @cindex killed groups
22172 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22173 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22175 @item zombie groups
22176 @cindex zombie groups
22177 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22180 @cindex active file
22181 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22182 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22183 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22186 @cindex bogus groups
22187 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22188 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22189 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22192 @cindex activating groups
22193 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22194 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22195 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22199 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22201 @item select method
22202 @cindex select method
22203 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22206 @item virtual server
22207 @cindex virtual server
22208 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22209 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22210 whole is a virtual server.
22214 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22215 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22218 @item ephemeral groups
22219 @cindex ephemeral groups
22220 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22221 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22222 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22225 @cindex solid groups
22226 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22227 group buffer are solid groups.
22229 @item sparse articles
22230 @cindex sparse articles
22231 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22232 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22236 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22237 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22241 @cindex thread root
22242 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22243 articles in the thread.
22247 An article that has responses.
22251 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22255 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22256 specified by RFC 1153.
22262 @node Customization
22263 @section Customization
22264 @cindex general customization
22266 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22267 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22268 for some quite common situations.
22271 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22272 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22273 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22274 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22278 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22279 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
22281 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22282 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22283 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22287 @item gnus-read-active-file
22288 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22289 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22290 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22291 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22292 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22294 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22295 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22296 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22297 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22301 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22302 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22304 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22305 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22306 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22310 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22311 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22312 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22313 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22314 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22316 @item gnus-visible-headers
22317 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22318 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22319 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22320 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22322 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22324 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22325 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22326 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22329 @item gnus-use-full-window
22330 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22331 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22332 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22333 want to read them anyway.
22335 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22336 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22339 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
22340 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
22341 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
22346 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22347 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
22348 gnus-article-unseen-p))
22351 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
22352 unread, but you get my drift.)
22355 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22356 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22357 lines, which might save some time.
22361 @node Little Disk Space
22362 @subsection Little Disk Space
22365 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22366 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22370 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22371 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22372 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22373 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22376 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22377 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22378 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22379 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22382 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22383 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22384 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22385 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22386 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22392 @subsection Slow Machine
22393 @cindex slow machine
22395 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22396 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22398 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22399 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22401 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22402 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22403 summary buffer faster.
22407 @node Troubleshooting
22408 @section Troubleshooting
22409 @cindex troubleshooting
22411 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22419 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22422 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22423 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22427 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22428 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22429 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22430 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22433 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22437 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22438 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22439 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22440 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22441 something like that.
22444 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22447 @cindex reporting bugs
22449 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22451 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22452 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22453 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22454 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22456 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22457 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22458 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22459 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22462 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22463 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22464 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22465 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22466 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22467 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22469 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22470 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22471 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22475 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22476 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22478 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22479 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22481 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22482 @cindex ding mailing list
22483 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22484 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22488 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22489 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22491 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22492 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22493 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22494 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22497 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22498 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22499 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22500 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22501 and general methods of operation.
22504 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22505 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22506 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22507 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22508 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22509 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22510 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22511 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22512 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22516 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22517 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22518 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22519 @cindex utility functions
22521 @cindex internal variables
22523 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22524 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22525 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22529 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22530 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22531 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22533 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22534 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22535 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22537 @item gnus-group-real-name
22538 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22539 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22542 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22543 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22544 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22545 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22547 @item gnus-get-info
22548 @findex gnus-get-info
22549 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22551 @item gnus-group-unread
22552 @findex gnus-group-unread
22553 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22557 @findex gnus-active
22558 The active entry for @var{group}.
22560 @item gnus-set-active
22561 @findex gnus-set-active
22562 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22564 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22565 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22566 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22569 @item gnus-continuum-version
22570 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22571 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22572 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22575 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22576 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22577 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22579 @item gnus-news-group-p
22580 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22581 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22583 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22584 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22585 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22587 @item gnus-server-to-method
22588 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22589 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22591 @item gnus-server-equal
22592 @findex gnus-server-equal
22593 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22595 @item gnus-group-native-p
22596 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22597 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22599 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22600 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22601 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22603 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22604 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22605 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22607 @item group-group-find-parameter
22608 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22609 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22610 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22612 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22613 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22614 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22616 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22617 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22618 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22620 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22621 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22622 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22623 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22626 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22630 @item gnus-read-method
22631 @findex gnus-read-method
22632 Prompts the user for a select method.
22637 @node Back End Interface
22638 @subsection Back End Interface
22640 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22641 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22642 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22643 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22644 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22645 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22647 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22648 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22649 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22650 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22651 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22652 been opened, the function should fail.
