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265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The Gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.8.4.
369 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
370 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
372 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
373 being accused of plagiarism:
375 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
376 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
377 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
378 can even read news with it!
380 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
381 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
382 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
383 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
384 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
404 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
408 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
409 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
410 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
411 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
412 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
413 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
414 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
415 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
416 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
417 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
418 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
422 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
423 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
424 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
428 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
429 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
430 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
431 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
432 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
433 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
434 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
435 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
436 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
437 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
438 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
439 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
440 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
441 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
442 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
443 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
444 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
448 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
449 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
450 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
454 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
455 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
456 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
457 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
458 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
462 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
463 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
464 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
465 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
469 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
470 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
471 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
472 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
473 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
474 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
475 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
476 * Threading:: How threads are made.
477 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
478 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
479 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
480 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
481 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
482 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
483 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
484 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
485 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
486 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
487 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
488 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
489 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
490 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
491 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
492 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
493 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
494 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
495 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
496 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
498 Summary Buffer Format
500 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
501 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
502 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
503 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
507 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
508 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
510 Reply, Followup and Post
512 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
513 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
514 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
515 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
519 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
520 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
521 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
525 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
526 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
527 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
531 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
532 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
534 Customizing Threading
536 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
537 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
538 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
539 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
543 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
544 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
545 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
546 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
547 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
548 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
552 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
553 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
554 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
558 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
559 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
560 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
561 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
562 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
563 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
564 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
565 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
567 Alternative Approaches
569 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
570 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
572 Various Summary Stuff
574 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
575 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
576 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
577 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
581 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
582 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
583 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
584 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
585 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
589 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
590 * Post:: Posting and following up.
591 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
592 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
593 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
594 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
595 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
596 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
600 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
601 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
602 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
603 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
604 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
605 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
606 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
610 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
611 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
612 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
613 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
614 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
615 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
616 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
620 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
621 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
625 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
626 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
627 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
628 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
629 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
630 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
631 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
632 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
633 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
634 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
635 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
636 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
637 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
641 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
642 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
643 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
645 Choosing a Mail Backend
647 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
648 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
649 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
650 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
651 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
652 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
656 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
657 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
658 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
659 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
663 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
664 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
665 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
666 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
667 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
668 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
672 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
676 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
677 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
678 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
682 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
683 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
684 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
688 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
689 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
693 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
694 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
695 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
696 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
697 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
698 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
699 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
700 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
701 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
705 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
706 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
707 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
711 * Group Agent Commands::
712 * Summary Agent Commands::
713 * Server Agent Commands::
717 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
718 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
719 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
720 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
721 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
722 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
723 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
724 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
725 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
726 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
727 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
728 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
729 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
730 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
731 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
732 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
736 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
737 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
738 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
739 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
743 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
744 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
745 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
749 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
750 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
751 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
752 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
753 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
754 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
755 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
756 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
757 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
758 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
759 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
760 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
761 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
762 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
763 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
764 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
765 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
766 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
770 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
771 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
772 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
773 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
774 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
778 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
779 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
780 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
781 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
785 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
786 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
787 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
788 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
789 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
793 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
794 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
795 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
796 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
797 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
798 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
799 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
800 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
804 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
805 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
806 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
807 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
808 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
809 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
810 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
811 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
812 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
813 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
817 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
818 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
819 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
820 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
824 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
825 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
826 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
827 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
831 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
832 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
833 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
834 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
835 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
836 * Group Info:: The group info format.
837 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
838 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
839 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
843 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
844 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
845 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
846 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
847 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
848 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
852 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
853 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
857 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
858 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
864 @chapter Starting Gnus
869 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
870 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
873 @findex gnus-other-frame
874 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
875 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
876 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
878 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
879 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
880 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
882 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
883 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
886 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
887 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
888 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
889 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
890 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
891 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
892 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
893 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
894 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
895 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
896 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
900 @node Finding the News
901 @section Finding the News
904 @vindex gnus-select-method
906 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
907 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
908 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
909 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
912 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
913 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
916 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
919 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
922 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
925 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
926 certainly be much faster.
928 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
930 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
931 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
932 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
933 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
934 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
935 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
937 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
938 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
939 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
940 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
942 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
943 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
944 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
945 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
946 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
947 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
948 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
949 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
950 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
953 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
955 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
956 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
957 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
958 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
959 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
960 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
962 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
964 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
965 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
966 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
967 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
968 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
969 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
972 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
973 would typically set this variable to
976 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
981 @section The First Time
982 @cindex first time usage
984 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
985 be subscribed by default.
987 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
988 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
989 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
990 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
993 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
994 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
995 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
997 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
998 help you with most common problems.
1000 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1001 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1005 @node The Server is Down
1006 @section The Server is Down
1007 @cindex server errors
1009 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1010 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1011 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1013 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1014 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1015 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1016 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1017 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1018 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1019 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1021 @findex gnus-no-server
1022 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1024 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1025 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1026 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1027 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1028 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1029 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1034 @section Slave Gnusae
1037 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1038 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1039 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1040 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1042 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1043 @code{.newsrc} file.
1045 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1046 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1047 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1048 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1049 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1050 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1051 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1053 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1054 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1055 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1056 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1057 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1058 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1059 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1060 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1062 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1063 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1066 @node Fetching a Group
1067 @section Fetching a Group
1068 @cindex fetching a group
1070 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1071 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1072 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1073 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1074 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1075 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1081 @cindex subscription
1083 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1084 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1085 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1086 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1087 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1088 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1089 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1090 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1091 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1094 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1095 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1096 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1100 @node Checking New Groups
1101 @subsection Checking New Groups
1103 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1104 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1105 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1106 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1107 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1108 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1109 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1110 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1111 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1112 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1114 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1115 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1116 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1117 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1118 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1119 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1120 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1121 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1122 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1123 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1124 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1126 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1127 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1128 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1129 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1130 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1131 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1134 @node Subscription Methods
1135 @subsection Subscription Methods
1137 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1138 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1139 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1141 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1142 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1144 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1148 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1149 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1150 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1151 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1152 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1154 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1155 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1156 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1157 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1159 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1160 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1161 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1165 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1166 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1167 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1168 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1169 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1170 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1171 up. Or something like that.
1173 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1174 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1175 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1176 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1177 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1179 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1181 Kill all new groups.
1183 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1184 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1185 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1186 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1187 topic parameter that looks like
1193 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1196 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1202 A closely related variable is
1203 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1204 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1205 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1206 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1209 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1210 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1212 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1215 @node Filtering New Groups
1216 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1218 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1219 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1220 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1223 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1227 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1228 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1229 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1230 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1231 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1232 subscribing these groups.
1233 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1234 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1236 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1237 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1238 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1239 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1240 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1241 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1242 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1243 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1245 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1246 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1247 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1248 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1249 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1250 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1251 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1252 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1253 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1254 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1256 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1260 @node Changing Servers
1261 @section Changing Servers
1262 @cindex changing servers
1264 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1265 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1266 very flaky and you want to use another.
1268 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1269 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1273 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1274 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1275 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1276 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1279 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1280 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1281 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1282 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1284 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1285 @findex gnus-change-server
1286 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1287 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1288 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1289 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1290 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1293 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1294 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1295 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1296 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1298 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1300 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1301 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1303 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1305 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1306 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1307 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1311 @section Startup Files
1312 @cindex startup files
1317 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1318 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1320 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1321 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1322 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1323 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1324 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1325 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1326 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1328 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1329 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1331 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1332 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1333 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1335 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1336 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1337 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1338 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1339 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1340 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1341 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1342 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1343 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1344 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1346 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1347 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1348 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1349 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1350 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1351 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1352 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1353 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1354 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1355 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1356 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1357 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1359 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1360 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1361 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1362 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1364 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1365 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1366 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1367 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1368 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1369 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1370 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1371 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1372 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1373 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1376 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1377 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1379 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1380 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1383 @vindex gnus-init-file
1384 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1385 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1386 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1387 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1388 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1389 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1390 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1391 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1392 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1398 @cindex dribble file
1401 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1402 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1403 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1404 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1405 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1408 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1409 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1412 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1413 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1414 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1416 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1417 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1418 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1419 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1420 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1421 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1423 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1424 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1425 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1428 @node The Active File
1429 @section The Active File
1431 @cindex ignored groups
1433 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1434 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1435 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1437 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1438 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1439 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1440 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1441 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1442 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1443 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1446 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1447 @c if you set it to anything else.
1449 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1451 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1452 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1453 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1455 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1456 you actually subscribe to.
1458 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1459 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1460 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1461 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1463 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1464 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1465 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1466 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1467 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1468 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1470 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1471 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1472 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1474 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1475 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1476 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1477 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1478 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1479 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1481 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1482 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1484 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1485 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1487 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1488 secondary select methods.
1491 @node Startup Variables
1492 @section Startup Variables
1496 @item gnus-load-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1498 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1499 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1500 times you start Gnus.
1502 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1503 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1504 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1506 @item gnus-startup-hook
1507 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1508 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1510 @item gnus-started-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1512 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1515 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1516 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1517 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1518 generating the group buffer.
1520 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1521 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1522 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1523 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1524 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1525 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1526 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1527 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1529 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1530 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1531 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1532 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1533 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1534 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1536 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1537 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1538 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1540 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1541 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1542 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1544 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1545 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1546 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1547 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1552 @node The Group Buffer
1553 @chapter The Group Buffer
1554 @cindex group buffer
1556 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1557 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1558 long as Gnus is active.
1562 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1563 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1564 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1565 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1566 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1567 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1568 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1569 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1575 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1576 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1577 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1578 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1579 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1580 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1581 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1582 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1583 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1584 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1585 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1586 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1587 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1588 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1589 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1590 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1591 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1595 @node Group Buffer Format
1596 @section Group Buffer Format
1599 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1600 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1601 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1605 @node Group Line Specification
1606 @subsection Group Line Specification
1607 @cindex group buffer format
1609 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1610 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1612 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1615 25: news.announce.newusers
1616 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1621 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1622 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1623 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1624 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1626 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1627 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1628 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1629 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1630 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1631 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1633 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1635 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1636 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1637 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1638 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1641 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1642 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1643 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1645 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1650 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1653 Whether the group is subscribed.
1656 Level of subscribedness.
1659 Number of unread articles.
1662 Number of dormant articles.
1665 Number of ticked articles.
1668 Number of read articles.
1671 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1672 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1675 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1678 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1687 Newsgroup description.
1690 @samp{m} if moderated.
1693 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1702 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1706 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1709 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1710 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1711 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1712 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1713 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1716 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1718 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1722 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1726 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1727 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1728 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1729 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1730 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1731 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1736 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1737 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1738 group, or a bogus native group.
1741 @node Group Modeline Specification
1742 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1743 @cindex group modeline
1745 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1746 The mode line can be changed by setting
1747 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1748 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1752 The native news server.
1754 The native select method.
1758 @node Group Highlighting
1759 @subsection Group Highlighting
1760 @cindex highlighting
1761 @cindex group highlighting
1763 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1764 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1765 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1766 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1767 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1769 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1773 (cond (window-system
1774 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1775 (defface my-group-face-1
1776 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1777 (defface my-group-face-2
1778 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1779 (defface my-group-face-3
1780 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1781 (defface my-group-face-4
1782 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1783 (defface my-group-face-5
1784 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1786 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1787 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1788 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1789 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1790 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1791 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1794 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1796 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1803 The number of unread articles in the group.
1807 Whether the group is a mail group.
1809 The level of the group.
1811 The score of the group.
1813 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1815 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1816 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1818 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1819 topic being inserted.
1822 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1823 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1824 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1826 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1827 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1828 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1829 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1830 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1833 @node Group Maneuvering
1834 @section Group Maneuvering
1835 @cindex group movement
1837 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1838 expected, hopefully.
1844 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1845 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1846 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1852 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1853 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1859 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1863 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1864 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1868 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1869 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1870 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1874 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1875 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1876 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1879 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1885 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1886 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1887 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1892 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1893 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1894 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1898 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1899 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1900 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1903 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1904 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1905 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1906 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1910 @node Selecting a Group
1911 @section Selecting a Group
1912 @cindex group selection
1917 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1918 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1919 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1920 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1921 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1922 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1923 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1924 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1925 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1926 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1930 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1931 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1932 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1933 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1934 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1938 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1939 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1940 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1941 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1942 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1943 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1944 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1945 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1946 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1947 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1950 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1951 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1952 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1953 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1954 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1957 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1959 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1960 doing any processing of its contents
1961 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1962 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1963 manner will have no permanent effects.
1967 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1968 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1969 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1970 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1971 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1972 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1973 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1974 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1977 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1978 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1979 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1980 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1985 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1986 full summary buffer.
1989 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1992 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1997 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1998 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1999 Useful functions include:
2002 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2003 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2004 don't select the article.
2006 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2007 Select the first unread article.
2009 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2010 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2014 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2015 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2016 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2020 @node Subscription Commands
2021 @section Subscription Commands
2022 @cindex subscription
2030 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2031 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2032 Toggle subscription to the current group
2033 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2040 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2041 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2042 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2048 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2049 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2050 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2057 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2060 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2061 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2062 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2063 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2064 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2070 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2071 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2075 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2076 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2079 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2080 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2081 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2082 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2083 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2084 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2085 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2086 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2087 @file{.newsrc} file.
2091 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2101 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2102 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2103 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2104 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2105 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2106 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2111 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2112 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2117 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2118 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2119 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2121 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2122 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2123 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2124 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2125 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2126 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2133 @section Group Levels
2137 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2138 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2139 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2140 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2141 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2143 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2149 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2150 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2151 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2152 prompted for a level.
2155 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2156 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2157 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2158 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2159 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2160 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2161 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2162 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2163 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2164 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2165 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2166 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2167 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2168 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2169 reasons of efficiency.
2171 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2172 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2174 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2175 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2176 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2178 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2180 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2181 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2182 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2183 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2184 relevant valid ranges.
2186 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2187 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2188 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2189 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2190 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2191 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2194 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2195 one with the best level.
2197 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2198 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2199 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2202 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2203 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2204 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2205 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2208 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2209 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2210 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2211 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2213 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2214 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2215 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2216 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2217 to 5. The default is 6.
2221 @section Group Score
2226 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2227 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2228 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2231 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2232 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2233 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2234 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2235 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2236 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2237 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2238 least significant part.))
2240 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2241 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2242 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2243 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2244 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2245 action after each summary exit, you can add
2246 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2247 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2248 slow things down somewhat.
2251 @node Marking Groups
2252 @section Marking Groups
2253 @cindex marking groups
2255 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2256 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2257 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2258 bidding on those groups.
2260 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2261 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2262 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2270 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2271 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2277 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2278 Remove the mark from the current group
2279 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2283 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2284 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2288 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2289 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2293 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2294 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2298 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2299 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2300 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2303 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2306 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2307 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2308 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2309 the command to be executed.
2312 @node Foreign Groups
2313 @section Foreign Groups
2314 @cindex foreign groups
2316 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2317 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2318 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2319 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2326 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2327 @cindex making groups
2328 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2329 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2330 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2335 @cindex renaming groups
2336 Rename the current group to something else
2337 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2338 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2344 @findex gnus-group-customize
2345 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2349 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2350 @cindex renaming groups
2351 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2352 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2357 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2358 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2362 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2363 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2364 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2368 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2370 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2371 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2376 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2377 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2381 @cindex (ding) archive
2382 @cindex archive group
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2384 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2385 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2386 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2387 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2388 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2389 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2393 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2395 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2396 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2397 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2398 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2402 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2404 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2405 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2406 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2410 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2411 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2413 Make a group based on some file or other
2414 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2415 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2416 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2417 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2418 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2419 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2420 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2424 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2426 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2427 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2436 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2437 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2438 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2439 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2440 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2441 @xref{Web Searches}.
2443 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2444 to a particular group by using a match string like
2445 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2448 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2449 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2450 This function will delete the current group
2451 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2452 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2453 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2454 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2455 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2459 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2460 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2461 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2466 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2467 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2470 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2473 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2474 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2475 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2476 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2477 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2478 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2482 @node Group Parameters
2483 @section Group Parameters
2484 @cindex group parameters
2486 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2487 Here's an example group parameter list:
2490 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2494 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2495 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2496 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2497 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2499 The following group parameters can be used:
2504 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2507 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2510 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2511 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2512 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2513 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2514 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2516 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2517 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2518 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2519 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2520 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2521 list address instead.
2525 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2528 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2531 It is totally ignored
2532 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2533 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2535 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2536 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2537 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2538 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2539 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2541 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2542 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2543 sending the message.
2547 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2548 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2549 of whether it has any unread articles.
2551 @item broken-reply-to
2552 @cindex broken-reply-to
2553 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2554 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2555 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2556 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2557 broken behavior. So there!
2561 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2562 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2566 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2567 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2568 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2573 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2574 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2575 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2576 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2577 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2578 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2579 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2583 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2584 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2585 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2588 @cindex total-expire
2589 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2590 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2591 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2592 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2597 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2598 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2599 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2600 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2601 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2602 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2605 @cindex score file group parameter
2606 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2607 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2608 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2611 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2612 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2613 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2614 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2617 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2618 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2619 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2620 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2623 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2624 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2628 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2631 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2636 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2637 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2638 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2642 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2643 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2644 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2646 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2647 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2648 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2649 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2650 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2651 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2652 @code{eval}ed there.
2654 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2655 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2656 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2657 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2658 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2661 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2662 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2663 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2664 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2665 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2667 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2668 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2669 like this in the group parameters:
2674 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2679 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2680 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2684 @node Listing Groups
2685 @section Listing Groups
2686 @cindex group listing
2688 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2696 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2697 List all groups that have unread articles
2698 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2699 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2700 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2701 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2708 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2709 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2710 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2711 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2712 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2713 unsubscribed groups).
2717 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2718 List all unread groups on a specific level
2719 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2720 with no unread articles.
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2725 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2726 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2727 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2733 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2737 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2738 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2739 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2743 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2744 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2748 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2749 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2750 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2751 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2752 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2753 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2754 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2755 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2759 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2760 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2761 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2765 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2766 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2767 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2771 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2772 @cindex visible group parameter
2773 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2774 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2775 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2776 get the same effect.
2778 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2779 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2780 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2781 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2782 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2785 @node Sorting Groups
2786 @section Sorting Groups
2787 @cindex sorting groups
2789 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2790 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2791 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2792 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2793 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2794 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2799 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2800 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2801 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2803 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2804 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2805 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2807 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2808 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2809 Sort by group level.
2811 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2812 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2813 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2815 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2816 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2817 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2818 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2820 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2821 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2822 Sort by number of unread articles.
2824 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2825 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2826 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2831 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2832 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2836 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2837 some sorting criteria:
2841 @kindex G S a (Group)
2842 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2843 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2844 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2847 @kindex G S u (Group)
2848 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2849 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2850 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2853 @kindex G S l (Group)
2854 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2855 Sort the group buffer by group level
2856 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2859 @kindex G S v (Group)
2860 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2861 Sort the group buffer by group score
2862 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2865 @kindex G S r (Group)
2866 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2867 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2868 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2871 @kindex G S m (Group)
2872 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2873 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2874 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2878 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2879 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2881 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2882 commands will sort in reverse order.
2884 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2888 @kindex G P a (Group)
2889 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2890 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2891 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2894 @kindex G P u (Group)
2895 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2896 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2897 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2900 @kindex G P l (Group)
2901 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2902 Sort the groups by group level
2903 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2906 @kindex G P v (Group)
2907 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2908 Sort the groups by group score
2909 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2912 @kindex G P r (Group)
2913 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2914 Sort the groups by group rank
2915 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2918 @kindex G P m (Group)
2919 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2920 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2921 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2927 @node Group Maintenance
2928 @section Group Maintenance
2929 @cindex bogus groups
2934 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2935 Find bogus groups and delete them
2936 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2940 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2941 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2942 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2943 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2944 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2948 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2949 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2950 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2951 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2954 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2955 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2956 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2957 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2962 @node Browse Foreign Server
2963 @section Browse Foreign Server
2964 @cindex foreign servers
2965 @cindex browsing servers
2970 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2971 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2972 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2973 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2976 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2977 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2978 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2979 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2981 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2986 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2987 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2991 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2992 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2995 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2996 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2997 Enter the current group and display the first article
2998 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3001 @kindex RET (Browse)
3002 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3003 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3007 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3008 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3009 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3015 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3016 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3020 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3021 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3022 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3027 @section Exiting Gnus
3028 @cindex exiting Gnus
3030 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3035 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3036 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3037 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3038 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3042 @findex gnus-group-exit
3043 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3044 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3048 @findex gnus-group-quit
3049 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3050 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3053 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3054 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3055 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3056 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3057 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3062 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3063 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3064 trying to customize meta-variables.
3069 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3070 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3071 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3077 @section Group Topics
3080 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3081 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3082 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3083 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3084 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3085 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3089 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3090 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3101 2: alt.religion.emacs
3104 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3106 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3107 13: comp.sources.unix
3110 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3112 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3113 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3114 is a toggling command.)
3116 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3117 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3118 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3119 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3122 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3123 the hook for the group mode:
3126 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3130 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3131 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3132 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3133 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3134 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3138 @node Topic Variables
3139 @subsection Topic Variables
3140 @cindex topic variables
3142 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3143 really neat, I think.
3145 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3146 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3147 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3160 Number of groups in the topic.
3162 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3164 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3167 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3168 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3169 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3172 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3173 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3175 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3176 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3177 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3180 @node Topic Commands
3181 @subsection Topic Commands
3182 @cindex topic commands
3184 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3185 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3186 definitions slightly.
3192 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3193 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3194 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3198 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3199 Move the current group to some other topic
3200 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3201 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3205 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3206 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3210 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3211 Copy the current group to some other topic
3212 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3213 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3217 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3218 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3219 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3220 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3221 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3222 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3223 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3226 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3227 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3231 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3232 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3233 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3237 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3238 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3239 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3243 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3244 Toggle hiding empty topics
3245 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3249 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3250 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3251 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3254 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3255 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3256 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3257 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3261 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3263 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3264 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3265 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3266 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3269 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3270 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3271 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3272 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3276 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3278 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3279 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3280 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3281 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3282 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3283 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3286 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3287 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3288 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3289 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3293 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3294 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3295 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3299 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3300 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3301 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3306 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3307 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3310 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3311 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3312 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3316 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3317 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3318 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3322 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3323 @cindex group parameters
3324 @cindex topic parameters
3326 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3327 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3333 @subsection Topic Sorting
3334 @cindex topic sorting
3336 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3342 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3343 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3344 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3345 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3348 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3349 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3350 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3351 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3354 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3355 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3356 Sort the current topic by group level
3357 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3360 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3361 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3362 Sort the current topic by group score
3363 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3366 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3367 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3368 Sort the current topic by group rank
3369 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3372 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3373 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3374 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3375 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3379 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3382 @node Topic Topology
3383 @subsection Topic Topology
3384 @cindex topic topology
3387 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3393 2: alt.religion.emacs
3396 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3398 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3399 13: comp.sources.unix
3402 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3403 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3404 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3409 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3410 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3414 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3415 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3416 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3417 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3418 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3419 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3421 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3422 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3423 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3426 @node Topic Parameters
3427 @subsection Topic Parameters
3428 @cindex topic parameters
3430 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3431 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3432 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3434 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3439 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3440 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3441 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3446 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3447 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3448 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3449 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3455 2: alt.religion.emacs
3459 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3461 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3462 13: comp.sources.unix
3466 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3467 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3468 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3469 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3470 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3471 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3473 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3474 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3475 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3476 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3477 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3479 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3480 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3481 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3482 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3483 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3484 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3485 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3486 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3489 @node Misc Group Stuff
3490 @section Misc Group Stuff
3493 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3494 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3495 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3496 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3503 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3504 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3505 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3509 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3510 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3511 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3515 @findex gnus-group-mail
3516 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3520 Variables for the group buffer:
3524 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3525 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3526 is called after the group buffer has been
3529 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3530 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3531 is called after the group buffer is
3532 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3535 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3536 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3537 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3538 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3540 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3541 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3542 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3543 whether they are empty or not.
3548 @node Scanning New Messages
3549 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3550 @cindex new messages
3551 @cindex scanning new news
3557 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3558 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3559 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3560 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3561 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3562 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3567 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3568 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3569 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3570 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3571 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3572 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3573 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3575 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3576 @cindex activating groups
3578 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3579 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3584 @findex gnus-group-restart
3585 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3586 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3587 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3591 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3592 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3594 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3595 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3599 @node Group Information
3600 @subsection Group Information
3601 @cindex group information
3602 @cindex information on groups
3609 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3610 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3613 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3614 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3615 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3616 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3617 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3618 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3619 for fetching the file.
3621 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3622 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3626 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3628 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3629 @cindex describing groups
3630 @cindex group description
3631 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3632 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3633 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3637 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3638 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3639 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3646 @findex gnus-version
3647 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3651 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3652 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3655 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3658 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3659 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3663 @node Group Timestamp
3664 @subsection Group Timestamp
3666 @cindex group timestamps
3668 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3669 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3670 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3673 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3676 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3678 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3679 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3682 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3683 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3686 This will result in lines looking like:
3689 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3690 0: custom 19961002T012713
3693 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3694 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3698 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3699 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3704 @subsection File Commands
3705 @cindex file commands
3711 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3712 @vindex gnus-init-file
3713 @cindex reading init file
3714 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3715 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3719 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3720 @cindex saving .newsrc
3721 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3722 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3723 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3726 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3727 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3728 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3733 @node The Summary Buffer
3734 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3735 @cindex summary buffer
3737 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3738 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3740 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3741 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3743 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3746 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3747 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3748 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3749 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3750 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3751 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3752 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3753 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3754 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3755 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3756 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3757 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3758 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3759 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3760 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3761 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3762 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3763 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3764 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3765 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3766 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3767 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3768 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3769 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3770 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3771 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3772 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3773 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3777 @node Summary Buffer Format
3778 @section Summary Buffer Format
3779 @cindex summary buffer format
3783 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3784 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3785 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3791 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3792 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3793 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3794 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3797 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3798 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3799 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3800 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3801 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3802 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3803 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3804 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3805 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3806 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3807 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3810 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3811 'mail-extract-address-components)
3814 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3815 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3816 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3817 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3820 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3821 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3823 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3824 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3825 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3826 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3827 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3829 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3831 The following format specification characters are understood:
3837 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3838 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3840 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3841 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3842 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3844 Full @code{From} header.
3846 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3848 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3849 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3851 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3852 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3853 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3854 may be more thorough.
3856 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3859 Number of lines in the article.
3861 Number of characters in the article.
3863 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3865 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3866 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3868 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3869 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3871 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3872 for adopted articles.
3874 One space for each thread level.
3876 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3881 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3882 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3886 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3888 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3889 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3890 default level. If the difference between
3891 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3892 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3900 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3902 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3908 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3909 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3911 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3912 article has any children.
3918 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3919 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3920 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3921 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3922 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3923 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3926 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3927 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3928 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3929 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3930 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3931 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3933 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3934 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3936 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3939 @node To From Newsgroups
3940 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3944 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3945 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3946 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3947 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3948 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3952 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3953 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3954 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3958 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3959 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3962 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3963 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3966 @findex gnus-extra-header
3967 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3968 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3969 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3972 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3976 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3977 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3978 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3979 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3980 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3981 headers are used instead.
3985 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3986 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3987 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3988 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3991 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3992 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3993 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3994 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3996 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3999 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4001 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4002 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4003 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4004 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4008 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4009 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4016 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4017 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4020 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4021 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4023 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4024 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4025 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4026 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4028 Here are the elements you can play with:
4034 Unprefixed group name.
4036 Current article number.
4038 Current article score.
4042 Number of unread articles in this group.
4044 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4047 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4048 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4049 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4050 and no unselected ones.
4052 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4053 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4055 Subject of the current article.
4057 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4059 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4061 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4063 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4065 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4067 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4071 @node Summary Highlighting
4072 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4076 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4077 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4078 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4079 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4080 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4082 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4083 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4084 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4085 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4087 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4088 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4089 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4090 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4092 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4093 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4094 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4095 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4096 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4097 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4100 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4101 ((> score default) . bold))
4103 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4104 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4108 @node Summary Maneuvering
4109 @section Summary Maneuvering
4110 @cindex summary movement
4112 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4113 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4115 None of these commands select articles.
4120 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4121 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4122 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4123 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4124 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4128 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4129 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4130 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4131 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4132 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4137 @kindex G j (Summary)
4138 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4139 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4140 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4143 @kindex G g (Summary)
4144 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4145 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4146 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4149 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4150 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4151 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4152 to the group buffer.
4154 Variables related to summary movement:
4158 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4159 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4160 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4161 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4162 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4163 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4164 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4165 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4166 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4167 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4168 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4169 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4170 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4171 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4173 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4174 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4175 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4176 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4177 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4178 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4179 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4181 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4183 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4184 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4185 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4186 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4187 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4189 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4190 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4191 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4192 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4193 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4194 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4195 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4196 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4199 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4200 the given number of lines from the top.
4205 @node Choosing Articles
4206 @section Choosing Articles
4207 @cindex selecting articles
4210 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4211 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4215 @node Choosing Commands
4216 @subsection Choosing Commands
4218 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4219 and they all select and display an article.
4223 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4224 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4225 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4226 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4231 @kindex G n (Summary)
4232 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4233 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4234 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4239 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4240 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4241 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4246 @kindex G N (Summary)
4247 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4248 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4253 @kindex G P (Summary)
4254 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4255 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4258 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4259 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4260 Go to the next article with the same subject
4261 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4264 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4266 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4267 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4271 @kindex G f (Summary)
4273 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4274 Go to the first unread article
4275 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4279 @kindex G b (Summary)
4281 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4282 Go to the article with the highest score
4283 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4288 @kindex G l (Summary)
4289 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4290 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4293 @kindex G o (Summary)
4294 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4296 @cindex article history
4297 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4298 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4299 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4300 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4301 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4302 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4306 @node Choosing Variables
4307 @subsection Choosing Variables
4309 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4312 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4313 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4314 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4315 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4316 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4317 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4319 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4320 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4321 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4322 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4324 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4325 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4326 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4327 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4328 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4329 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4330 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4331 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4332 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4333 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4334 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4335 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4336 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4337 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4342 @node Paging the Article
4343 @section Scrolling the Article
4344 @cindex article scrolling
4349 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4350 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4351 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4352 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4353 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4356 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4358 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4361 @kindex RET (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4363 Scroll the current article one line forward
4364 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4367 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4368 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4369 Scroll the current article one line backward
4370 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4374 @kindex A g (Summary)
4376 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4377 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4378 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4379 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4380 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4381 the way it came from the server.
4383 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4384 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4385 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4388 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4393 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4398 @kindex A < (Summary)
4399 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4400 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4401 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4406 @kindex A > (Summary)
4407 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4408 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4412 @kindex A s (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4415 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4416 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4420 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4421 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4426 @node Reply Followup and Post
4427 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4430 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4431 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4432 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4433 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4437 @node Summary Mail Commands
4438 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4440 @cindex composing mail
4442 Commands for composing a mail message:
4448 @kindex S r (Summary)
4450 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4451 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4453 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4454 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4459 @kindex S R (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4461 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4462 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4463 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4464 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4467 @kindex S w (Summary)
4468 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4469 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4470 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4471 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4472 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4475 @kindex S W (Summary)
4476 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4477 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4478 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4479 the process/prefix convention.
4482 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4483 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4484 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4485 Forward the current article to some other person
4486 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4487 headers of the forwarded article.
4492 @kindex S m (Summary)
4493 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4494 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4495 Send a mail to some other person
4496 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4499 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4500 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4501 @cindex bouncing mail
4502 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4503 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4504 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4505 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4506 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4507 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4508 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4509 very well fail, though.
4512 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4513 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4514 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4515 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4516 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4517 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4518 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4519 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4520 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4521 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4523 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4524 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4525 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4526 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4527 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4529 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4530 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4533 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4535 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4536 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4537 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4540 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4541 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4542 @cindex crossposting
4543 @cindex excessive crossposting
4544 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4545 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4547 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4548 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4549 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4550 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4551 command understands the process/prefix convention
4552 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4556 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4559 @node Summary Post Commands
4560 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4562 @cindex composing news
4564 Commands for posting a news article:
4570 @kindex S p (Summary)
4571 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4572 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4573 Post an article to the current group
4574 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4579 @kindex S f (Summary)
4580 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4581 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4582 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4586 @kindex S F (Summary)
4588 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4589 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4590 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4591 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4592 process/prefix convention.
4595 @kindex S n (Summary)
4596 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4597 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4598 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4601 @kindex S N (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4603 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4604 message through mail and include the original message
4605 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4606 the process/prefix convention.
4609 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4611 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4612 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4613 headers of the forwarded article.
4616 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4617 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4619 @cindex making digests
4620 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4621 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4622 process/prefix convention.
4625 @kindex S u (Summary)
4626 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4627 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4628 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4629 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4632 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4635 @node Summary Message Commands
4636 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4640 @kindex S y (Summary)
4641 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4642 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4643 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4644 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4645 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4650 @node Canceling and Superseding
4651 @subsection Canceling Articles
4652 @cindex canceling articles
4653 @cindex superseding articles
4655 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4656 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4658 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4660 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4662 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4663 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4664 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4665 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4666 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4667 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4669 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4670 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4673 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4674 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4675 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4677 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4678 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4679 your original article.
4681 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4683 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4684 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4685 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4688 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4689 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4690 have posted almost the same article twice.
4692 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4693 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4694 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4695 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4696 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4697 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4698 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4699 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4700 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4701 canceled/superseded.
4703 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4706 @node Marking Articles
4707 @section Marking Articles
4708 @cindex article marking
4709 @cindex article ticking
4712 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4714 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4715 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4716 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4718 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4721 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4722 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4723 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4727 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4731 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4732 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4733 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4737 @node Unread Articles
4738 @subsection Unread Articles
4740 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4745 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4746 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4748 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4749 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4750 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4751 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4752 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4756 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4757 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4759 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4760 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4761 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4764 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4765 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4767 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4772 @subsection Read Articles
4773 @cindex expirable mark
4775 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4780 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4781 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4782 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4785 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4786 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4789 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4790 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4791 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4794 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4795 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4798 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4799 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4802 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4803 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4806 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4807 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4810 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4811 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4814 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4815 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4818 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4819 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4823 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4824 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4825 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4829 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4830 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4832 One more special mark, though:
4836 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4837 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4839 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4840 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4841 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4842 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4848 @subsection Other Marks
4849 @cindex process mark
4852 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4858 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4859 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4860 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4861 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4862 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4865 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4866 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4867 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4868 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4871 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4872 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4873 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4876 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4877 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4878 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4879 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4882 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4883 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4884 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4885 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4886 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4889 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4890 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4891 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4892 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4893 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4894 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4898 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4899 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4900 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4902 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4903 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4904 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4908 @subsection Setting Marks
4909 @cindex setting marks
4911 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4916 @kindex M c (Summary)
4917 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4919 @cindex mark as unread
4920 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4921 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4927 @kindex M t (Summary)
4928 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4929 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4930 @xref{Article Caching}.
4935 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4937 Mark the current article as dormant
4938 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4942 @kindex M d (Summary)
4944 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4945 Mark the current article as read
4946 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4950 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4951 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4952 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4957 @kindex M k (Summary)
4958 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4959 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4960 and then select the next unread article
4961 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4965 @kindex M K (Summary)
4966 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4968 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4969 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4972 @kindex M C (Summary)
4973 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4974 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4975 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4978 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4980 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4981 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4984 @kindex M H (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4986 Catchup the current group to point
4987 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4990 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4992 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4996 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4997 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4998 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4999 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5003 @kindex M e (Summary)
5005 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5006 Mark the current article as expirable
5007 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5010 @kindex M b (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5012 Set a bookmark in the current article
5013 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5016 @kindex M B (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5018 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5022 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5024 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5025 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5028 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5030 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5031 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5034 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5036 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5037 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5038 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5041 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5042 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5043 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5044 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5045 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5046 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5047 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5048 The default is @code{t}.
5051 @node Generic Marking Commands
5052 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5054 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5055 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5056 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5057 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5058 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5061 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5062 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5065 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5066 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5067 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5068 to list in this manual.
5070 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5071 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5072 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5073 article, you could say something like:
5076 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5077 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5078 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5084 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5085 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5089 @node Setting Process Marks
5090 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5091 @cindex setting process marks
5098 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5100 Mark the current article with the process mark
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5102 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5106 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5107 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5108 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5109 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5112 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5113 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5114 Remove the process mark from all articles
5115 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5118 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5120 Invert the list of process marked articles
5121 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5124 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5126 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5127 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5130 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5132 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5133 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5136 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5138 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5141 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5143 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5144 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5147 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5149 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5150 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5153 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5155 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5156 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5159 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5161 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5164 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5166 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5167 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5170 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5172 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5175 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5176 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5177 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5178 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5181 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5183 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5184 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5187 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5189 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5190 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5193 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5195 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5196 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5205 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5206 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5207 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5210 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5211 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5212 additional articles.
5218 @kindex / / (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5220 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5221 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5224 @kindex / a (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5226 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5227 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5230 @kindex / x (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5232 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5233 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5234 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5238 @kindex / u (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5241 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5242 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5243 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5244 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5247 @kindex / m (Summary)
5248 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5249 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5250 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5253 @kindex / t (Summary)
5254 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5255 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5256 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
5257 articles younger than that number of days.
5260 @kindex / n (Summary)
5261 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5262 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5263 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5264 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5267 @kindex / w (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5269 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5270 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5274 @kindex / v (Summary)
5275 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5276 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5277 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5281 @kindex M S (Summary)
5282 @kindex / E (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5284 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5285 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5288 @kindex / D (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5290 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5294 @kindex / * (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5296 Include all cached articles in the limit
5297 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5300 @kindex / d (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5302 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5306 @kindex / M (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5308 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5311 @kindex / T (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5313 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5316 @kindex / c (Summary)
5317 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5318 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5319 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5322 @kindex / C (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5324 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5326 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5334 @cindex article threading
5336 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5337 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5338 hierarchical fashion.
5340 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5341 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5342 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5343 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5344 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5345 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5346 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5348 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5352 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5355 A tree-like article structure.
5358 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5361 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5362 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5363 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5364 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5365 called loose threads.
5367 @item thread gathering
5368 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5370 @item sparse threads
5371 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5372 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5378 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5379 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5383 @node Customizing Threading
5384 @subsection Customizing Threading
5385 @cindex customizing threading
5388 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5389 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5390 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5391 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5396 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5399 @cindex loose threads
5402 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5403 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5404 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5405 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5406 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5407 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5409 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5410 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5411 There are four possible values:
5415 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5416 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5417 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5418 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5419 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5424 @cindex adopting articles
5429 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5430 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5431 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5432 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5435 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5436 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5437 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5438 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5439 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5440 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5441 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5444 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5445 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5446 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5450 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5451 display them after one another.
5454 Don't gather loose threads.
5457 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5458 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5459 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5460 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5461 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5462 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5463 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5464 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5465 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5466 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5467 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5469 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5470 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5471 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5474 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5475 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5476 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5477 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5478 simplification is used.
5480 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5481 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5482 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5483 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5485 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5487 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5493 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5494 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5495 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5496 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5501 (mapconcat 'identity
5502 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5504 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5507 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5510 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5511 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5512 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5513 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5514 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5515 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5517 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5520 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5521 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5522 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5524 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5525 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5528 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5529 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5530 Remove excessive whitespace.
5533 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5536 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5537 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5538 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5539 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5540 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5541 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5542 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5543 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5545 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5546 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5547 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5548 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5549 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5550 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5551 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5552 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5553 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5557 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5558 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5559 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5560 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5562 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5563 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5564 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5567 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5571 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5572 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5578 @node Filling In Threads
5579 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5582 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5583 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5584 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5585 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5586 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5587 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5588 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5589 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5590 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5591 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5592 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5593 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5595 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5596 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5597 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5599 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5600 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5601 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5602 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5603 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5604 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5605 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5606 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5607 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5608 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5609 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5610 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5611 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5612 @code{nil} by default.