22654 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22655 name. Take this example:
22659 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22660 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22663 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22664 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22666 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22667 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22668 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22670 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22671 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22672 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22674 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22675 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22676 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22677 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22678 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22679 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22682 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22683 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22684 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22685 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22688 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22689 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22690 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22691 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22692 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22693 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22694 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22695 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22696 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22697 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22699 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22700 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22701 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22702 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22703 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22704 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22705 of numbers as long as possible.
22707 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22710 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22713 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22714 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22715 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22716 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22717 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22718 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22722 @node Required Back End Functions
22723 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22727 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22729 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22730 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22731 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22732 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22734 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22735 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22736 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22737 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22739 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22740 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22741 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22742 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22743 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22744 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22745 number, do maximum fetches.
22747 Here's an example HEAD:
22750 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22751 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22752 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22753 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22754 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22755 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22756 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22758 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22759 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22760 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22764 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22765 these in the data buffer.
22767 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22771 head = error / valid-head
22772 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22773 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22774 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22775 header = <text> eol
22778 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22779 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22783 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22784 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22785 field = <text except TAB>
22788 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22792 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22794 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22795 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22797 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22798 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22799 server. In fact, it should do so.
22801 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22802 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22805 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22807 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22808 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22811 There should be no data returned.
22814 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22816 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22817 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22818 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22819 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22821 There should be no data returned.
22824 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22826 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22827 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22828 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22829 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22831 There should be no data returned.
22834 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22836 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22838 There should be no data returned.
22841 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22843 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22844 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22845 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22846 it would be nice if that were possible.
22848 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22849 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22850 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22851 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22852 into its article buffer.
22854 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22855 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22856 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22857 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22858 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22859 on successful article retrieval.
22862 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22864 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22865 making @var{group} the current group.
22867 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22870 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22873 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22876 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22877 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22878 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22879 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22880 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22881 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22882 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22883 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22886 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22887 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22888 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22892 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22894 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22895 a no-op on most back ends.
22897 There should be no data returned.
22900 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22902 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22905 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22908 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22909 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22912 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22913 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22916 active-file = *active-line
22917 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22919 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22922 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22923 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22924 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22927 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22929 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22930 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22931 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22932 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22933 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22934 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22936 There should be no result data from this function.
22941 @node Optional Back End Functions
22942 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22946 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22948 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22949 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22950 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22952 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22953 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22954 former is in the same format as the data from
22955 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22956 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22959 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22963 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22965 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22966 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22967 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22968 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22969 should return the (altered) group info.
22971 There should be no result data from this function.
22974 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22976 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22977 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22978 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22979 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22980 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22981 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22982 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22983 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22985 There should be no result data from this function.
22988 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22990 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22991 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22992 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22993 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22994 propagate the mark information to the server.
22996 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22999 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23002 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23003 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23004 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23005 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23006 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23007 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23008 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23009 possible, not limit itself to these.
23011 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23012 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23013 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23014 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23016 An example action list:
23019 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23020 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23021 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23024 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23025 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23027 There should be no result data from this function.
23029 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23031 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23032 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23033 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23034 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23035 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23037 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23038 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23039 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23042 There should be no result data from this function.
23045 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23047 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23048 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23049 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23050 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23051 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23052 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23053 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23055 There should be no result data from this function.
23058 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23060 The result data from this function should be a description of
23064 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23066 description = <text>
23069 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23071 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23072 groups available on the server.
23075 description-buffer = *description-line
23079 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23081 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23082 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23083 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23084 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23085 in the active buffer format.