5617 @node More Threading
5618 @subsubsection More Threading
5621 @item gnus-show-threads
5622 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5623 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5624 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5625 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5626 slower and more awkward.
5628 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5629 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5630 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5633 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5634 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5635 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5636 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5637 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5638 threads are expunged.
5640 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5641 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5642 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5645 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5646 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5647 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5648 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5649 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5652 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5653 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5654 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5657 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5658 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5659 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5660 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5661 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5662 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5663 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5664 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5665 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5666 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5667 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5672 @node Low-Level Threading
5673 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5677 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5678 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5679 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5681 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5682 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5683 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5684 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5685 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5686 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5687 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5688 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5689 meaningful. Here's one example:
5692 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5694 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5695 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5697 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5699 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5706 @node Thread Commands
5707 @subsection Thread Commands
5708 @cindex thread commands
5714 @kindex T k (Summary)
5715 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5716 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5717 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5718 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5719 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5724 @kindex T l (Summary)
5725 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5727 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5728 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5731 @kindex T i (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5733 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5737 @kindex T # (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5739 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5740 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5743 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5745 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5746 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5749 @kindex T T (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5751 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5754 @kindex T s (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5756 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5757 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5760 @kindex T h (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5762 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5765 @kindex T S (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5767 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5770 @kindex T H (Summary)
5771 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5772 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5775 @kindex T t (Summary)
5776 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5777 Re-thread the current article's thread
5778 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5779 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5782 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5783 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5784 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5785 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5789 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5790 understand the numeric prefix.
5795 @kindex T n (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5797 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5800 @kindex T p (Summary)
5801 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5802 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5805 @kindex T d (Summary)
5806 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5807 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5810 @kindex T u (Summary)
5811 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5812 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5815 @kindex T o (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5817 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5820 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5821 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5822 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5823 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5824 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5825 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5826 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5827 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5828 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5829 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5830 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5831 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5838 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5839 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5840 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5841 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5842 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5843 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5844 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5845 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5846 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5847 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5848 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5850 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5851 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5852 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5853 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5854 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5856 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5857 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5858 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5860 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5861 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5862 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5863 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5864 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5865 ascending article order.
5867 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5868 by number, you could do something like:
5871 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5872 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5873 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5874 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5877 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5878 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5879 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5880 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5881 which the articles arrived.
5883 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5887 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5889 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5890 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5893 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5894 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5895 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5896 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5899 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5900 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5901 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5902 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5903 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5904 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5905 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5906 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5907 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5908 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5909 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5910 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5911 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5913 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5917 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5918 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5919 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5924 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5925 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5926 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5927 @cindex article pre-fetch
5930 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5931 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5932 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5933 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5934 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5936 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5937 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5939 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5940 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5941 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5942 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5943 connection is blocked.
5945 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5946 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5947 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5948 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5950 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5951 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5952 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5953 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5956 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5959 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5960 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5961 happen automatically.
5963 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5964 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5965 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5966 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5967 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5968 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5969 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5971 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5972 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5973 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5974 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5975 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5976 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5977 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5978 data structure as the only parameter.
5980 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5983 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5984 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5985 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5986 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5989 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5992 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5993 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5994 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5996 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5997 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5998 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5999 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6003 Remove articles when they are read.
6006 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6009 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6011 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6012 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6013 @c from the next group.
6016 @node Article Caching
6017 @section Article Caching
6018 @cindex article caching
6021 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6022 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6023 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6024 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6025 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6027 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6029 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6030 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6031 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6032 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6033 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6034 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6035 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6036 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6038 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6039 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6040 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6041 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6042 as dormant, and don't worry.
6044 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6046 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6047 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6048 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6049 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6050 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6051 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6052 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6053 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6054 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6055 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6057 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6058 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6059 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6060 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6061 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6062 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6063 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6064 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6065 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6066 not then be downloaded by this command.
6068 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6069 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6070 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6071 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6072 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6073 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6075 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6076 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6077 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6078 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6079 variables, the group is not cached.
6081 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6082 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6083 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6084 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6085 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6086 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6087 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6088 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6089 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6093 @node Persistent Articles
6094 @section Persistent Articles
6095 @cindex persistent articles
6097 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6098 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6099 useful in my opinion.
6101 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6102 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6103 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6104 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6105 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6106 the expiry going on at the news server.
6108 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6109 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6110 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6116 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6117 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6120 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6121 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6122 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6123 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6127 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6129 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6130 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6131 interested in persistent articles:
6134 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6138 @node Article Backlog
6139 @section Article Backlog
6141 @cindex article backlog
6143 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6144 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6145 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6146 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6147 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6148 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6149 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6150 increase memory usage some.
6152 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6153 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6154 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6155 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6156 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6157 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6158 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6160 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6163 @node Saving Articles
6164 @section Saving Articles
6165 @cindex saving articles
6167 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6168 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6169 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6170 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6171 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6173 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6174 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6175 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6177 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6178 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6179 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6180 deleted before saving.
6186 @kindex O o (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6189 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6190 Save the current article using the default article saver
6191 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6194 @kindex O m (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6196 Save the current article in mail format
6197 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6200 @kindex O r (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6202 Save the current article in rmail format
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6206 @kindex O f (Summary)
6207 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6208 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6209 Save the current article in plain file format
6210 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6213 @kindex O F (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6215 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6216 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6219 @kindex O b (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6221 Save the current article body in plain file format
6222 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6225 @kindex O h (Summary)
6226 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6227 Save the current article in mh folder format
6228 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6231 @kindex O v (Summary)
6232 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6233 Save the current article in a VM folder
6234 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6237 @kindex O p (Summary)
6238 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6239 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6240 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6243 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6244 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6245 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6246 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6247 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6248 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6249 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6250 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6251 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6252 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6253 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6254 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6258 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6259 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6260 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6261 functions below, or you can create your own.
6265 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6266 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6267 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6268 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6269 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6270 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6271 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6273 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6274 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6275 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6276 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6277 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6278 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6280 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6281 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6282 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6283 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6284 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6285 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6286 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6288 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6289 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6290 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6291 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6292 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6294 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6295 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6296 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6297 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6298 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6301 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6302 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6303 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6304 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6305 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6307 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6308 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6309 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6310 reader to use this setting.
6313 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6314 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6315 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6316 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6319 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6320 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6321 available functions that generate names:
6325 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6326 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6327 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6329 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6330 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6331 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6333 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6334 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6335 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6337 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6338 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6339 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6342 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6343 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6344 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6345 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6346 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6350 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6351 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6352 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6353 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6356 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6357 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6358 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6359 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6360 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6361 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6362 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6363 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6364 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6366 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6367 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6368 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6369 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6371 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6372 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6373 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6376 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6377 lots of mail groups called things like
6378 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6379 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6380 following will do just that:
6383 (defun my-save-name (group)
6384 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6385 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6387 (setq gnus-split-methods
6388 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6393 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6394 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6395 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6396 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6397 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6398 all the files in the top level directory
6399 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6400 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6401 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6402 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6404 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6405 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6406 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6407 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6408 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6411 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6415 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6416 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6419 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6420 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6421 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6422 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6425 @node Decoding Articles
6426 @section Decoding Articles
6427 @cindex decoding articles
6429 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6430 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6433 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6434 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6435 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6436 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6437 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6438 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6442 @cindex article series
6443 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6444 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6445 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6446 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6447 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6449 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6450 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6451 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6453 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6454 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6455 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6457 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6458 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6459 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6462 @node Uuencoded Articles
6463 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6465 @cindex uuencoded articles
6470 @kindex X u (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6472 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6473 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6476 @kindex X U (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6478 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6479 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6482 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6483 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6484 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6487 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6489 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6490 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6494 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6495 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6496 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6497 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6498 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6500 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6501 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6502 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6503 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6506 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6507 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6508 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6509 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6510 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6511 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6515 @node Shell Archives
6516 @subsection Shell Archives
6518 @cindex shell archives
6519 @cindex shared articles
6521 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6522 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6523 some commands to deal with these:
6528 @kindex X s (Summary)
6529 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6530 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6533 @kindex X S (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6535 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6538 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6540 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6543 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6545 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6546 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6550 @node PostScript Files
6551 @subsection PostScript Files
6557 @kindex X p (Summary)
6558 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6559 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6562 @kindex X P (Summary)
6563 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6564 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6565 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6568 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6569 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6570 View the current PostScript series
6571 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6574 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6575 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6576 View and save the current PostScript series
6577 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6582 @subsection Other Files
6586 @kindex X o (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6588 Save the current series
6589 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6592 @kindex X b (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6594 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6595 doesn't really work yet.
6599 @node Decoding Variables
6600 @subsection Decoding Variables
6602 Adjective, not verb.
6605 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6606 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6607 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6611 @node Rule Variables
6612 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6613 @cindex rule variables
6615 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6616 variables are of the form
6619 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6626 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6627 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6629 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6630 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6633 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6634 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6637 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6638 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6639 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6640 user and default view rules.
6642 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6643 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6644 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6649 @node Other Decode Variables
6650 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6653 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6655 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6656 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6657 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6658 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6659 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6663 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6664 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6667 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6668 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6669 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6672 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6673 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6674 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6675 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6676 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6679 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6680 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6681 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6683 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6684 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6685 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6686 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6687 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6690 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6691 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6692 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6694 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6695 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6696 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6697 looking for files to display.
6699 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6700 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6701 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6704 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6705 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6706 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6709 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6710 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6711 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6714 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6715 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6716 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6719 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6720 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6721 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6722 decoded articles as unread.
6724 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6725 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6726 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6727 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6729 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6730 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6731 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6733 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6734 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6736 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6737 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6738 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6739 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6741 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6742 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6743 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6744 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6745 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6746 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6747 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6748 simply dropped them.
6753 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6754 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6758 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6759 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6760 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6761 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6762 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6763 for you when you post the article.
6765 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6766 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6767 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6768 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6770 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6771 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6772 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6773 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6774 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6775 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6776 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6778 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6779 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6780 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6781 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6782 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6783 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6784 Default is @code{t}.
6790 @subsection Viewing Files
6791 @cindex viewing files
6792 @cindex pseudo-articles
6794 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6795 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6796 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6797 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6798 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6799 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6800 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6802 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6803 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6804 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6805 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6807 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6808 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6809 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6811 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6812 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6813 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6814 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6815 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6817 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6818 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6819 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6820 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6821 a list of parameters to that command.
6823 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6824 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6825 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6827 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6828 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6829 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6832 @node Article Treatment
6833 @section Article Treatment
6835 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6836 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6837 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6838 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6839 these articles easier.
6842 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6843 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6844 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6845 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6846 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6847 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6848 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6849 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6853 @node Article Highlighting
6854 @subsection Article Highlighting
6855 @cindex highlighting
6857 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6858 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6863 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6864 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6865 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6866 Do much highlighting of the current article
6867 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6868 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6871 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6872 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6873 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6874 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6875 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6876 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6877 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6878 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6879 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6880 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6881 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6882 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6885 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6886 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6887 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6889 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6892 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6894 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6895 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6896 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6898 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6899 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6900 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6902 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6903 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6904 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6906 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6907 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6908 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6909 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6910 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6911 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6913 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6914 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6915 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6917 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6918 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6919 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6921 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6922 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6923 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6924 that it's a citation.
6926 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6927 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6928 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6930 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6931 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6932 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6934 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6935 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6936 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6937 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6943 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6944 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6945 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6946 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6947 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6948 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6949 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6950 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6955 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6958 @node Article Fontisizing
6959 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6961 @cindex article emphasis
6963 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6964 @kindex W e (Summary)
6965 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6966 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6967 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6968 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6970 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6971 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6972 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6973 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6974 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6975 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6976 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6977 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6981 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6982 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6983 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6992 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6993 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6994 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6995 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6996 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6997 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6998 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6999 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7000 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7001 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7002 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7003 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7004 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7006 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7007 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7008 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7012 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7015 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7017 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7018 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7019 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7020 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7022 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7025 @node Article Hiding
7026 @subsection Article Hiding
7027 @cindex article hiding
7029 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7030 too much cruft in most articles.
7035 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-article-hide
7037 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7038 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7039 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7042 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7043 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7044 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7048 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7049 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7050 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7051 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7054 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7055 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7056 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7060 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7061 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7062 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7063 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7064 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7065 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7066 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7070 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7071 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7072 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7073 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7078 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7079 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7080 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7081 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7082 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7083 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7084 articles that have signatures in them do:
7086 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7088 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7090 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7091 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7093 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7096 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7101 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7102 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7103 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7104 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7107 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7108 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7111 @cindex stripping advertisments
7112 @cindex advertisments
7113 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7114 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7115 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7116 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7117 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7118 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7119 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7120 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7121 signature should be removed.
7124 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7125 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7126 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7127 customizing the hiding:
7131 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7132 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7133 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7134 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7135 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7136 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7137 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7142 Starting point of the hidden text.
7144 Ending point of the hidden text.
7146 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7148 Number of lines of hidden text.
7151 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7152 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7153 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7154 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7155 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7160 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7161 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7163 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7164 following two variables:
7167 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7168 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7169 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7170 50), hide the cited text.
7172 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7173 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7174 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7179 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7180 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7181 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7182 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7183 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7184 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7188 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7189 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7190 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7192 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7193 citation customization.
7195 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7199 @node Article Washing
7200 @subsection Article Washing
7202 @cindex article washing
7204 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7205 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7207 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7208 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7214 @kindex W l (Summary)
7215 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7216 Remove page breaks from the current article
7217 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7221 @kindex W r (Summary)
7222 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7223 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7224 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7225 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7226 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7227 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7229 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7230 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7231 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7232 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7235 @kindex W t (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7237 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7238 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7241 @kindex W v (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7243 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7244 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7247 @kindex W o (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7249 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7252 @kindex W d (Summary)
7253 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7254 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7256 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7258 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7259 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7260 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7261 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7265 @kindex W w (Summary)
7266 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7267 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7269 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7273 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7274 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7275 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7278 @kindex W C (Summary)
7279 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7280 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7281 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7284 @kindex W c (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7286 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7287 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7288 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7289 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7292 @kindex W q (Summary)
7293 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7294 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7295 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7296 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7297 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7298 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7299 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7300 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7303 @kindex W f (Summary)
7305 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7306 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7307 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7308 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7314 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7315 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7316 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7317 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7318 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7319 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7320 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7321 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
7322 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
7323 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7324 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7325 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7326 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
7327 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7331 @kindex W b (Summary)
7332 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7333 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7334 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7337 @kindex W B (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7339 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7340 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7343 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7345 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7346 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7349 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7350 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7351 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7352 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7355 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7356 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7357 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7358 lines with a single empty line.
7359 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7362 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7363 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7364 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7365 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7368 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7370 Do all the three commands above
7371 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7374 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7376 Remove all blank lines
7377 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7380 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7382 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7383 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7386 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7387 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7388 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7389 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7393 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7396 @node Article Buttons
7397 @subsection Article Buttons
7400 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7401 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7402 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7403 button on these references.
7405 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7406 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7407 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7412 @item gnus-button-alist
7413 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7414 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7417 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7423 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7424 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7425 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7428 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7429 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7430 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7433 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7434 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7435 avoid false matches.
7438 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7441 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7442 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7446 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7449 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7452 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7453 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7454 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7455 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7456 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7459 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7462 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7464 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7465 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7466 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7467 default values of the variables above.
7469 @item gnus-article-button-face
7470 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7471 Face used on buttons.
7473 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7474 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7475 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7479 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7483 @subsection Article Date
7485 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7486 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7487 when the article was sent.
7492 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7493 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7494 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7495 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7498 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7499 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7501 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7502 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7505 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7506 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7507 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7510 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7511 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7512 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7513 @findex format-time-string
7514 Display the date using a user-defined format
7515 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7516 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7517 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7518 for a list of possible format specs.
7521 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7522 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7523 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7524 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7525 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7526 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7529 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7532 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7533 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7536 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7537 into wonderful absurdities.
7539 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7542 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7545 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7546 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7550 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7551 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7552 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7553 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7554 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7555 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7556 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7560 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7561 preferred format automatically.
7564 @node Article Signature
7565 @subsection Article Signature
7567 @cindex article signature
7569 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7570 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7571 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7572 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7573 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7574 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7575 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7576 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7577 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7580 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7581 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7582 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7583 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7584 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7585 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7586 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7587 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7590 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7593 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7594 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7595 signature when displaying articles.
7599 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7602 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7605 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7606 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7608 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7609 in question is not a signature.
7612 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7613 listed above. Here's an example:
7616 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7617 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7620 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7621 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7622 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7623 signature after all.
7626 @node Article Miscellania
7627 @subsection Article Miscellania
7631 @kindex A t (Summary)
7632 @findex gnus-article-babel
7633 Translate the article from one language to another
7634 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7640 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7641 @cindex MIME decoding
7643 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7644 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7650 @kindex K v (Summary)
7651 View the @sc{mime} part.
7654 @kindex K o (Summary)
7655 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7658 @kindex K c (Summary)
7659 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7662 @kindex K e (Summary)
7663 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7666 @kindex K i (Summary)
7667 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7670 @kindex K | (Summary)
7671 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7674 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7679 @kindex K b (Summary)
7680 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them.
7683 @kindex K m (Summary)
7684 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7685 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7686 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7687 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7688 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7691 @kindex X m (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7693 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7694 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7695 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7698 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7699 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7700 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7701 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7704 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7705 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7706 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7709 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7710 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7711 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7713 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7714 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7715 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7716 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7717 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7718 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7721 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7722 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7723 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7730 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7731 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7732 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7733 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7736 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7739 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7743 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7744 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7745 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7746 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7747 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7749 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7750 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7751 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7752 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7753 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7754 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7755 save all jpegs into some directory).
7757 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7760 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7761 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7763 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7764 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7765 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7766 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7767 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7770 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7771 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7772 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7781 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7782 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7783 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7784 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7785 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7786 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7787 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7789 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7790 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7791 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7792 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7794 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7795 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7796 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7797 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7798 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7799 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7800 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7801 something some agents insist on having in there.
7803 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7804 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7805 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7806 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7807 quoted-printable header encoding.
7809 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7810 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7811 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7816 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7819 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7820 means encode all charsets),
7822 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7823 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7824 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7831 @cindex coding system aliases
7832 @cindex preferred charset
7834 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7836 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7837 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7840 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7841 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7844 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7845 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7847 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7850 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7853 This will almost do the right thing.
7855 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7859 (codepage-setup 1251)
7860 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7864 @node Article Commands
7865 @section Article Commands
7872 @kindex A P (Summary)
7873 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7874 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7875 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7876 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7877 run just before printing the buffer.
7882 @node Summary Sorting
7883 @section Summary Sorting
7884 @cindex summary sorting
7886 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7887 can't really see why you'd want that.
7892 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7893 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7894 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7897 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7898 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7899 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7902 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7903 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7904 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7907 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7908 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7909 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7912 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7913 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7914 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7917 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7918 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7919 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7922 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7924 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7927 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7928 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7929 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7930 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7931 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7935 @node Finding the Parent
7936 @section Finding the Parent
7937 @cindex parent articles
7938 @cindex referring articles
7943 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7944 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7945 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7946 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7947 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7948 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7949 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7950 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7951 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7953 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7954 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7955 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7956 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7957 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7961 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7962 @kindex A R (Summary)
7963 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7964 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7967 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7968 @kindex A T (Summary)
7969 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7970 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7971 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7972 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7973 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7974 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7975 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7977 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7978 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7979 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7980 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7981 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7982 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7985 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7986 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7988 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7989 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7990 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7991 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7992 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7993 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7994 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7997 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7998 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7999 by giving this command a prefix.
8001 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8002 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8003 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8004 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8005 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8006 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8009 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8010 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8011 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8014 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8015 then ask Deja if that fails:
8018 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8020 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8023 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8024 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8025 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8026 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8027 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8028 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8031 @node Alternative Approaches
8032 @section Alternative Approaches
8034 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8035 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8038 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8039 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8044 @subsection Pick and Read
8045 @cindex pick and read
8047 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8048 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8049 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8050 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8052 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8053 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8054 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8055 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8056 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8057 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8059 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8064 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8065 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8066 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8067 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8068 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8069 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8070 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8071 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8074 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8075 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8076 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8077 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8081 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8082 Unpick the thread or article
8083 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8084 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8085 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8086 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8087 the thread or article at that line.
8091 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8092 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8093 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8094 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8095 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8096 will still be visible when you are reading.
8100 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8101 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8102 which is mapped to the same function
8103 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8105 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8108 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8111 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8112 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8114 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8115 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8116 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8118 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8119 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8120 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8121 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8122 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8123 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8124 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8128 @subsection Binary Groups
8129 @cindex binary groups
8131 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8132 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8133 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8134 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8135 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8136 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8137 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8140 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8141 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8142 command, when you have turned on this mode
8143 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8145 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8146 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8150 @section Tree Display
8153 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8154 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8155 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8156 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8159 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8162 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8163 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8164 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8166 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8167 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8168 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8169 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8170 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8172 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8173 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8174 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8175 default is @code{modeline}.
8177 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8178 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8179 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8180 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8181 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8182 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8183 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8189 The name of the poster.
8191 The @code{From} header.
8193 The number of the article.
8195 The opening bracket.
8197 The closing bracket.
8202 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8204 Variables related to the display are:
8207 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8208 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8209 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8210 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8211 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8212 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8214 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8215 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8216 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8217 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8221 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8222 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8223 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8224 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8225 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8226 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8227 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8228 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8229 other windows displayed next to it.
8231 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8232 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8233 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8234 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8235 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8236 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8237 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8241 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8244 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8254 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8258 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8259 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8261 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8263 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8268 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8269 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8270 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8273 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8274 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8275 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8276 (gnus-add-configuration
8280 (summary 0.75 point)
8285 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8288 @node Mail Group Commands
8289 @section Mail Group Commands
8290 @cindex mail group commands
8292 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8293 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8295 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8296 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8301 @kindex B e (Summary)
8302 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8303 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8304 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8307 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8308 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8309 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8310 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8311 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8312 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8315 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8317 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8318 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8319 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8320 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8323 @kindex B m (Summary)
8325 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8326 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8327 Move the article from one mail group to another
8328 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8329 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8332 @kindex B c (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8335 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8336 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8337 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8338 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8341 @kindex B B (Summary)
8342 @cindex crosspost mail
8343 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8344 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8345 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8346 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8347 be properly updated.
8350 @kindex B i (Summary)
8351 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8352 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8353 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8354 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8357 @kindex B r (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8359 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8360 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8361 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8362 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8363 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8364 (which is the default).
8368 @kindex B w (Summary)
8370 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8371 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8372 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8373 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8374 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8375 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8378 @kindex B q (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8380 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8381 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8382 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8385 @kindex B t (Summary)
8386 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8387 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8388 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8391 @kindex B p (Summary)
8392 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8393 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8394 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8395 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8396 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8397 article from your news server (or rather, from
8398 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8399 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8400 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8401 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8402 just not have arrived yet.
8406 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8407 @cindex moving articles
8408 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8409 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8410 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8411 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8412 suggestions you find reasonable.
8415 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8416 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8417 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8418 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8422 @node Various Summary Stuff
8423 @section Various Summary Stuff
8426 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8427 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8428 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8429 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8433 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8434 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8435 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8437 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8438 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8439 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8440 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8441 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8442 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8445 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8446 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8447 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8448 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8449 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8451 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8452 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8453 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8456 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8457 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8458 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8459 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8460 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8461 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8462 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8463 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8464 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8465 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8470 @node Summary Group Information
8471 @subsection Summary Group Information
8476 @kindex H f (Summary)
8477 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8478 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8479 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8480 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8481 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8482 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8483 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8484 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8485 be used for fetching the file.
8488 @kindex H d (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8490 Give a brief description of the current group
8491 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8492 rereading the description from the server.
8495 @kindex H h (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8497 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8498 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8501 @kindex H i (Summary)
8502 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8503 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8507 @node Searching for Articles
8508 @subsection Searching for Articles
8513 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8514 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8515 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8516 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8519 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8520 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8521 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8522 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8526 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8527 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
8528 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8529 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
8533 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8534 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8535 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8536 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8539 @node Summary Generation Commands
8540 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8545 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8547 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8550 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8552 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8553 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8558 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8559 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8565 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8566 @kindex A D (Summary)
8567 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8568 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8569 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8570 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8571 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8572 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8573 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8574 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8578 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8580 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8581 several documents into one biiig group
8582 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8583 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8584 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8585 command understands the process/prefix convention
8586 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8589 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8590 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8591 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8592 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8593 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8594 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8598 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8599 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8600 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8603 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8605 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8606 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8609 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8610 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8611 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8612 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8617 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8618 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8619 @cindex summary exit
8620 @cindex exiting groups
8622 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8623 group and return you to the group buffer.
8629 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8631 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8632 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8633 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8634 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8635 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8636 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8637 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8638 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8639 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8640 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8641 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8645 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8647 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8648 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8649 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8653 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8655 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8656 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8657 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8658 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8661 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8662 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8663 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8664 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8667 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8668 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8669 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8670 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8673 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8674 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8675 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8676 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8677 all articles, both read and unread.
8681 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8682 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8684 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8685 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8686 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8687 articles, both read and unread.
8690 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8692 Exit the group and go to the next group
8693 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8696 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8698 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8699 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8702 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8704 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8705 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8706 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8707 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8710 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8711 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8712 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8713 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8715 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8716 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8717 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8718 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8719 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8720 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8721 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8722 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8723 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8724 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8725 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8726 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8728 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8730 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8731 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8732 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8733 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8734 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8735 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8736 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8737 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8738 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8741 @node Crosspost Handling
8742 @section Crosspost Handling
8746 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8747 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8748 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8749 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8750 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8751 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8754 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8755 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8756 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8757 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8758 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8760 @cindex cross-posting
8763 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8764 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8765 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8766 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8767 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8768 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8769 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8770 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8771 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8772 the cross reference mechanism.
8774 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8775 @cindex overview.fmt
8776 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8777 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8778 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8779 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8780 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8781 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8784 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8785 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8786 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8791 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8794 @node Duplicate Suppression
8795 @section Duplicate Suppression
8797 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8798 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8799 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8800 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8805 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8806 is evil and not very common.
8809 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8810 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8813 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8814 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8817 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8820 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8821 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8823 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8824 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8825 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8826 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8827 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8828 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8829 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8832 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8833 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8834 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8835 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8836 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8840 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8841 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8842 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8844 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8845 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8846 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8847 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8848 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
8849 session are suppressed.
8851 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8852 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8853 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8854 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8856 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8857 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8858 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8859 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8862 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
8863 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8864 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8865 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8866 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
8867 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8868 to you to figure out, I think.
8871 @node The Article Buffer
8872 @chapter The Article Buffer
8873 @cindex article buffer
8875 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8876 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8877 tell Gnus otherwise.
8880 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8881 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8882 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8883 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8884 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8888 @node Hiding Headers
8889 @section Hiding Headers
8890 @cindex hiding headers
8891 @cindex deleting headers
8893 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8894 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8896 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8897 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8898 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8899 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8900 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8901 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8902 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8903 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8904 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8906 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8910 @item gnus-visible-headers
8911 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8912 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8913 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8914 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8916 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8917 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8920 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8923 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8926 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8927 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8928 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8929 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8930 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8931 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8933 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
8934 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8937 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8940 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8943 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8944 variable will have no effect.
8948 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8949 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8950 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8951 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8952 the headers are to be displayed.
8954 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8955 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8958 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8961 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8962 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8964 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8965 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8966 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8967 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
8968 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8969 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8970 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8973 These conditions are:
8976 Remove all empty headers.
8978 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8979 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8981 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8984 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8987 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8990 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8992 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8995 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8998 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8999 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9002 This is also the default value for this variable.
9006 @section Using @sc{mime}
9009 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9010 while people stand around yawning.
9012 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9013 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9015 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9016 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9017 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9019 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9020 @findex gnus-display-mime
9021 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9022 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9023 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9024 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9026 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9030 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9032 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9033 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9034 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9036 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9037 @item M-RET (Article)
9039 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9040 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9042 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9044 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9045 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9047 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9049 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9050 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9052 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9054 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9055 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9057 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9059 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9061 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9063 Insert the raw contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9064 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}).
9068 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9069 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9072 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9073 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9074 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9075 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9076 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9077 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9078 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9079 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9080 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9082 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9084 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9087 @node Customizing Articles
9088 @section Customizing Articles
9089 @cindex article customization
9091 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9092 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9093 called automatically when you select the articles.
9095 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9096 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9097 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9098 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9100 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9101 for sensible values.
9105 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9108 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9111 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9114 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9117 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9121 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9122 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9123 regexps in the list.
9126 A list where the first element is not a string:
9128 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9129 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9130 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9134 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9139 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9140 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9141 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9142 considered to contain just a single part.
9144 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9145 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9146 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9147 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9148 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9149 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9150 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9152 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9153 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9154 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9155 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9158 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9159 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9160 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9161 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9162 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9163 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9164 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9165 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9166 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9167 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9168 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9169 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9170 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9171 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9172 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9173 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9174 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9175 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9176 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9177 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9178 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9179 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9180 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9181 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9182 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9183 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9184 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9185 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9186 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9187 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9188 @item gnus-treat-translate
9191 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9192 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9193 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9194 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9195 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9199 @node Article Keymap
9200 @section Article Keymap
9202 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9203 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9204 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9205 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9208 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9213 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9214 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9215 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9218 @kindex DEL (Article)
9219 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9220 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9223 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9224 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9225 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9226 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9227 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9230 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9231 @findex gnus-article-mail
9232 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9233 given a prefix, include the mail.
9237 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9238 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9239 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9243 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9244 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9245 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9248 @kindex TAB (Article)
9249 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9250 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9251 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9254 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9255 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9256 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9262 @section Misc Article
9266 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9267 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9268 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9269 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9272 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9273 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9275 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9276 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9278 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9279 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9280 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9281 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9282 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9283 the contents of the article buffer.
9285 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9286 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9287 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9289 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9290 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9291 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9292 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9294 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9295 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9296 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9297 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9298 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9303 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9304 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9307 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9310 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9312 @item gnus-break-pages
9313 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9314 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9315 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9316 paging will not be done.
9318 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9319 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9320 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9325 @node Composing Messages
9326 @chapter Composing Messages
9327 @cindex composing messages
9330 @cindex sending mail
9335 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9336 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9337 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9338 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9339 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9340 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9343 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9344 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9345 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9346 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9347 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9348 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9349 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9350 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9353 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9354 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9360 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9363 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9364 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9365 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9366 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9368 @item gnus-add-to-list
9369 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9370 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9371 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9379 Variables for composing news articles:
9382 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9383 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9384 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9385 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9386 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9387 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9388 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9389 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9390 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9393 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9394 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9395 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9396 file. It is 1000 by default.
9401 @node Posting Server
9402 @section Posting Server
9404 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9405 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9407 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9409 @vindex gnus-post-method
9411 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9412 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9413 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9414 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9415 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9418 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9421 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9422 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9423 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9424 the ``current'' server for posting.
9426 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9427 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9429 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9430 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9433 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9434 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9435 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9440 @section Mail and Post
9442 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9446 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9447 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9448 @cindex mailing lists
9450 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9451 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9452 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9453 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9454 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9455 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9456 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9457 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9458 still a pain, though.
9462 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9463 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9464 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9467 @findex ispell-message
9469 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9472 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9473 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9476 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9479 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9480 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9482 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9485 Modify to suit your needs.
9488 @node Archived Messages
9489 @section Archived Messages
9490 @cindex archived messages
9491 @cindex sent messages
9493 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9494 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9495 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9496 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9499 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9500 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9501 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9505 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9506 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9507 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9508 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9511 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9512 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9513 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9514 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9517 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9518 '(nnfolder "archive"
9519 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9520 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9521 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9524 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9526 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9527 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9528 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9530 This variable can be used to do the following:
9534 Messages will be saved in that group.
9535 @item a list of strings
9536 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9537 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9538 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9540 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9545 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9547 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9550 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9552 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9555 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9557 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9558 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9559 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9560 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9565 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9566 '((if (message-news-p)
9571 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9572 messages in one file per month:
9575 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9576 '((if (message-news-p)
9578 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9581 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9582 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9584 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9585 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9586 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9587 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9588 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9589 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9590 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9591 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9592 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9593 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9595 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9596 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9597 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9598 this will disable archiving.
9601 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9602 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9603 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9604 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9605 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9608 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9609 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9610 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9613 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9614 but the latter is the preferred method.
9618 @node Posting Styles
9619 @section Posting Styles
9620 @cindex posting styles
9623 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9625 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9626 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9627 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9630 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9631 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9632 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9633 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9634 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9639 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9640 (organization "What me?"))
9642 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9643 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9644 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9647 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9648 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9649 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9650 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9651 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9652 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9653 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9654 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9656 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9657 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9658 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9659 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9660 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9661 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9662 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9663 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9666 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9667 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9668 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9669 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9670 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9671 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9672 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9673 and the result is thrown away.
9675 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9676 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9677 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9678 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9679 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9680 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9682 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9683 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9684 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9686 @findex message-mail-p
9687 @findex message-news-p
9689 So here's a new example:
9692 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9694 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9696 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9697 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9699 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9700 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9701 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9703 (signature my-news-signature))
9704 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9705 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9706 ((posting-from-work-p)
9707 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9708 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9709 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9710 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9712 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9720 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9721 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9722 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9723 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9724 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9726 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9727 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9728 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9729 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9730 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9734 @vindex nndraft-directory
9735 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9736 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9737 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9738 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9739 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9740 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9742 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9743 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9746 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9747 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9748 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9749 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9750 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9751 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9752 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9753 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9754 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9755 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9756 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9757 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9758 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9759 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9761 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9762 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9763 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9765 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9767 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9768 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9769 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9771 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9774 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9775 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9776 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9777 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9778 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9779 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9780 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9783 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9784 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9785 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9788 @node Rejected Articles
9789 @section Rejected Articles
9790 @cindex rejected articles
9792 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9793 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9794 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9795 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9797 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
9798 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9799 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9800 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
9801 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9803 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9804 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9805 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9808 @node Select Methods
9809 @chapter Select Methods
9810 @cindex foreign groups
9811 @cindex select methods
9813 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9814 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9815 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9816 personal mail group.
9818 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9819 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9820 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9821 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9822 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9823 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9825 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9826 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9828 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9831 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9832 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9833 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9834 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9835 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9837 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9840 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9841 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9842 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9843 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9844 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9845 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9846 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9850 @node The Server Buffer
9851 @section The Server Buffer
9853 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9854 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9855 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9856 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9857 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9858 backend represents a virtual server.
9860 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9861 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9862 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9863 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9865 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9866 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9867 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9868 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9869 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9870 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9871 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9873 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9874 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9877 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9878 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9879 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9880 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9881 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9882 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9883 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9886 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9887 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9890 @node Server Buffer Format
9891 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9892 @cindex server buffer format
9894 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9895 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9896 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9897 variable, with some simple extensions:
9902 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9905 The name of this server.
9908 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9911 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9914 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9915 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9916 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9917 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9927 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9930 @node Server Commands
9931 @subsection Server Commands
9932 @cindex server commands
9938 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9939 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9943 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9944 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9947 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9948 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9949 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9953 @findex gnus-server-exit
9954 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9958 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9959 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9963 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9964 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9968 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9969 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9973 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9974 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9978 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9979 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9980 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9985 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9986 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9987 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9988 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9993 @node Example Methods
9994 @subsection Example Methods
9996 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9999 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10002 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10008 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10009 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10012 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10013 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10015 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10016 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10020 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10023 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10024 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10026 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10027 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10028 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10032 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10035 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10038 Here's the method for a public spool:
10042 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10043 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10046 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10047 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10048 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10049 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10050 should probably look something like this:
10054 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10055 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10056 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10057 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10058 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10061 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10062 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10063 server that would look something like this:
10067 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10068 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10069 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10070 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10071 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10072 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10075 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10076 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10077 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10078 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10081 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10082 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10084 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10085 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10087 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10088 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10089 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10091 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10093 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10094 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10095 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10096 will contain the following:
10106 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10107 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10108 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10111 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10112 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10113 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10116 @node Server Variables
10117 @subsection Server Variables
10119 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10120 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10121 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10122 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10123 won't change the "derived" variables.
10125 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10126 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10127 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10128 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10129 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10130 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10131 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10132 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10133 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10137 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10138 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10139 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10143 @node Servers and Methods
10144 @subsection Servers and Methods
10146 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10147 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10148 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10149 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10153 @node Unavailable Servers
10154 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10156 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10157 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10158 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10159 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10160 actually the case or not.
10162 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10163 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10164 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10165 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10166 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10167 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10168 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10169 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10171 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10172 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10174 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10175 with the following commands:
10181 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10182 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10183 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10187 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10188 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10189 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10193 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10194 Mark the current server as unreachable
10195 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10198 @kindex M-o (Server)
10199 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10200 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10201 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10204 @kindex M-c (Server)
10205 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10206 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10207 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10211 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10212 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10213 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10219 @section Getting News
10220 @cindex reading news
10221 @cindex news backends
10223 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10224 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10225 or it can read from a local spool.
10228 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10229 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10234 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10237 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10238 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10239 server as the, uhm, address.
10241 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10242 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10243 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10244 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10246 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10247 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10248 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10250 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10255 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10256 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10257 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10259 @cindex authentification
10260 @cindex nntp authentification
10261 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10262 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10263 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10264 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10265 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10266 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10267 present in this hook.
10269 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10270 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10271 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10272 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10273 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10274 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10275 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10276 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10277 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10278 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10279 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10280 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10284 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10287 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10288 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10289 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
10290 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
10291 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10296 Here's an example file:
10299 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10300 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10303 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10304 have to be first, for instance.
10306 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10307 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10308 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10309 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10310 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10311 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10312 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10314 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10315 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10321 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10322 previously mentioned.
10324 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10326 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10327 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10328 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10329 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10330 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10333 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10334 '(("innd" (ding))))
10337 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10339 The default value is
10342 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10343 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10346 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10347 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10349 @item nntp-maximum-request
10350 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10351 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10352 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10353 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10354 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10355 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10356 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10358 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10359 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10360 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10361 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10362 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10363 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10364 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10365 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10366 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10367 no timeouts are done.
10369 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10370 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10371 @c @cindex PPP connections
10372 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10373 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10374 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10375 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10376 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10377 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10378 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10379 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10380 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10381 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10383 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10384 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10385 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10386 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10387 @c described above.
10389 @item nntp-server-hook
10390 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10391 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10394 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10395 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10396 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10397 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10398 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10399 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10400 functions are supplied:
10403 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10404 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10407 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10408 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10409 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10412 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10416 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10417 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10418 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10419 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10421 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10422 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10423 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10425 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10426 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10427 User name on the remote system.
10431 @item nntp-open-telnet
10432 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10433 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10435 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10438 @item nntp-telnet-command
10439 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10440 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10442 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10443 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10444 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10446 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10447 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10448 User name for log in on the remote system.
10450 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10451 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10452 Password to use when logging in.
10454 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10455 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10456 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10459 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10460 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10461 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10462 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10464 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10465 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10466 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10467 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10468 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10472 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10473 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10474 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10475 you must have SSLay installed
10476 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10477 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10478 define a server as follows:
10481 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10483 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10485 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10486 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10487 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10488 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10493 @item nntp-end-of-line
10494 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10495 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10496 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10497 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10499 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10500 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10501 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10505 @vindex nntp-address
10506 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10508 @item nntp-port-number
10509 @vindex nntp-port-number
10510 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10513 @item nntp-buggy-select
10514 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10515 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10517 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10518 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10519 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10520 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10523 @item nntp-xover-commands
10524 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10527 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10528 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10532 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10533 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10534 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10535 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10536 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10537 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10538 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10539 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10540 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10541 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10542 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10544 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10545 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10546 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10548 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10549 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10550 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10551 server closes connection.
10553 @item nntp-record-commands
10554 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10555 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10556 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10557 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10558 that doesn't seem to work.
10564 @subsection News Spool
10568 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10569 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10570 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10573 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10574 anything else) as the address.
10576 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10577 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10578 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10579 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10583 @item nnspool-inews-program
10584 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10585 Program used to post an article.
10587 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10588 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10589 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10591 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10592 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10593 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10594 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10596 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10597 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10598 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10599 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10601 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10602 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10603 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10605 @item nnspool-active-file
10606 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10607 The path to the active file.
10609 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10610 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10611 The path to the group descriptions file.
10613 @item nnspool-history-file
10614 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10615 The path to the news history file.
10617 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10618 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10619 The path to the active date file.
10621 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10622 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10623 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10626 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10627 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10629 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10630 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10631 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10637 @section Getting Mail
10638 @cindex reading mail
10641 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10645 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10646 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10647 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10648 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10649 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10650 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10651 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10652 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10653 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10654 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10655 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10656 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10657 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10661 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10662 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10664 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10665 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10666 of a culture shock.
10668 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10669 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10671 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10672 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10673 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10674 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10676 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10678 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10679 deleted? How awful!
10681 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10682 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10683 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10684 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10687 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10688 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10689 they want to treat a message.
10691 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10692 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10693 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10694 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10695 archived somewhere else.
10697 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10698 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10699 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10700 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10701 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10703 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10704 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10705 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10707 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10708 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10711 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10712 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10713 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10714 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10715 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10717 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10718 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10719 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10720 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10721 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10722 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10726 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10727 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10729 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10730 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10731 and things will happen automatically.
10733 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10734 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10737 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10738 '((nnml "private")))
10741 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10742 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10743 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10744 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10745 like any other group.
10747 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10750 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10751 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10752 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10756 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10757 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10758 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10761 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10762 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10763 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10766 @node Splitting Mail
10767 @subsection Splitting Mail
10768 @cindex splitting mail
10769 @cindex mail splitting
10771 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10772 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10773 to be split into groups.
10776 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10777 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10778 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10779 ("mail.other" "")))
10782 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10783 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10784 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10785 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10786 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10787 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10788 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10791 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10794 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10795 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10796 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10797 mail belongs in that group.
10799 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10800 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10801 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10802 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10803 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10804 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10806 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10807 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10808 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10809 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10810 thinks should carry this mail message.
10812 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10813 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10814 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10815 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10817 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10818 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10819 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10820 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10821 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10823 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10826 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10827 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10828 links. If that's the case for you, set
10829 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10830 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10832 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10833 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10834 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10835 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10837 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10838 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10839 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10840 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10841 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10842 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10843 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10844 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10845 month's rent money.
10849 @subsection Mail Sources
10851 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10852 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10856 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10857 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10858 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10862 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10863 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10865 @cindex mail server
10868 @cindex mail source
10870 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10871 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10876 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10879 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10880 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10881 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10884 The following mail source types are available:
10888 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10894 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10895 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10898 An example file mail source:
10901 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10904 Or using the default path:
10910 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10911 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10912 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10915 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10919 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10922 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10926 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10929 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10931 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10934 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10938 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10939 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10945 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10949 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10953 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10954 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10955 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10956 predicate are considered.
10960 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10964 An example directory mail source:
10967 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10972 Get mail from a POP server.
10978 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10979 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10982 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10985 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10989 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10993 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10994 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10997 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11000 The valid format specifier characters are:
11004 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11005 included in this string.
11008 The name of the server.
11011 The port number of the server.
11014 The user name to use.
11017 The password to use.
11020 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11021 corresponding keywords.
11024 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11025 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11028 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11029 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11032 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11033 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11036 @item :authentication
11037 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11038 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11043 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11044 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11046 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11047 default user name, and default fetcher:
11053 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11056 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11057 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11060 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11063 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11067 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11068 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11069 contains exactly one mail.
11075 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11076 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
11078 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11079 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11080 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11083 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11084 from locking problems).
11088 Two example maildir mail sources:
11091 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
11095 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/new")
11099 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11100 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11101 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11102 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11108 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11109 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11112 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11113 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11116 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11120 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11124 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11125 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11126 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11128 @item :authenticator
11129 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11130 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11131 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11135 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11136 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11139 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11140 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11141 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11142 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11143 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11144 complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
11147 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11148 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11149 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11150 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
11153 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11154 after finishing the fetch.
11158 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11161 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11165 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11166 mail.yahoo.com, www.netaddress.com and www.my-deja.com.
11168 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on w3 (url) package, whose version of "WWW
11169 4.0pre.46 1999/10/01" or previous ones may not work.
11171 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11177 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11178 alternatives are @code{yahoo}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11181 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11185 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11189 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11190 folder after finishing the fetch.
11194 An example webmail source:
11197 (webmail :subtype 'yahoo :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11202 @item Common Keywords
11203 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11209 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged.
11214 @node Mail Source Customization
11215 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11217 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11218 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11222 @item mail-source-crash-box
11223 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11224 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11225 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11227 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11228 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11229 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11231 @item mail-source-directory
11232 @vindex mail-source-directory
11233 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11234 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11235 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11238 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11239 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11240 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11245 @node Fetching Mail
11246 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11248 @vindex mail-sources
11249 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11250 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11251 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11252 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11254 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11255 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11258 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11259 mail server, you'd say something like:
11264 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11265 :password "secret")))
11268 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11272 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11273 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11276 :password "secret")))
11280 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11281 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11282 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11283 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11284 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11285 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11289 @node Mail Backend Variables
11290 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11292 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11296 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11297 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11298 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11299 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11301 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11302 @item nnmail-split-hook
11303 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11304 @findex RFC1522 decoding
11305 @findex RFC2047 decoding
11306 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11307 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11308 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11309 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11310 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11311 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11314 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11315 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11316 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11317 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11318 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11319 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11320 starting to handle the new mail) and
11321 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11322 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11323 default file modes the new mail files get:
11326 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11327 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11329 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11330 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11333 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11334 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11335 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11336 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11337 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11338 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11339 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11341 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11342 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11343 @findex delete-file
11344 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11346 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11347 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11348 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11349 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11350 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11355 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11356 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11357 @cindex mail splitting
11358 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11360 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11361 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11362 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11363 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11364 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11365 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11367 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11370 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11371 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11372 ;; from real errors.
11373 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11375 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11376 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11377 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11378 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11379 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11380 ;; Other mailing lists...
11381 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11382 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11383 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11384 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11385 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11386 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11387 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11388 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11390 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11391 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11395 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11396 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11397 the five possible split syntaxes:
11402 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11403 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11407 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11408 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11409 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11410 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11411 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11412 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11413 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11414 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11417 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11418 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11419 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11420 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11423 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11424 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11427 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11428 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11431 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11432 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11433 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11434 function should return a @var{split}.
11437 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11438 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11439 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11443 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11447 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11448 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11449 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11450 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11451 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11453 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11454 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11455 are expanded as specified by the variable
11456 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11457 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11460 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11461 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11462 when all this splitting is performed.
11464 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11465 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11466 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11469 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11472 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11473 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11475 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11476 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11477 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11478 groupings 1 through 9.
11481 @node Group Mail Splitting
11482 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11483 @cindex mail splitting
11484 @cindex group mail splitting
11486 @findex gnus-group-split
11487 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11488 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11489 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11490 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11491 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11492 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11493 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11494 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11496 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11497 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11498 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11499 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11501 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11502 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11503 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11504 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11505 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11506 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11507 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11509 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11510 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11511 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11512 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11513 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11514 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11515 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11517 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11518 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11519 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11520 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11521 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11522 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11523 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11524 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11525 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11527 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11532 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11533 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11535 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11536 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11537 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11538 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11540 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11543 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11544 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11545 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11548 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11549 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11550 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11554 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11555 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11556 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11560 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11563 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11564 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11565 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11566 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11567 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11568 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11569 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11570 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11571 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11573 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11574 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11575 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11576 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11577 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11578 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11579 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11580 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11581 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11583 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11584 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11585 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11586 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11587 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11588 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11591 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11594 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11595 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11596 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11597 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11598 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11601 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11602 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11603 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11604 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11606 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11607 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11609 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11610 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11611 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11614 Doing so can be quite easy.
11616 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11617 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11618 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11619 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11620 your @code{nnml} groups.
11626 Go to the group buffer.
11629 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11630 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11633 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11636 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11637 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11640 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11641 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11644 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11645 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11646 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11647 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11648 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11650 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11651 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11652 using the new mail backend.
11655 @node Expiring Mail
11656 @subsection Expiring Mail
11657 @cindex article expiry
11659 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11660 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11661 different approach to mail reading.
11663 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11664 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11665 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11666 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11667 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11668 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11671 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11672 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11673 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11674 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11675 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11676 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11677 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11678 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11680 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11681 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11682 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11683 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11684 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11685 column in the summary buffer.
11687 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11688 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11689 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11690 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11693 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11695 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11696 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11697 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11700 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11701 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11702 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11703 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11704 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11706 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11707 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11710 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11711 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11714 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11715 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11717 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11718 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11719 don't really mix very well.
11721 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11722 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11723 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11724 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11727 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11728 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11729 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11730 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11733 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11735 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11737 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11739 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11741 ((string= group "important")
11747 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11748 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11750 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11751 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11752 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11755 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11756 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11758 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11759 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11760 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11761 easier for procmail users.
11763 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11764 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11765 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11766 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11767 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11768 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11769 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11770 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11771 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11772 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11773 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11774 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11775 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11778 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11780 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11781 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11782 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11783 auto-expire turned on.
11787 @subsection Washing Mail
11788 @cindex mail washing
11789 @cindex list server brain damage
11790 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11792 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11793 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11794 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11795 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11796 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11797 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11799 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11800 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11801 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11804 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11805 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11806 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11807 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11810 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11811 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11812 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11813 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11814 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11817 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11818 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11819 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11820 Emacs running on MS machines.
11824 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11825 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11826 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11827 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11830 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11831 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11832 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11833 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11835 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11836 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11837 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11838 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11839 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11840 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11841 also be a list of regexp.
11843 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11844 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11847 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11848 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11851 This can also be done non-destructively with
11852 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11854 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11855 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11856 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11858 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11859 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11861 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11862 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11863 @code{References} headers.
11867 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11868 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11869 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11873 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11874 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11875 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11882 @subsection Duplicates
11884 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11885 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11886 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11887 @cindex duplicate mails
11888 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11889 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11890 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11891 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11892 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11893 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11894 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11895 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11896 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11897 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11898 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11899 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11900 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11902 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11903 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11904 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11905 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11907 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11910 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11911 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11915 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11916 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11917 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11918 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11919 (any mail "mail.misc")
11926 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11927 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11932 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11933 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11934 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11935 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11936 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11939 @node Not Reading Mail
11940 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11942 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11943 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11944 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11946 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11947 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11948 mail, which should help.
11950 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11951 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11952 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11953 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11954 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11955 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11956 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11957 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11958 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11959 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11960 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
11962 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
11963 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
11967 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
11968 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
11970 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
11971 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
11972 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
11974 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
11975 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
11976 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
11977 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
11980 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
11981 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
11982 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
11983 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
11984 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
11985 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
11989 @node Unix Mail Box
11990 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
11992 @cindex unix mail box
11994 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
11995 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
11996 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
11997 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
11998 which group it belongs in.
12000 Virtual server settings:
12003 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12004 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12005 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12007 @item nnmbox-active-file
12008 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12009 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12011 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12012 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12013 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12019 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12023 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12024 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12025 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12026 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12027 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12029 Virtual server settings:
12032 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12033 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12034 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12036 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12037 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12038 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12040 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12041 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12042 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12047 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12049 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12051 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12052 format. It should be used with some caution.
12054 @vindex nnml-directory
12055 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12056 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12057 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12058 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12060 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12063 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12064 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12065 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12066 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12067 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12068 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12069 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12070 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12072 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12073 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12074 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12075 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12077 Virtual server settings:
12080 @item nnml-directory
12081 @vindex nnml-directory
12082 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12084 @item nnml-active-file
12085 @vindex nnml-active-file
12086 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12088 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12089 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12090 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12093 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12094 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12095 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12097 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12098 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12099 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12101 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12102 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12103 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12105 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12106 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12107 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12111 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12112 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12113 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12114 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12115 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12116 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12117 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12122 @subsubsection MH Spool
12124 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12126 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12127 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12128 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12129 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12131 Virtual server settings:
12134 @item nnmh-directory
12135 @vindex nnmh-directory
12136 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12138 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12139 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12140 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12143 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12144 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12145 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12146 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12147 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12148 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12149 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12154 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12156 @cindex mbox folders
12157 @cindex mail folders
12159 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12160 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12161 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12164 Virtual server settings:
12167 @item nnfolder-directory
12168 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12169 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12171 @item nnfolder-active-file
12172 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12173 The name of the active file.
12175 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12176 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12177 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12179 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12180 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12181 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12183 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12184 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12185 @cindex backup files
12186 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12187 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12188 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12189 your @file{.emacs} file:
12192 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12193 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12195 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12198 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12199 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12200 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12201 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12202 extract some information from it before removing it.
12207 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12208 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12209 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12210 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12211 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12212 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12215 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12216 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12218 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12219 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12220 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12221 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12222 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12224 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12225 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12226 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12227 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12228 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12229 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12230 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12231 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12234 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12235 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12236 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12237 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12242 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12243 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12244 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12245 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12246 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12247 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12248 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12249 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12250 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12251 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12252 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12253 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12254 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12259 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12260 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12261 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12262 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12263 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12264 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12265 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12266 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12267 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12268 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12269 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12270 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12271 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12272 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12274 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12275 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12280 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12281 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12282 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12283 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12284 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12285 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12286 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12287 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12288 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12289 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12290 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12291 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12292 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12293 provided by the active file and overviews.
12295 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12296 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12297 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12298 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12299 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12302 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12303 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12308 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12309 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12310 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12311 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12312 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12313 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12314 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12318 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12319 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12320 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12321 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12322 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12323 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12324 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12325 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12326 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12328 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12329 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12330 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12331 friendly mail backend all over.
12336 @node Browsing the Web
12337 @section Browsing the Web
12339 @cindex browsing the web
12343 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12344 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12345 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12346 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12347 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12348 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12349 even know what a news group is.
12351 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12352 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12353 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12354 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12355 you mad in the end.
12357 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12360 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12361 interfaces to these sources.
12364 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12365 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12366 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12367 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12368 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12371 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12373 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12374 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12375 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12376 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12377 though, you should be ok.
12379 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12380 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12381 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12382 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12383 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12387 @subsection Web Searches
12391 @cindex InReference
12392 @cindex Usenet searches
12393 @cindex searching the Usenet
12395 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12396 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12397 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12398 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12399 searches without having to use a browser.
12401 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12402 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12403 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12404 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12405 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12407 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12408 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12409 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12410 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12411 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12412 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12413 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12414 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12415 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12416 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12419 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12420 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12421 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12422 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12423 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12424 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12426 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12427 to use @code{nnweb}.
12429 Virtual server variables:
12434 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12435 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12439 @vindex nnweb-search
12440 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12442 @item nnweb-max-hits
12443 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12444 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12447 @item nnweb-type-definition
12448 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12449 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12450 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12455 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12459 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12462 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12465 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12469 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12476 @subsection Slashdot
12480 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12481 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12482 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12484 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12485 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12488 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12489 '((nnslashdot "")))
12492 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12493 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12494 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12495 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12496 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12499 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12500 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12502 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12503 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12504 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12505 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12506 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12507 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12510 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12513 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12514 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12515 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12516 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12517 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12518 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12519 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12521 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12522 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12523 The login name to use when posting.
12525 @item nnslashdot-password
12526 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12527 The password to use when posting.
12529 @item nnslashdot-directory
12530 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12531 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12532 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12534 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12535 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12536 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12537 news articles and comments. The default is
12538 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12540 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12541 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12542 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12544 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12546 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12547 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12548 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12550 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12552 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12553 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12554 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12556 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12557 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12558 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12559 updated. The default is 0.
12566 @subsection Ultimate
12568 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12570 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12571 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12572 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12573 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12575 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12576 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12577 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12578 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12579 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12580 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12581 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12583 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12586 @item nnultimate-directory
12587 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12588 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12589 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12594 @subsection Web Archive
12596 @cindex Web Archive
12598 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12599 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12600 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12601 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12604 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12605 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12606 gnus-group-make-nnwarchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12607 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12608 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12609 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12610 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12612 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12615 @item nnwarchive-directory
12616 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12617 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12618 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12620 @item nnwarchive-login
12621 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12622 The account name on the web server.
12624 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12625 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12626 The password for your account on the web server.
12630 @node Customizing w3
12631 @subsection Customizing w3
12637 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12638 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12639 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12641 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12642 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12643 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12646 (eval-after-load "w3"
12648 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12649 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12650 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12651 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12653 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12656 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12657 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12661 @node Other Sources
12662 @section Other Sources
12664 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12665 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12669 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12670 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12671 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12672 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12673 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12674 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12678 @node Directory Groups
12679 @subsection Directory Groups
12681 @cindex directory groups
12683 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12684 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12687 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12688 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12689 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12690 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12692 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12693 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12694 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12695 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12696 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12698 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12700 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12701 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12702 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12703 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12706 @node Anything Groups
12707 @subsection Anything Groups
12710 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12711 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12712 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12715 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12716 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12717 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12718 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12719 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12720 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12721 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12722 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12723 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12724 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12727 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12728 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12729 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12730 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12732 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12733 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12734 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12735 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12737 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12738 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12739 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12740 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12741 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12742 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12743 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12744 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12749 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12750 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12751 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12752 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12754 @item nneething-exclude-files
12755 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12756 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12757 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12759 @item nneething-include-files
12760 @vindex nneething-include-files
12761 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12762 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12764 @item nneething-map-file
12765 @vindex nneething-map-file
12766 Name of the map files.
12770 @node Document Groups
12771 @subsection Document Groups
12773 @cindex documentation group
12776 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12777 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12784 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12789 The standard Unix mbox file.
12791 @cindex MMDF mail box
12793 The MMDF mail box format.
12796 Several news articles appended into a file.
12799 @cindex rnews batch files
12800 The rnews batch transport format.
12801 @cindex forwarded messages
12804 Forwarded articles.
12807 Netscape mail boxes.
12810 MIME multipart messages.
12812 @item standard-digest
12813 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12816 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12819 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12820 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12821 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12824 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12825 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12826 group. And that's it.
12828 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12829 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12830 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12831 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12832 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12833 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12834 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12835 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12836 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12837 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12839 Virtual server variables:
12842 @item nndoc-article-type
12843 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12844 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12845 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12846 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12847 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12849 @item nndoc-post-type
12850 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12851 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12852 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12857 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12861 @node Document Server Internals
12862 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12864 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12865 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12866 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12867 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12869 First, here's an example document type definition:
12873 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12874 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12877 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12878 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12879 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12880 types can be defined with very few settings:
12883 @item first-article
12884 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12885 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12888 @item article-begin
12889 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12890 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12892 @item head-begin-function
12893 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12896 @item nndoc-head-begin
12897 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12900 @item nndoc-head-end
12901 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12902 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12904 @item body-begin-function
12905 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12909 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12912 @item body-end-function
12913 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12917 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12920 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12921 regexp will be totally ignored.
12925 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12926 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12927 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12928 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12929 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12932 @item prepare-body-function
12933 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12934 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12935 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12937 @item article-transform-function
12938 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12939 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12940 body of the article.
12942 @item generate-head-function
12943 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12944 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12945 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12946 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12950 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12955 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12956 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12957 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12958 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12959 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12960 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12961 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
12962 (subtype digest guess))
12965 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
12966 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
12967 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
12968 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
12969 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
12971 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
12972 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
12973 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
12974 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
12975 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
12976 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
12977 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
12978 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
12979 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
12980 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
12988 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
12989 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
12990 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
12992 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
12993 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
12994 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
12997 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
12998 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
12999 that interested in doing things properly.
13001 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13002 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13005 First some terminology:
13010 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13011 get news and/or mail from.
13014 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13015 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13018 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13022 @item message packets
13023 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13024 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13025 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13027 @item response packets
13028 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13029 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13030 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13040 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13041 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13042 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13043 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13046 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13049 You put the packet in your home directory.
13052 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13053 the native or secondary server.
13056 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13057 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13060 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13064 You transfer this packet to the server.
13067 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13070 You then repeat until you die.
13074 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13075 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13078 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13079 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13080 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13084 @node SOUP Commands
13085 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13087 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13091 @kindex G s b (Group)
13092 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13093 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13094 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13095 process/prefix convention.