23087 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23088 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23089 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23090 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23091 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
23092 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
23093 likely that there can be many groups.
23096 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23098 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23100 There should be no return data.
23103 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23105 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23106 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23107 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23108 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23109 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23112 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23115 There should be no result data returned.
23118 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23121 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23122 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23124 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23125 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23126 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23127 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23128 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23129 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23131 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23132 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23135 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23136 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23138 There should be no data returned.
23141 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23143 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23144 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23145 this function in short order.
23147 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23148 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23150 There should be no data returned.
23153 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23155 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23156 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23158 There should be no data returned.
23161 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23163 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23164 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23165 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23167 There should be no data returned.
23170 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23172 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23173 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23175 There should be no data returned.
23180 @node Error Messaging
23181 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23183 @findex nnheader-report
23184 @findex nnheader-get-report
23185 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23186 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23187 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23188 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23189 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23190 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23193 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23195 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23198 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23199 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23200 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23201 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23203 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23204 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23205 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23208 @node Writing New Back Ends
23209 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23211 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23212 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23213 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23214 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23215 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23218 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23219 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23220 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23222 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23223 package called @code{nnoo}.
23225 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23226 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23232 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23233 parameters. For instance:
23236 (nnoo-declare nndir
23240 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23241 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23244 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23245 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23246 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23248 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23249 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23250 a function in those back ends.
23253 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23254 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23255 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23258 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23259 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23260 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23262 @item nnoo-define-basics
23263 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23267 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23271 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23272 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23273 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23275 @item nnoo-map-functions
23276 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23277 functions from the parent back ends.
23280 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23281 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23282 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23285 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23286 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23287 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23288 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23291 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23292 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23293 haven't already been defined.
23299 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23303 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23304 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23305 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23310 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23313 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23314 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23318 (require 'nnheader)
23322 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23324 (nnoo-declare nndir
23327 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23328 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23329 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23331 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23332 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23335 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23337 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23338 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23339 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23341 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23342 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23344 ;;; Interface functions.
23346 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23348 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23349 (setq nndir-directory
23350 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23352 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23353 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23354 (push `(nndir-current-group
23355 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23356 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23358 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23359 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23361 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23363 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23364 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23365 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23366 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23367 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23371 nnmh-status-message
23373 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23379 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23380 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23382 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23383 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23384 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23385 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23386 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23388 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23389 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23394 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23397 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23399 The abilities can be:
23403 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23405 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23407 This back end supports both mail and news.
23409 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23412 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23413 articles and groups.
23415 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23416 true for almost all back ends.
23417 @item prompt-address
23418 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23419 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23420 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23424 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23425 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23427 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23428 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
23429 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
23430 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23433 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23434 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23435 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23438 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23439 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23442 This function takes four parameters.
23446 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23449 @item exit-function
23450 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23452 @item temp-directory
23453 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23456 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23457 performed for one group only.
23460 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23461 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23462 find the article number assigned to this article.
23464 The function also uses the following variables:
23465 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23466 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23467 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23468 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23472 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23473 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23477 @node Score File Syntax
23478 @subsection Score File Syntax
23480 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23481 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23482 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23484 Here's a typical score file:
23488 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23495 BNF definition of a score file:
23498 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23499 element = rule / atom
23500 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23501 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23502 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23503 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23505 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23506 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23507 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23508 date-header = "date"
23509 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23510 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23511 score = "nil" / <integer>
23512 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23513 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23514 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23515 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23516 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23517 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23518 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23519 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23520 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23521 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23522 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23523 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23524 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23525 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23526 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23527 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23528 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23529 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23530 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23531 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23532 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23533 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23534 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23535 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23536 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23537 eval = "eval" space <form>
23538 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23541 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23544 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23545 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23546 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23547 one looong line, then that's ok.
23549 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23550 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23554 @subsection Headers
23556 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23557 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23558 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23559 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23561 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23562 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23563 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23564 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23565 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23566 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23567 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23569 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23570 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23571 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23572 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23573 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23575 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23576 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23582 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23583 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23585 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23586 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23587 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23588 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23590 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23594 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23597 is transformed into
23600 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23603 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23604 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23607 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23610 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23611 is slightly tricky:
23614 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23620 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23623 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23629 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23636 and is equal to the previous range.