13098 @kindex G s w (Group)
13099 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13100 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13103 @kindex G s s (Group)
13104 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13105 Send all replies from the replies packet
13106 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13109 @kindex G s p (Group)
13110 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13111 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13114 @kindex G s r (Group)
13115 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13116 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13119 @kindex O s (Summary)
13120 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13121 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13122 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13123 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13128 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13133 @item gnus-soup-directory
13134 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13135 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13136 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13138 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13139 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13140 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13141 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13143 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13144 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13145 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13146 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13148 @item gnus-soup-packer
13149 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13150 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13151 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13153 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13154 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13155 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13156 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13158 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13159 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13160 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13162 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13163 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13164 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13165 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13171 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13174 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13175 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13176 you can read them at leisure.
13178 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13182 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13183 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13184 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13185 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13187 @item nnsoup-directory
13188 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13189 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13190 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13192 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13193 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13194 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13195 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13197 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13198 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13199 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13200 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13201 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13203 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13204 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13205 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13206 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13208 @item nnsoup-active-file
13209 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13210 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13211 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13212 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13213 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13215 @item nnsoup-packer
13216 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13217 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13218 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13220 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13221 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13222 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13223 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13225 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13226 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13227 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13230 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13231 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13232 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13235 @item nnsoup-always-save
13236 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13237 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13243 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13245 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13246 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13247 more for that to happen.
13249 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13250 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13251 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13254 In specific, this is what it does:
13257 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13258 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13261 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13262 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13263 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13266 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13267 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13268 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13271 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13272 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13273 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13275 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13281 @item nngateway-address
13282 @vindex nngateway-address
13283 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13285 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13286 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13287 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13288 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13289 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13290 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13291 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13294 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13295 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13296 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13299 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13302 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13305 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13308 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13310 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13313 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13314 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13315 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13317 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13319 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13320 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13321 @code{nngateway-address}.
13326 (setq gnus-post-method
13327 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13328 (nngateway-header-transformation
13329 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13337 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13340 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13346 @subsection @sc{imap}
13350 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13351 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13352 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13353 network address of the server.
13355 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13360 @item nnimap-address
13361 @vindex nnimap-address
13363 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13364 server name if not specified.
13366 @item nnimap-server-port
13367 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13368 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13370 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13371 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13372 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13373 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13374 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13375 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13376 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13378 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13379 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13380 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13386 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13389 @item nnimap-stream
13390 @vindex nnimap-stream
13391 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13392 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13393 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13394 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13398 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13399 @samp{imtest} program.
13401 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13403 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13404 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13407 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13408 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13410 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13413 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13414 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x.
13416 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13417 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13418 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of SSLeay,
13419 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it useless. Earlier
13420 versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to work.
13422 @item nnimap-authenticator
13423 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13425 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13426 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13430 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13431 external program @code{imtest}.
13433 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13436 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13437 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13439 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13441 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13443 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13446 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13448 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13449 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13450 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13451 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13452 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13453 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13456 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13457 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13458 running in circles yet?
13460 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13461 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13464 The possible options are:
13469 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13472 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13473 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13474 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13475 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13477 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13484 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13485 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13486 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13491 @node Splitting in IMAP
13492 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13493 @cindex splitting imap mail
13495 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13496 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13497 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13498 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13499 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13503 Here are the variables of interest:
13507 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13508 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13510 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13512 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13513 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13515 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13517 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13518 @cindex splitting, inbox
13520 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13522 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13523 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13527 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13530 No nnmail equivalent.
13532 @item nnimap-split-rule
13533 @cindex Splitting, rules
13534 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13536 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13539 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13540 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13541 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13542 Neither did I, we need examples.
13545 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13546 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13547 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13548 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13551 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13552 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13553 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13555 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13556 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13560 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13563 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13564 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13565 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13566 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13568 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13569 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13570 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13571 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13572 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13573 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13575 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13576 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13577 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13579 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13580 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13581 thinks the article should be splitted to.
13583 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13585 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13587 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13589 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13591 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13592 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13594 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13595 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13596 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13599 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13600 @cindex splitting, fancy
13601 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13602 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13604 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13605 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13606 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13608 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13609 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13610 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13611 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13616 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13617 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13620 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13624 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13625 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13626 @cindex editing imap acls
13627 @cindex Access Control Lists
13628 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13630 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13632 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13633 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13634 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13637 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13638 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13639 editing window with detailed instructions.
13641 Some possible uses:
13645 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13646 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13647 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13649 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13650 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13651 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13655 @node Expunging mailboxes
13656 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13660 @cindex Manual expunging
13662 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13664 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13665 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13666 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13668 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13673 @node Combined Groups
13674 @section Combined Groups
13676 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13680 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13681 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13685 @node Virtual Groups
13686 @subsection Virtual Groups
13688 @cindex virtual groups
13689 @cindex merging groups
13691 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13694 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13695 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13696 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13698 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13699 regexp to match component groups.
13701 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13702 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13703 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13704 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13705 the virtual group.)
13707 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13708 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13711 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13714 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13715 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13717 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13718 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13719 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13720 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13723 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13726 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13727 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13728 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13730 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13731 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13732 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13733 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13734 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13736 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13737 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13738 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13740 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13741 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13742 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13743 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13744 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13745 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13746 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13747 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13748 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13749 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13750 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13752 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13753 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13754 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13755 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13756 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13757 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13758 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13760 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13761 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13765 @node Kibozed Groups
13766 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13770 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13771 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13772 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13773 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13775 @kindex G k (Group)
13776 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13779 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13780 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13781 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13782 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13784 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13785 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13786 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13788 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13789 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13790 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13791 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13792 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13793 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13794 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13795 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13797 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13798 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13799 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13800 Stranger things have happened.
13802 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13803 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13805 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13806 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13807 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13808 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13809 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13810 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13812 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13813 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13816 @node Gnus Unplugged
13817 @section Gnus Unplugged
13822 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13824 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13825 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13826 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13827 read news. Believe it or not.
13829 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13830 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13831 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13832 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13833 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13835 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13836 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13837 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13838 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13839 reading news on a machine.
13841 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13845 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13846 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13850 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13851 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13858 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13860 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13863 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13864 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13865 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13866 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13867 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13868 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13869 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13870 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13871 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13876 @subsection Agent Basics
13878 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13880 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13881 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13882 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13883 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13885 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13886 connected to the net continuously.
13888 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13889 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13891 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13896 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13897 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13898 already fetched while in this mode.
13901 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13902 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13903 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13906 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13907 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13908 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13909 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13912 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13913 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13914 then you read the news offline.
13917 And then you go to step 2.
13920 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13926 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13927 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13928 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13929 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13930 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13931 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13934 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13941 @node Agent Categories
13942 @subsection Agent Categories
13944 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13945 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13946 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13947 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13948 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13949 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13950 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13952 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13953 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13954 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13955 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13956 managing categories.
13959 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13960 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13961 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
13965 @node Category Syntax
13966 @subsubsection Category Syntax
13968 A category consists of two things.
13972 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
13973 are eligible for downloading; and
13976 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
13977 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
13978 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
13981 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
13982 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
13983 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
13984 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
13986 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
13987 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
13988 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
13990 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
13991 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
13992 operators sprinkled in between.
13994 Perhaps some examples are in order.
13996 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
13997 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14003 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14004 short (for some value of ``short'').
14006 Here's a more complex predicate:
14015 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14016 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14019 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14020 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14021 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14023 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14024 you want to do, you can write your own.
14028 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14029 lines; default 100.
14032 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14033 lines; default 200.
14036 True iff the article has a download score less than
14037 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14040 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14041 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14044 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14045 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14046 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14055 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14056 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14057 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14060 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14061 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14062 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14063 something along the lines of the following:
14066 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14067 "Say whether an article is old."
14068 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14069 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14072 with the predicate then defined as:
14075 (not my-article-old-p)
14078 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14079 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14080 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14081 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14084 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14085 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14086 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14089 and simply specify your predicate as:
14095 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14096 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14097 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14098 just don't give a damm.
14100 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14101 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14102 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14103 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14104 parameters like so:
14107 (agent-predicate . short)
14110 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14111 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14112 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14114 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14117 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14120 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14121 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14122 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14125 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14126 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14127 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14128 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14129 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14130 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14132 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14133 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14134 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14135 if it's to be specific to that group.
14137 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14144 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14145 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14151 Category specification
14155 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14161 Group Parameter specification
14164 (agent-score ("from"
14165 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14170 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14176 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14183 Category specification
14186 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14192 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14196 Group Parameter specification
14199 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14202 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14207 Use @code{normal} score files
14209 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14210 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14211 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14212 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14214 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14215 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14216 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14217 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14221 Category Specification
14228 Group Parameter specification
14231 (agent-score . file)
14236 @node The Category Buffer
14237 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14239 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14240 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14241 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14243 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14247 @kindex q (Category)
14248 @findex gnus-category-exit
14249 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14252 @kindex k (Category)
14253 @findex gnus-category-kill
14254 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14257 @kindex c (Category)
14258 @findex gnus-category-copy
14259 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14262 @kindex a (Category)
14263 @findex gnus-category-add
14264 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14267 @kindex p (Category)
14268 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14269 Edit the predicate of the current category
14270 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14273 @kindex g (Category)
14274 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14275 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14276 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14279 @kindex s (Category)
14280 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14281 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14282 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14285 @kindex l (Category)
14286 @findex gnus-category-list
14287 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14291 @node Category Variables
14292 @subsubsection Category Variables
14295 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14296 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14297 Hook run in category buffers.
14299 @item gnus-category-line-format
14300 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14301 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14302 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14306 The name of the category.
14309 The number of groups in the category.
14312 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14313 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14314 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14316 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14317 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14318 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14320 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14321 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14322 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14324 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14325 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14326 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14329 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14330 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14331 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14337 @node Agent Commands
14338 @subsection Agent Commands
14340 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14341 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14342 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14346 * Group Agent Commands::
14347 * Summary Agent Commands::
14348 * Server Agent Commands::
14351 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14352 following incantation:
14354 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14356 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14361 @node Group Agent Commands
14362 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14366 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14367 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14368 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14369 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14372 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14373 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14374 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14377 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14378 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14379 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14380 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14383 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14384 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14385 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14386 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14389 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14390 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14391 Add the current group to an Agent category
14392 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14393 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14396 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14397 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14398 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14399 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14400 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14405 @node Summary Agent Commands
14406 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14410 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14411 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14412 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14415 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14416 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14417 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14418 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14421 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14422 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14423 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14426 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14427 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14428 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14433 @node Server Agent Commands
14434 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14438 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14439 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14440 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14441 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14444 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14445 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14446 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14447 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14453 @subsection Agent Expiry
14455 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14456 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14457 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14458 @cindex Agent expiry
14459 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14462 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14463 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14464 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14465 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14466 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14467 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14469 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14470 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14471 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14472 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14473 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14476 @node Outgoing Messages
14477 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14479 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14480 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14481 after posting, and edit them at will.
14483 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14484 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14485 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14486 messages in the draft group.
14490 @node Agent Variables
14491 @subsection Agent Variables
14494 @item gnus-agent-directory
14495 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14496 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14497 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14499 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14500 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14501 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14502 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14503 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14506 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14507 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14508 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14510 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14511 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14512 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14517 @node Example Setup
14518 @subsection Example Setup
14520 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14521 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14522 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14525 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14526 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14527 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14529 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14530 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14531 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14533 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14534 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14536 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14540 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14541 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14544 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14545 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14546 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14547 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14548 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14551 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14552 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14553 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14554 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14555 back all the killed groups.)
14557 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14558 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14559 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14562 @node Batching Agents
14563 @subsection Batching Agents
14565 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14566 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14567 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14571 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14575 @node Agent Caveats
14576 @subsection Agent Caveats
14578 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14579 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14583 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14588 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14589 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14595 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14596 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14603 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14604 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14605 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14608 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14609 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14610 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14611 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14612 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14614 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14615 before generating the summary buffer.
14617 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14618 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14619 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14621 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14622 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14623 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14624 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14627 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14628 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14629 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14630 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14631 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14632 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14633 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14634 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14635 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14636 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14637 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14638 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14639 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14640 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14641 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14642 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14646 @node Summary Score Commands
14647 @section Summary Score Commands
14648 @cindex score commands
14650 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14651 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14652 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14653 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14654 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14656 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14657 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14658 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14659 score file the current one.
14661 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14666 @kindex V s (Summary)
14667 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14668 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14671 @kindex V S (Summary)
14672 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14673 Display the score of the current article
14674 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14677 @kindex V t (Summary)
14678 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14679 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14680 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14683 @kindex V R (Summary)
14684 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14685 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14686 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14687 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14688 effect you're having.
14691 @kindex V c (Summary)
14692 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14693 Make a different score file the current
14694 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14697 @kindex V e (Summary)
14698 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14699 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14700 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14704 @kindex V f (Summary)
14705 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14706 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14707 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14710 @kindex V F (Summary)
14711 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14712 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14713 after editing score files.
14716 @kindex V C (Summary)
14717 @findex gnus-score-customize
14718 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14719 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14723 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14728 @kindex V m (Summary)
14729 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14730 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14731 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14734 @kindex V x (Summary)
14735 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14736 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14737 expunge all articles below this score
14738 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14741 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14742 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14745 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14746 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14750 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14751 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14753 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14754 keys are available:
14758 Score on the author name.
14761 Score on the subject line.
14764 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14767 Score on the @code{References} line.
14773 Score on the number of lines.
14776 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14779 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14780 the followups to this author.
14794 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14795 what headers you are scoring on.
14807 Substring matching.
14810 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14839 Greater than number.
14844 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14845 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14846 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14850 Temporary score entry.
14853 Permanent score entry.
14856 Immediately scoring.
14861 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14862 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14863 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14864 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14866 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14867 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14868 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14869 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14870 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14872 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14873 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14874 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14875 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14876 current score file.
14878 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14879 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14880 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14883 @node Group Score Commands
14884 @section Group Score Commands
14885 @cindex group score commands
14887 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14892 @kindex W f (Group)
14893 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14894 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14895 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14896 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14900 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14902 @findex gnus-batch-score
14903 @cindex batch scoring
14905 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14909 @node Score Variables
14910 @section Score Variables
14911 @cindex score variables
14915 @item gnus-use-scoring
14916 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14917 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14918 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14920 @item gnus-kill-killed
14921 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14922 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14923 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14924 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14925 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14926 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14927 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14929 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14930 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14931 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14932 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14933 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14935 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14936 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14937 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14938 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14940 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14941 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14942 @cindex score cache
14943 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14944 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14945 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
14946 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14947 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14948 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14951 @item gnus-save-score
14952 @vindex gnus-save-score
14953 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14954 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14955 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14957 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14958 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14959 across group visits.
14961 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14962 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14963 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
14964 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
14965 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
14966 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
14967 manually entered data.
14969 @item gnus-summary-default-score
14970 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
14971 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
14973 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
14974 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
14975 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
14976 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
14977 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
14978 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
14980 @item gnus-score-over-mark
14981 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
14982 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
14983 default. Default is @samp{+}.
14985 @item gnus-score-below-mark
14986 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
14987 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
14988 default. Default is @samp{-}.
14990 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14991 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14992 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
14993 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
14995 Predefined functions available are:
14998 @item gnus-score-find-single
14999 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15000 Only apply the group's own score file.
15002 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15003 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15004 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15005 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15006 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15007 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15008 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15009 then a regexp match is done.
15011 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15012 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15014 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15015 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15016 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15017 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15019 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15020 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15021 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15022 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15023 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15026 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15027 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15028 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15029 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15030 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15031 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15034 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15035 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15036 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15037 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15038 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15040 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15041 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15042 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15043 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15044 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15045 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15046 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15049 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15050 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15051 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15053 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15054 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15055 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15056 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15057 threading---according to the current value of
15058 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15059 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15060 simplified in this manner.
15065 @node Score File Format
15066 @section Score File Format
15067 @cindex score file format
15069 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15070 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15071 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15073 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15077 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15079 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15081 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15083 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15088 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15092 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15093 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15094 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15095 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15099 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15100 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15102 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15103 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15104 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15106 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15111 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15112 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15113 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15114 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15115 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15116 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15117 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15118 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15119 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15120 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15121 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15122 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15123 to articles that matches these score entries.
15125 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15126 score entry has one to four elements.
15130 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15131 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15135 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15136 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15137 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15138 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15139 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15140 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15143 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15144 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15145 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15146 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15147 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15150 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15151 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15152 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15153 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15156 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15157 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15158 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15159 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15160 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15161 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15162 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15163 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15164 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15165 instead, if you feel like.
15168 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15169 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15171 These predicates are true if
15174 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15177 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15178 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15185 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15186 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15187 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15188 it's not. I think.)
15190 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15191 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15192 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15193 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15196 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15197 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15198 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15199 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15200 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15201 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15202 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15206 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15207 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15208 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15209 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15210 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15211 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15212 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15213 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15216 @item Head, Body, All
15217 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15221 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15222 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15223 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15224 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15225 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15226 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15227 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15231 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15232 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15233 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15234 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15235 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15236 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15237 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15238 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15239 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15240 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15241 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15245 @cindex Score File Atoms
15247 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15248 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15251 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15252 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15254 @item mark-and-expunge
15255 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15256 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15259 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15260 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15261 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15262 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15263 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15266 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15267 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15270 @item exclude-files
15271 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15272 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15276 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15277 ignored when handling global score files.
15280 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15281 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15282 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15283 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15286 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15287 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15288 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15289 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15291 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15295 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15298 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15299 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15300 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15301 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15302 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15304 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15305 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15306 ordinary scoring rules.
15309 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15310 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15311 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15312 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15313 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15314 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15315 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15316 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15317 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15318 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15319 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15323 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15324 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15325 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15326 file for a number of groups.
15329 @cindex local variables
15330 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15331 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15332 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15333 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15334 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15338 @node Score File Editing
15339 @section Score File Editing
15341 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15342 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15343 with a mode for that.
15345 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15346 additional commands:
15351 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15352 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15353 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15354 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15357 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15358 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15359 Insert the current date in numerical format
15360 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15361 you were wondering.
15364 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15365 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15366 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15367 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15368 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15373 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15375 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15376 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15378 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15379 e} to begin editing score files.
15382 @node Adaptive Scoring
15383 @section Adaptive Scoring
15384 @cindex adaptive scoring
15386 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15387 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15388 stupidity, to be precise.
15390 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15391 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15392 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15393 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15394 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15395 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15396 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15397 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15398 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15400 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15401 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15402 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15403 might look something like this:
15406 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15407 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15408 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15409 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15410 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15411 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15412 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15413 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15414 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15415 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15416 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15417 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15420 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15421 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15422 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15423 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15424 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15425 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15428 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15429 will be applied to each article.
15431 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15432 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15433 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15434 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15436 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15437 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15438 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15439 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15441 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15442 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15443 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15444 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15446 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15447 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15448 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15449 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15450 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15451 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15453 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15454 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15455 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15456 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15457 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15458 aspirins afterwards.)
15460 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15461 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15462 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15464 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15465 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15466 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15468 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15469 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15470 let you use different rules in different groups.
15472 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15473 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15474 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15477 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15478 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15479 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15480 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15481 the length of the match is less than
15482 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15483 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15486 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15487 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15488 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15489 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15490 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15493 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15494 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15495 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15496 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15497 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15500 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15501 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15502 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15503 score with 30 points.
15505 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15506 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15507 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15508 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15509 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15511 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15512 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15513 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15514 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15516 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15517 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15518 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15519 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15521 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15522 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15523 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15524 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15525 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15527 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15528 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15529 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15531 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15532 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15533 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15534 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15537 @node Home Score File
15538 @section Home Score File
15540 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15541 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15542 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15543 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15545 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15546 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15547 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15549 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15550 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15555 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15559 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15560 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15564 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15568 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15569 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15572 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15573 the home score file.
15576 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15579 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15584 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15587 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15588 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15591 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15592 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15594 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15596 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15597 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15600 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15601 Other functions include
15604 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15605 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15606 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15607 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15611 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15612 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15613 their own home score files:
15616 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15617 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15618 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15619 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15620 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15623 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15624 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15625 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15626 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15627 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15629 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15630 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15631 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15632 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15633 precedence over this variable.
15636 @node Followups To Yourself
15637 @section Followups To Yourself
15639 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15640 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15641 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15642 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15643 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15644 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15648 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15649 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15650 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15653 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15654 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15655 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15659 @vindex message-sent-hook
15660 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15661 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15663 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15664 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15668 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15669 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15672 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15673 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15678 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15682 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15683 is system-dependent.
15687 @section Scoring Tips
15688 @cindex scoring tips
15694 @cindex scoring crossposts
15695 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15696 the @code{Xref} header.
15698 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15701 @item Multiple crossposts
15702 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15703 more than, say, 3 groups:
15705 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15708 @item Matching on the body
15709 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15710 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15711 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15712 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15713 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15714 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15715 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15718 @item Marking as read
15719 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15720 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15721 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15725 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15727 @item Negated character classes
15728 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15729 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15730 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15734 @node Reverse Scoring
15735 @section Reverse Scoring
15736 @cindex reverse scoring
15738 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15739 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15740 like this in your score file:
15744 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15749 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15750 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15753 @node Global Score Files
15754 @section Global Score Files
15755 @cindex global score files
15757 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15758 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15759 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15761 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15762 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15763 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15765 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15766 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15767 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15768 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15769 files are applicable to which group.
15771 Say you want to use the score file
15772 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15773 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15776 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15777 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15778 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15781 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15782 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15783 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15784 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15785 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15787 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15788 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15790 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15791 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15792 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15793 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15794 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15795 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15797 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15803 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15805 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15807 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15809 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15810 lowered out of existence.
15812 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15813 articles completely.
15816 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15817 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15818 old articles for a long time.
15821 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15822 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15823 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15824 holding our breath yet?
15828 @section Kill Files
15831 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15832 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15833 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15835 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15836 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15837 files into score files.
15839 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15840 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15841 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15842 that isn't a very good idea.
15844 Normal kill files look like this:
15847 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15848 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15852 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15853 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15855 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15856 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15859 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15864 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15865 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15866 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15869 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15870 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15871 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15874 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15879 @kindex M-k (Group)
15880 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15881 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15884 @kindex M-K (Group)
15885 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15886 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15889 Kill file variables:
15892 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15893 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15894 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15895 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15896 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15897 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15898 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15900 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15901 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15902 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15903 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15906 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15907 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15908 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15909 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15910 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15911 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15912 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15913 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15914 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15916 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15917 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15918 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15923 @node Converting Kill Files
15924 @section Converting Kill Files
15926 @cindex converting kill files
15928 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15929 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15930 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15933 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15934 You can fetch it from
15935 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15937 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15938 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15939 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15947 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15948 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15949 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15951 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15952 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15953 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15954 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15955 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15956 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15957 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15958 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
15962 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
15963 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
15964 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
15965 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
15969 @node Using GroupLens
15970 @subsection Using GroupLens
15972 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
15974 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
15975 better bit in town at the moment.
15977 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
15981 @item gnus-use-grouplens
15982 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
15983 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
15984 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
15986 @item grouplens-pseudonym
15987 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
15988 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
15989 with the Better Bit Bureau.
15991 @item grouplens-newsgroups
15992 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
15993 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
15997 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
15998 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
15999 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16000 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16001 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16002 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16005 @node Rating Articles
16006 @subsection Rating Articles
16008 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16009 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16010 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16011 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16014 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16019 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16020 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16021 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16024 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16025 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16026 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16027 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16028 threads in rec.humor.
16032 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16033 the score of the article you're reading.
16038 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16039 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16040 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16043 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16044 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16045 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16049 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16050 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16053 @node Displaying Predictions
16054 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16056 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16057 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16058 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16059 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16060 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16062 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16063 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16064 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16065 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16066 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16067 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16068 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16069 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16070 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16071 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16072 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16073 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16074 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16076 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16077 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16078 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16079 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16081 The following are valid values for that variable.
16084 @item prediction-spot
16085 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16088 @item confidence-interval
16089 A numeric confidence interval.
16091 @item prediction-bar
16092 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16094 @item confidence-bar
16095 Numerical confidence.
16097 @item confidence-spot
16098 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16100 @item prediction-num
16101 Plain-old numeric value.
16103 @item confidence-plus-minus
16104 Prediction +/- confidence.
16109 @node GroupLens Variables
16110 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16114 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16115 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16116 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16117 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16120 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16121 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16124 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16125 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16127 @item grouplens-score-offset
16128 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16129 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16132 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16133 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16134 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16139 @node Advanced Scoring
16140 @section Advanced Scoring
16142 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16143 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16144 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16145 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16146 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16148 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16152 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16153 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16154 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16158 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16159 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16161 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16162 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16163 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16164 non-@code{nil} value.
16166 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16167 operator, and various match operators.
16174 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16175 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16176 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16181 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16182 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16183 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16188 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16189 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16193 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16194 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16195 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16196 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16197 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16198 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16199 the ancestry you want to go.
16201 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16202 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16203 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16204 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16205 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16208 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16209 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16211 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16212 when he's talking about Gnus:
16216 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16217 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16223 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16227 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16234 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16235 really don't want to read what he's written:
16239 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16240 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16244 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16245 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16246 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16253 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16254 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16255 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16256 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16260 The possibilities are endless.
16263 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16264 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16266 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16267 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16268 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16269 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16270 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16271 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16272 @samp{subject}) first.
16274 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16275 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16286 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16287 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16293 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16300 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16301 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16306 @section Score Decays
16307 @cindex score decays
16310 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16311 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16312 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16313 use them in any sensible way.
16315 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16316 @findex gnus-decay-score
16317 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16318 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16319 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16320 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16321 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16322 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16323 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16324 definition of that function:
16327 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16329 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16330 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16333 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16335 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16337 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16340 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16341 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16342 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16343 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16347 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16350 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16353 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16357 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16358 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16359 the new score, which should be an integer.
16361 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16362 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16369 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16370 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16371 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16372 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16373 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16374 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16375 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16376 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16377 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16378 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16379 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16380 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16381 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16382 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16383 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16384 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16385 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16386 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16390 @node Process/Prefix
16391 @section Process/Prefix
16392 @cindex process/prefix convention
16394 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16395 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16397 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16398 command to be performed on.
16402 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16403 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16404 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16405 with the current one.
16407 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16408 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16409 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16411 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16412 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16415 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16416 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16418 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16421 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16422 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16423 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16424 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16426 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16427 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16428 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16429 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16430 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16431 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16432 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16433 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16435 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16436 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16437 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16438 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16439 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16443 @section Interactive
16444 @cindex interaction
16448 @item gnus-novice-user
16449 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16450 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16451 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16452 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16453 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16456 @item gnus-expert-user
16457 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16458 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16459 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16460 matter how strange.
16462 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16463 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16464 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16465 is @code{t} by default.
16467 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16468 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16469 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16474 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16475 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16476 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16478 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16479 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16480 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16481 rule of 900 to the current article.
16483 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16484 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16485 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16486 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16487 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16488 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16489 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16491 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16492 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16493 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16494 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16495 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16496 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16497 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16498 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16499 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16501 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16502 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16503 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16505 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16509 @node Formatting Variables
16510 @section Formatting Variables
16511 @cindex formatting variables
16513 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16514 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16515 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16516 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16517 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16520 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16521 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16522 lots of percentages everywhere.
16525 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16526 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16527 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16528 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16529 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16532 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16533 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16534 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16535 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16536 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16537 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16538 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16539 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16541 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16542 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16544 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16545 @findex gnus-update-format
16546 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16547 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16548 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16549 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16553 @node Formatting Basics
16554 @subsection Formatting Basics
16556 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16557 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16558 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16560 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16561 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16562 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16563 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16564 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16567 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16568 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16569 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16570 less than 4 characters wide.
16573 @node Mode Line Formatting
16574 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16576 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16577 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16578 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16579 with the following two differences:
16584 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16587 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16588 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16589 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16590 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16591 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16592 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16593 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16598 @node Advanced Formatting
16599 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16601 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16602 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16603 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16604 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16606 These are the valid modifiers:
16611 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16615 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16620 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16623 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16628 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16631 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16634 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16637 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16641 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16642 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16643 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16644 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16645 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16646 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16647 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16649 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16650 last operation, padding.
16652 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
16653 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
16654 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
16655 @xref{Compilation}.
16658 @node User-Defined Specs
16659 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16661 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16662 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16663 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16664 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16665 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16666 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16667 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16668 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16669 should protect against that.
16671 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16672 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16673 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16674 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16678 @node Formatting Fonts
16679 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16681 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16682 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16683 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16684 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16687 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16688 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16689 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16690 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16691 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16692 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16694 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16695 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16696 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16697 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16698 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16699 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16700 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16701 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16703 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16706 ;; Create three face types.
16707 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16708 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16710 ;; We want the article count to be in
16711 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16712 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16713 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16715 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16716 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16718 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16719 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16720 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16723 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16724 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16726 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16727 mode-line variables.
16730 @node Windows Configuration
16731 @section Windows Configuration
16732 @cindex windows configuration
16734 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16736 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16737 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16738 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16739 @code{t} by default.
16741 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16742 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16744 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16745 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16746 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16749 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16750 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16751 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16755 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16756 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16757 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16758 possible names is listed below.
16760 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16761 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16764 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16768 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16769 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16770 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16771 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16772 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16773 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16774 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16775 size spec per split.
16777 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16778 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16779 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16780 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16781 present) gets focus.
16783 Here's a more complicated example:
16786 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16787 (summary 0.25 point)
16788 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16792 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16793 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16794 occupy, not a percentage.
16796 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16797 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16798 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16799 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16800 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16803 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16806 (article (horizontal 1.0
16811 (summary 0.25 point)
16816 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16817 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16819 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16820 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16821 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16822 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16823 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16825 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16826 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16827 lines from the splits.
16829 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16833 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16834 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16835 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16836 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16837 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16838 size = number | frame-params
16839 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16842 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16843 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16844 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16845 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16847 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16848 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16849 @cindex window height
16850 @cindex window width
16851 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16852 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16853 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16854 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16855 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16856 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16858 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16859 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16860 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16861 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16863 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16864 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16865 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16866 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16867 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16868 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16869 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16870 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16871 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16872 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16873 configuration list.
16876 (gnus-configure-frame
16880 (article 0.3 point))
16888 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16889 @code{frame} split:
16892 (gnus-configure-frame
16895 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16897 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16898 (user-position . t)
16899 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16904 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16905 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16906 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16907 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16908 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16909 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16910 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16911 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16913 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16914 be found in its default value.
16916 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16917 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16918 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16922 (message (horizontal 1.0
16923 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16925 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16930 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16931 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16932 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16935 (message (frame 1.0
16936 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16937 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16938 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16939 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16940 (name . "Message"))
16941 (message 1.0 point))))
16944 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16945 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16946 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16947 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16948 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16951 (gnus-add-configuration
16952 '(article (vertical 1.0
16954 (summary .25 point)
16958 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16959 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16960 Gnus has been loaded.
16962 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
16963 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
16964 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
16965 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
16966 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
16968 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
16969 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
16970 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
16974 @node Faces and Fonts
16975 @section Faces and Fonts
16980 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
16981 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
16982 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
16987 @section Compilation
16988 @cindex compilation
16989 @cindex byte-compilation
16991 @findex gnus-compile
16993 Remember all those line format specification variables?
16994 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
16995 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
16996 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
16997 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
16998 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17001 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17002 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17003 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17004 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17005 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17006 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17007 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17011 @section Mode Lines
17014 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17015 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17016 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17017 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17018 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17019 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17020 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17023 @cindex display-time
17025 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17026 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17027 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17028 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17029 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17030 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17031 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17032 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17035 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17037 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17038 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17040 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17041 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17042 (length display-time-string)))))
17045 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17046 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17047 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17048 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17049 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17052 @node Highlighting and Menus
17053 @section Highlighting and Menus
17055 @cindex highlighting
17058 @vindex gnus-visual
17059 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17060 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17061 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17064 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17065 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17068 @item group-highlight
17069 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17070 @item summary-highlight
17071 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17072 @item article-highlight
17073 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17075 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17077 Create menus in the group buffer.
17079 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17081 Create menus in the article buffer.
17083 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17085 Create menus in the server buffer.
17087 Create menus in the score buffers.
17089 Create menus in all buffers.
17092 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17093 buffers, you could say something like:
17096 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17099 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17102 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17105 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17106 in all Gnus buffers.
17108 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17111 @item gnus-mouse-face
17112 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17113 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17114 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17118 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17122 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17123 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17124 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17126 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17127 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17128 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17130 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17131 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17132 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17134 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17135 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17136 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17138 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17139 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17140 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17142 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17143 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17144 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17155 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17156 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17157 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17158 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17159 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17163 @vindex gnus-carpal
17164 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17165 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17166 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17171 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17172 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17173 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17175 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17176 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17177 Face used on buttons.
17179 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17180 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17181 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17183 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17184 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17185 Buttons in the group buffer.
17187 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17188 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17189 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17191 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17192 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17193 Buttons in the server buffer.
17195 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17196 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17197 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17200 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17201 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17202 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17210 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17211 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17212 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17213 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17214 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17216 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17217 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17218 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17220 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17221 been idle for thirty minutes:
17224 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17227 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17231 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17234 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17235 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17236 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17238 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17239 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17240 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17241 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17243 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17244 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17245 @var{idle} minutes.
17247 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17248 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17251 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17252 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17253 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17255 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17256 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17257 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17258 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17260 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17261 your @file{.gnus} file:
17263 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17265 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17268 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17269 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17270 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17271 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17272 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17273 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17274 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17275 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17276 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17277 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17278 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17280 @findex gnus-demon-init
17281 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17282 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17283 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17284 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17285 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17287 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17288 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17289 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17298 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17299 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17301 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17302 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17303 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17304 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17307 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17308 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17309 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17310 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17312 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17313 this will make spam disappear.
17315 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17318 @item gnus-use-nocem
17319 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17320 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17323 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17324 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17325 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17326 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17327 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17329 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17330 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17331 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17332 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17333 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17334 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17335 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17337 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17340 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17341 @cindex Chris Lewis
17342 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17343 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17346 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17347 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17348 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17350 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17352 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17355 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17356 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17357 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17360 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17361 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17362 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17363 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17364 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17365 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17366 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17367 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17368 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17369 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17371 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17372 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17375 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17378 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17379 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17382 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17385 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17388 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17389 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17391 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17392 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17393 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17394 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17396 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17397 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17400 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17402 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17410 This might be dangerous, though.
17412 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17413 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17414 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17415 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17417 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17418 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17419 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17420 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17421 might then see old spam.
17425 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17426 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17427 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17428 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17435 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17436 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17437 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17439 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17440 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17441 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17442 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17443 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17444 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17445 @code{undo} function.
17447 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17448 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17449 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17450 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17451 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17452 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17453 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17454 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17455 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17456 never be totally undoable.
17458 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17459 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17461 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17462 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17463 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17464 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17469 @section Moderation
17472 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17473 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17474 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17477 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17481 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17484 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17486 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17491 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17492 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17493 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17496 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17497 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17500 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17501 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17505 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17508 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17509 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17513 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17514 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17517 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17521 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17522 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17523 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17524 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17537 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17538 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17539 over your shoulder as you read news.
17542 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17543 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17544 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17545 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17546 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17551 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17553 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17562 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17563 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17564 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17565 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17566 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17567 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17568 @code{GIF} formats.
17571 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17572 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17573 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17574 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17575 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17577 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17578 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17579 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17580 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17581 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17582 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17585 @node Picon Requirements
17586 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17588 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17589 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17592 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17593 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17594 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17596 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17597 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17598 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17599 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17600 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17604 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17606 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17607 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17610 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17611 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17614 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17615 containing the Picons databases.
17617 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17620 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17621 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17626 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17634 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17635 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17636 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17637 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17638 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17643 @item gnus-picons-database
17644 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17645 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17646 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17647 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17648 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17649 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17651 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17652 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17653 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17654 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17655 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17656 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17657 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17659 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17660 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17661 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17662 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17663 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17664 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17665 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17666 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17668 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17669 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17670 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17675 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17676 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17678 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17679 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17682 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17684 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17685 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17686 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17687 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17689 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17690 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17691 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17697 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17698 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17706 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17707 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17708 don't need to worry about.
17712 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17713 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17714 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17715 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17717 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17718 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17719 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17720 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17722 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17723 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17724 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17725 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17726 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17728 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17729 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17730 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17731 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17732 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17733 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17734 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17736 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17737 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17738 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17739 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17741 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17742 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17743 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17744 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17745 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17746 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17747 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17749 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17750 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17751 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17752 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17754 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17755 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17756 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17757 Defaults to @code{t}.
17759 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17760 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17761 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17762 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17764 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17765 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17766 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17768 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17769 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17770 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17771 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17773 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17774 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17776 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17777 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17778 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17779 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17780 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17781 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17782 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17783 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17794 @subsection Smileys
17799 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17804 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17805 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17807 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17808 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17811 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
17814 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17815 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17816 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17817 text and maps that to file names.
17819 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17820 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17821 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17822 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17823 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17824 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17826 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17827 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17829 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17830 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17831 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17833 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17834 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17838 @item smiley-data-directory
17839 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17840 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17842 @item smiley-flesh-color
17843 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17844 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17846 @item smiley-features-color
17847 @vindex smiley-features-color
17848 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17850 @item smiley-tongue-color
17851 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17852 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17854 @item smiley-circle-color
17855 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17856 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17858 @item smiley-mouse-face
17859 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17860 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17866 @subsection Toolbar
17876 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17877 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17878 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17879 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17880 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17882 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17883 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17884 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17886 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17887 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17888 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17890 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17891 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17892 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17898 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17901 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17902 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17903 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17904 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17905 unusual directory structure.
17907 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17908 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17909 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17910 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17912 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17913 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17914 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17915 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17916 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17917 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17919 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17920 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17921 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17935 @node Fuzzy Matching
17936 @section Fuzzy Matching
17937 @cindex fuzzy matching
17939 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17940 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17942 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17943 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17944 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17946 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17947 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17948 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17949 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17950 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17953 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17954 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17958 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17960 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17961 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
17962 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
17963 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
17964 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
17965 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
17966 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
17967 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
17970 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
17971 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
17972 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
17973 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
17974 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
17975 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
17979 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
17980 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
17982 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
17983 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
17984 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
17985 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
17986 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
17987 part of the mail address.)
17990 (setq message-default-news-headers
17991 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
17994 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
17995 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18000 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18001 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18002 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18008 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18009 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18010 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18011 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18013 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18014 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18015 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18016 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18017 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18018 your fancy split rule in this way:
18023 (to "larsi" "misc")
18027 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18028 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18029 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18030 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18031 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18033 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18034 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18035 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18036 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18037 cosmic balance somewhat.
18039 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18040 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18041 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18042 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18045 @node Various Various
18046 @section Various Various
18052 @item gnus-home-directory
18053 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18054 defaults to @file{~/}.
18056 @item gnus-directory
18057 @vindex gnus-directory
18058 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18059 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18060 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18062 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18063 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18064 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18065 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18067 @item gnus-default-directory
18068 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18069 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18070 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18071 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18072 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18073 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18074 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18077 @vindex gnus-verbose
18078 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18079 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18080 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18081 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18082 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18084 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18085 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18086 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18087 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18089 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18090 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18091 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18092 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18093 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18094 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18095 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18096 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18097 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18098 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18100 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18101 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18102 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18103 read when doing the operation described above.
18105 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18106 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18108 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18109 @cindex characters in file names
18110 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18111 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18112 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18115 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18119 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18120 Windows (phooey) systems.
18122 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18123 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18124 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18125 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18126 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18128 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18129 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18130 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18131 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18132 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18134 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18135 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18136 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18145 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18146 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18148 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18150 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18156 Not because of victories @*
18159 but for the common sunshine,@*
18161 the largess of the spring.
18165 but for the day's work done@*
18166 as well as I was able;@*
18167 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18168 but at the common table.@*
18173 @chapter Appendices
18176 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18177 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18178 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18179 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18180 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18181 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18182 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18183 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18191 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18192 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18194 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18195 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18196 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18197 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18198 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18200 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18201 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18202 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18203 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18204 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18205 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18207 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18208 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18209 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18210 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18213 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18214 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18215 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18216 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18217 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18218 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18219 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18220 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18221 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18222 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18226 @node Gnus Versions
18227 @subsection Gnus Versions
18228 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18230 @cindex September Gnus
18231 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18233 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18234 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18235 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18237 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18238 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18240 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18241 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18243 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18244 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18246 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18247 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18250 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18251 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18252 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18253 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18254 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18258 @node Other Gnus Versions
18259 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18262 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18263 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18264 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18265 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18267 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18268 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18269 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18270 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18277 What's the point of Gnus?
18279 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18280 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18281 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18282 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18283 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18284 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18285 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18286 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18287 keep track of millions of people who post?
18289 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18290 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18291 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18292 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18293 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18294 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18295 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18296 every one of you to explore and invent.
18298 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18299 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18302 @node Compatibility
18303 @subsection Compatibility
18305 @cindex compatibility
18306 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18307 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18308 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18313 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18317 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18320 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18323 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18324 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18325 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18326 important variables have their values copied into their global
18327 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18328 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18330 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18331 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18332 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18333 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18334 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18338 @cindex highlighting
18339 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18340 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18341 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18342 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18343 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18344 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18347 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18348 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18349 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18350 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18352 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18353 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18354 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18355 to stop doing it the old way.
18357 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18359 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18361 @cindex reporting bugs
18363 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18364 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18365 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18367 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18368 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18369 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18370 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18375 @subsection Conformity
18377 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18378 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18385 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18389 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18391 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18392 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18393 We do have some breaches to this one.
18399 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18400 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18401 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18402 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18403 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18408 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18409 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18410 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18411 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18415 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18416 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18421 @subsection Emacsen
18427 Gnus should work on :
18435 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
18439 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18440 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18443 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18444 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18445 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18449 @node Gnus Development
18450 @subsection Gnus Development
18452 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18453 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18454 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18455 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18456 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18457 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18458 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18459 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18461 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18462 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18463 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18464 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18465 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18468 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18469 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18470 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18471 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18472 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18474 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18475 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18476 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18477 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18478 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18479 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18480 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18481 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18482 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18483 can't be assumed to do so.
18488 @subsection Contributors
18489 @cindex contributors
18491 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18492 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18493 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18494 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18495 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18496 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18497 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18498 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18499 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18500 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18502 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18508 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18511 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18512 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18513 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18514 functionality and stuff.
18517 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18518 well as numerous other things).
18521 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18524 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18527 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18530 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18531 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18534 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18537 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18538 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18541 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18544 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18547 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18550 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18553 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18554 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18557 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18560 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18563 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18566 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18570 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18573 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18576 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18579 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18580 well as autoconf support.
18584 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18585 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18587 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18596 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18600 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18610 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18625 Massimo Campostrini,
18630 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18631 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18635 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18638 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18644 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18649 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18653 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18661 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18663 Michelangelo Grigni,
18667 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18669 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18671 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18678 François Felix Ingrand,
18679 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18680 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18682 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18693 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18694 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18696 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18697 Thor Kristoffersen,
18700 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18718 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18719 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18726 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18731 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18735 John McClary Prevost,
18741 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18746 Christian von Roques,
18749 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18756 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18758 Randal L. Schwartz,
18772 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18777 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18793 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18798 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18799 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18800 (550kB and counting).
18802 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
18805 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
18806 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
18810 @subsection New Features
18811 @cindex new features
18814 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
18815 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
18816 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
18817 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
18820 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
18821 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
18822 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
18826 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
18828 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
18833 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
18834 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
18837 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
18838 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
18841 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
18844 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
18845 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
18846 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
18849 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
18850 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18851 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18852 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18855 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18856 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18859 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18860 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18861 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18864 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18865 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18868 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18869 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18870 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18873 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18874 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18875 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18878 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18879 the @file{.emacs} file.
18882 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18883 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18886 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18887 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18890 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18891 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18894 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18895 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18898 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18899 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18902 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18905 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18906 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18909 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18910 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18913 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18914 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18917 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18920 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18921 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18924 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18928 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18932 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18933 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18936 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18942 @node September Gnus
18943 @subsubsection September Gnus
18947 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18951 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18956 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18957 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18961 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
18962 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
18966 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
18970 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
18971 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
18974 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
18978 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18981 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
18984 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
18987 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
18991 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
18992 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
18995 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
18999 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19003 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19007 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19011 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19014 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19015 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19018 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19022 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19023 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19026 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19029 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19030 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19031 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19034 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19038 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19041 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19045 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19046 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19049 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19050 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19053 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19054 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19057 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19058 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19059 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19062 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19063 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19066 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19069 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19072 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19075 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19078 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19079 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19082 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19086 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19089 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19094 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19097 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19101 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19104 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19108 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19111 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19114 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19115 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19118 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19119 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19123 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19124 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19127 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19131 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19132 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19135 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19138 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19142 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19146 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19147 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19150 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19154 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19155 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19158 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19159 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19162 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19166 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19169 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19172 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19178 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19180 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19184 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19191 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19194 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19195 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19198 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19199 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19203 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19204 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19207 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19210 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19211 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19214 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19218 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19219 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19223 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19224 Server Internals}).
19227 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19231 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19234 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19235 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19238 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19239 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19240 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19243 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19244 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19247 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19248 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19251 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19255 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19256 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19259 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19260 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19263 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19267 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19270 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19274 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19275 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19278 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19279 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19282 A new command for reading collections of documents
19283 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19284 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19287 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19291 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19292 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19295 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19296 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19297 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19300 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19301 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19305 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19309 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19313 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19318 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19322 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19326 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19327 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19330 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19336 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19338 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19343 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19344 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19345 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19348 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19349 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19350 group, which is created automatically.
19353 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19357 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19360 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19361 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19364 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19368 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19371 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19372 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19375 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19378 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19379 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19382 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19383 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19386 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19387 control over simplification.
19390 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19393 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19397 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19400 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19403 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19404 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19405 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19408 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19409 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19412 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19416 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19417 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19420 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19421 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19424 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19428 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19431 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19434 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19435 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19438 A new function for citing in Message has been
19439 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19442 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19445 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19449 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19450 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19453 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19454 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19457 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19460 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19465 @node Newest Features
19466 @subsection Newest Features
19469 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19472 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19474 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19475 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19478 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19483 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19484 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19487 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19490 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19493 facep is not declared.
19496 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19497 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19500 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19505 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19506 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19507 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19508 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19509 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19510 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19511 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19516 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19519 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19522 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19524 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19525 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19527 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19529 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19531 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19532 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19534 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19536 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19537 be marked as unread.
19539 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19541 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19543 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19544 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19546 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19548 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19550 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19551 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19553 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19554 articles aren't displayed.
19556 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19558 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19559 make the mail groups killed.
19561 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19563 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19564 and articles have to be removed.
19566 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19569 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19571 finding short score file names takes forever.
19573 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19575 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19577 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19579 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19581 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19583 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19585 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19586 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19590 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19592 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19593 bar and the Gnus bar.
19596 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19597 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19598 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19599 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19600 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19601 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19606 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19610 postponed commands.
19612 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19614 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19617 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19618 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19620 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19621 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19623 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19625 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19626 for backends that support that.
19628 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19630 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19631 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19633 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19634 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19636 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19638 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19640 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19642 server mode command: close/open all connections
19644 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19645 has been changed before using it.
19647 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19649 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19651 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19653 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19655 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19656 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19658 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19659 contain groups that match a regexp.
19661 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19664 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19667 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19668 from subject lines.
19670 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19672 nntp-ping-before-connect
19674 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19676 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19677 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19679 message annotations.
19681 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19683 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19684 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19686 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19691 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19693 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19695 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19697 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19698 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19700 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19702 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19704 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19705 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19707 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19708 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19710 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19712 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19714 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19715 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19717 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19719 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19721 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19722 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19725 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19727 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19729 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19730 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19732 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19735 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19736 should be marker as expirable.
19738 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19740 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19741 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19743 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19744 Also consult Date headers.
19746 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19748 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19750 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19751 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19753 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19754 into a See-Also header.
19756 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19758 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19760 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19761 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19763 generate font names dynamically.
19765 score file mode auto-alist.
19767 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19768 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19770 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19771 absolutely all headers there is.
19773 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19774 and pipe them to the process.
19776 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19777 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19778 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19780 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19781 the current mail group.
19783 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19785 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19786 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19788 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19789 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19791 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19793 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19794 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19796 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19797 groups it has been mailed to.
19799 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19801 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19803 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
19805 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
19806 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
19808 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
19809 newlines) should be ignored.
19811 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
19812 groups in subtopics as well.
19814 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
19816 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
19819 add edit and forward secondary marks.
19821 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
19823 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
19825 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
19827 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
19829 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
19831 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
19832 or the formatted article.
19834 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
19836 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
19837 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
19839 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
19841 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
19843 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
19845 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
19846 even unread articles.
19848 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
19850 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19852 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19854 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19856 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19858 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19861 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19862 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19864 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19865 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19867 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19869 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19871 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19872 from a particular server? Hm.
19874 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19875 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19877 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19879 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19880 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19882 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19883 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19885 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19886 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19887 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19890 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19891 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19893 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19895 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19897 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19899 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19902 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19905 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19906 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19908 command to show and edit group scores
19910 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19913 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19915 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19917 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19918 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19921 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19922 that are of that length.
19924 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19926 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19928 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19930 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19932 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19934 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19936 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19937 a score lower than this number.
19939 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19941 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19943 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19944 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19946 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19948 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19949 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19951 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19954 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19955 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19956 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19957 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19959 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
19962 command to remove all topic stuff.
19964 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
19965 and splitting the resulting digests.
19967 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
19969 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
19971 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
19972 matches an alist -- before saving.
19974 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
19976 variable to activate each group before entering them
19977 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
19979 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
19980 starting Gnus first if necessary.
19982 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
19983 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
19985 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
19987 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
19988 of several groups at once.
19990 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
19991 matches some regexp(s).
19993 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
19995 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
19997 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
19999 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20001 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20003 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20005 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20007 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20008 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20009 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20010 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20012 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20013 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20015 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20017 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20018 recently cited text.
20020 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20022 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20025 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20026 server and just read the articles in the server
20028 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20029 value of nnoo variables.
20031 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20033 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20034 listed in each group info.
20036 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20039 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20040 should only be applied to some groups.
20042 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20043 mail-copies-to: never.
20045 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20046 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20048 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20050 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20053 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20056 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20058 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20061 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20065 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20067 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20068 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20069 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20070 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20071 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20073 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20074 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20081 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20082 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20084 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20085 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20087 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20088 "Return the date the group was last read."
20089 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20094 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20095 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20096 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20097 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20101 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20102 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20104 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20107 They could be used like this:
20111 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20112 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20113 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20115 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20117 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20120 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20123 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20124 affect the summary line format.
20128 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20130 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20131 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20133 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20136 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20138 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20140 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20142 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20144 - For other files, just find them normally.
20146 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20147 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20150 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20151 tell him what you are doing.
20154 Currently, I get prompted:
20158 decend into sci.something ?
20162 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20163 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20164 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20165 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20168 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20169 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20170 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20171 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20174 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20175 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20181 more than n blank lines
20183 more than m identical lines
20184 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20186 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20190 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20191 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20192 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20193 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20196 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20197 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20198 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20199 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20202 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20205 soup - bowl of soup
20206 score below - dim light bulb
20207 score over - bright light bulb
20210 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20215 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20216 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20217 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20218 if (articles-selected)
20219 start-reading-selected-articles;
20220 junk-unread-articles;
20225 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20226 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20227 select-thread-under-cursor;
20229 select-article-under-cursor;
20233 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20234 if (more-pages-in-article)
20236 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20243 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20244 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20245 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20248 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20249 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20250 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20251 the wildcard expression).
20254 It would be nice if it also handled
20256 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20258 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20263 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20264 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20265 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20266 article versions) variable.
20268 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20270 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20271 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20275 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20278 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20279 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20280 (message-sent-hook).
20282 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20285 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20289 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20290 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20293 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20294 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20295 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20298 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20299 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20303 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20306 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20310 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20311 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20314 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20315 value of the signature file.
20318 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20319 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20322 (setq message-tab-alist
20323 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20324 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20326 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20330 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20333 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20336 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20339 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20340 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20343 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20346 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20347 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20348 do more gathering by subject.
20351 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20352 article numerical order.
20355 (gnus-thread-total-score
20356 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20360 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20363 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20364 in the summary buffer.
20367 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20368 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20371 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20372 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20373 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20374 and/or newsgroup name.
20377 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20380 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20383 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20386 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20387 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20388 will automatically get the process mark.
20391 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20392 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20393 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20396 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20400 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20401 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20404 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20405 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20409 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20410 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20413 be able to post via DejaNews.
20416 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20419 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20420 allow them to be displayed separately.
20423 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20424 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20427 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20428 articles that match a certain From header.
20431 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20432 saving living summary buffers.
20435 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20436 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20439 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20440 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20443 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20444 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20447 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20448 (goto-char (point-min))
20449 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20450 (replace-match "`" t t))
20451 (goto-char (point-min))
20452 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20453 (replace-match "'" t t))
20454 (goto-char (point-min))
20455 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20456 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20457 (goto-char (point-min))
20458 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20459 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20464 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20466 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20467 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20468 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20469 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20473 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20476 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20477 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20481 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20482 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20483 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20485 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20486 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20488 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20489 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20494 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20495 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20498 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20499 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20501 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20503 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20504 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20507 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20508 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20511 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20515 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20516 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20519 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20522 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20525 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20528 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20532 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20538 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20541 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20545 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20546 X characters in the body.
20549 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20552 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20555 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20558 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20561 command to display all dormant articles.
20564 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20567 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20568 to something someone else has said.
20571 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20572 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20575 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20576 the displayed version.
20579 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20583 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20586 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20587 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20588 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20592 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20593 in the head or body.
20596 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20599 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20602 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20603 in a special, unique buffer.
20606 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20609 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20610 is less than a certain number of days old.
20613 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20616 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20619 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20620 file, for instance.
20623 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20624 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
20625 dummy root instead of the first article.
20628 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20629 topics for displaying.
20632 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20633 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20636 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20639 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20640 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20641 summary buffer for each article.
20644 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20647 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20651 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20654 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20658 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20661 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20664 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20665 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20668 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20669 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20672 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20673 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20676 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20677 timeout for all commands.
20680 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20681 It should go somewhere else.
20684 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20685 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20686 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20688 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20689 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20691 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20692 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20699 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20700 --text follows this line--
20701 Sorry I killfiled you...
20703 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20705 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20710 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20714 - Edit article's summary line.
20716 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20718 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20724 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20728 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20729 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20733 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20736 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20739 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20740 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20741 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20742 turn into a [-] button.)
20745 Solve the halting problem.
20754 @section The Manual
20758 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20759 either @code{texi2dvi}
20761 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20762 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20764 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20766 The following conventions have been used:
20771 This is a @samp{string}
20774 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20777 This is a @file{file}
20780 This is a @code{symbol}
20784 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20788 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20791 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20794 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20797 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20798 ever get them confused.
20802 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20803 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20804 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20805 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20806 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20807 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20808 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20814 @node On Writing Manuals
20815 @section On Writing Manuals
20817 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20818 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20819 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20820 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20821 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20822 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20825 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20826 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20827 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20830 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20831 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20836 @section Terminology
20838 @cindex terminology
20843 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20844 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20845 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20846 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20847 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20851 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20852 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20853 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20854 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20858 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20862 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20867 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20868 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20869 is all done by the backends.
20873 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20874 default, way of getting news.
20878 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20879 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20884 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20885 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20889 A message that has been posted as news.
20892 @cindex mail message
20893 A message that has been mailed.
20897 A mail message or news article
20901 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20906 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20911 A line from the head of an article.
20915 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20916 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20920 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20921 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20922 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20923 normal @sc{head} format.
20927 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20928 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20929 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20930 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20931 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20932 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20934 @item killed groups
20935 @cindex killed groups
20936 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20937 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20939 @item zombie groups
20940 @cindex zombie groups
20941 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20944 @cindex active file
20945 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20946 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20947 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20950 @cindex bogus groups
20951 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20952 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20953 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20956 @cindex activating groups
20957 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20958 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20959 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20963 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20965 @item select method
20966 @cindex select method
20967 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20970 @item virtual server
20971 @cindex virtual server
20972 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20973 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20974 whole is a virtual server.
20978 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20979 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20982 @item ephemeral groups
20983 @cindex ephemeral groups
20984 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20985 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20986 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20989 @cindex solid groups
20990 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20991 group buffer are solid groups.
20993 @item sparse articles
20994 @cindex sparse articles
20995 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20996 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21000 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21001 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21005 @cindex thread root
21006 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21007 articles in the thread.
21011 An article that has responses.
21015 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21019 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21020 specified by RFC1153.
21026 @node Customization
21027 @section Customization
21028 @cindex general customization
21030 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21031 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21032 for some quite common situations.
21035 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21036 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21037 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21038 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21042 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21043 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21045 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21046 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21047 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21051 @item gnus-read-active-file
21052 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21053 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21054 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21055 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21056 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21058 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21059 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21060 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21061 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21065 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21066 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21068 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21069 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21070 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21074 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21075 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21076 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21077 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21078 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21080 @item gnus-visible-headers
21081 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21082 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21083 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21084 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21086 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21088 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21089 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21090 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21093 @item gnus-use-full-window
21094 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21095 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21096 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21097 want to read them anyway.
21099 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21100 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21103 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21104 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21105 lines, which might save some time.
21109 @node Little Disk Space
21110 @subsection Little Disk Space
21113 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21114 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21118 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21119 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21120 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21121 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21124 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21125 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21126 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21127 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21130 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21131 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21132 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21133 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21134 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21140 @subsection Slow Machine
21141 @cindex slow machine
21143 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21144 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21146 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21147 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21149 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21150 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21151 summary buffer faster.
21155 @node Troubleshooting
21156 @section Troubleshooting
21157 @cindex troubleshooting
21159 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21167 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21170 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21171 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21175 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21176 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21177 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21178 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21181 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21185 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21186 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21187 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21188 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21189 something like that.
21192 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21195 @cindex reporting bugs
21197 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21199 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21200 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21201 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21202 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21204 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21205 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21206 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21207 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21210 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21211 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21212 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21213 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21214 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21215 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21217 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21218 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21219 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21222 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21223 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21225 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21226 @cindex ding mailing list
21227 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21228 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21232 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21233 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21235 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21236 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21237 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21238 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21241 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21242 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21243 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21244 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21245 and general methods of operation.
21248 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21249 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21250 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21251 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21252 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21253 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21254 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21255 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21256 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21260 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21261 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21262 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21263 @cindex utility functions
21265 @cindex internal variables
21267 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21268 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21269 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21273 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21274 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21275 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21277 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21278 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21279 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21281 @item gnus-group-real-name
21282 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21283 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21286 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21287 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21288 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21289 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21291 @item gnus-get-info
21292 @findex gnus-get-info
21293 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21295 @item gnus-group-unread
21296 @findex gnus-group-unread
21297 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21301 @findex gnus-active
21302 The active entry for @var{group}.
21304 @item gnus-set-active
21305 @findex gnus-set-active
21306 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21308 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21309 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21310 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21313 @item gnus-continuum-version
21314 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21315 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21316 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21319 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21320 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21321 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21323 @item gnus-news-group-p
21324 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21325 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21327 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21328 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21329 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21331 @item gnus-server-to-method
21332 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21333 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21335 @item gnus-server-equal
21336 @findex gnus-server-equal
21337 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21339 @item gnus-group-native-p
21340 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21341 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21343 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21344 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21345 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21347 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21348 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21349 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21351 @item group-group-find-parameter
21352 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21353 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21354 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21356 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21357 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21358 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21360 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21361 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21362 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21364 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21365 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21366 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21367 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21370 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21374 @item gnus-read-method
21375 @findex gnus-read-method
21376 Prompts the user for a select method.
21381 @node Backend Interface
21382 @subsection Backend Interface
21384 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21385 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21386 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21387 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21388 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21389 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21391 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21392 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21393 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21394 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21395 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