23638 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23639 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23640 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23644 range = simple-range / normal-range
23645 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23646 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23647 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23648 number *[ " " contents ]
23651 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23652 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23653 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23654 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23655 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23660 @subsection Group Info
23662 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23663 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23664 describes the group.
23666 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23667 second is a more complex one:
23670 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23672 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23673 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23675 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23678 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23679 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23680 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23681 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23682 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23683 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23684 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23685 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23686 this section is about.
23688 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23689 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23690 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23692 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23695 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23696 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23697 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23698 group = quote <string> quote
23699 ralevel = rank / level
23700 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23701 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23702 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23704 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23705 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23706 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23707 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23710 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23711 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23714 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23715 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23718 @item gnus-info-group
23719 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23720 @findex gnus-info-group
23721 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23722 Get/set the group name.
23724 @item gnus-info-rank
23725 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23726 @findex gnus-info-rank
23727 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23728 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23730 @item gnus-info-level
23731 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23732 @findex gnus-info-level
23733 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23734 Get/set the group level.
23736 @item gnus-info-score
23737 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23738 @findex gnus-info-score
23739 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23740 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23742 @item gnus-info-read
23743 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23744 @findex gnus-info-read
23745 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23746 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23748 @item gnus-info-marks
23749 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23750 @findex gnus-info-marks
23751 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23752 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23754 @item gnus-info-method
23755 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23756 @findex gnus-info-method
23757 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23758 Get/set the group select method.
23760 @item gnus-info-params
23761 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23762 @findex gnus-info-params
23763 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23764 Get/set the group parameters.
23767 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23768 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23770 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23771 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23772 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23773 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23776 @node Extended Interactive
23777 @subsection Extended Interactive
23778 @cindex interactive
23779 @findex gnus-interactive
23781 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23782 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23783 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23786 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23787 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23792 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23793 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23794 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23795 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23796 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23797 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23798 @code{interactive}.
23800 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23805 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23806 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23810 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23811 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23812 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23815 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23819 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23823 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23829 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23830 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23834 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23835 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23836 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23838 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23839 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23840 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23841 Gnus, that's very useful.
23843 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23844 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23845 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23846 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23847 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23848 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23849 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23850 following function:
23853 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23857 (,function ,@@args))
23861 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23862 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23863 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23866 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23867 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23868 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23870 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23871 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23872 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23875 @node Various File Formats
23876 @subsection Various File Formats
23879 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23880 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23884 @node Active File Format
23885 @subsubsection Active File Format
23887 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23888 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23891 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23894 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23895 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23896 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23897 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23898 no.general 1000 900 y
23901 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23904 active = *group-line
23905 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23906 group = <non-white-space string>
23908 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23909 low-number = <positive integer>
23910 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23913 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23914 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23917 @node Newsgroups File Format
23918 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23920 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23921 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23922 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23925 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23926 Here's the definition:
23930 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23931 group = <non-white-space string>
23933 description = <string>
23938 @node Emacs for Heathens
23939 @section Emacs for Heathens
23941 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23942 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23943 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23944 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23945 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23946 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23947 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23951 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23952 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23957 @subsection Keystrokes
23961 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23964 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23967 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23968 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23969 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23970 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23971 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23972 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23974 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23975 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23976 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23977 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23978 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23979 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23980 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23982 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23983 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23984 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23985 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23986 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23987 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23988 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23990 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23991 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23992 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23993 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23994 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24000 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24002 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24003 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24004 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24005 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24007 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24008 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24009 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24010 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24011 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24012 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24013 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24016 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24017 write the following:
24020 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24023 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24024 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24025 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24028 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24029 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24030 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24031 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24032 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24034 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24035 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24036 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24040 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24044 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24047 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24048 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24051 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24054 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24055 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24058 @include gnus-faq.texi
24078 @c Local Variables:
24080 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24082 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24083 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24084 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24085 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24086 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref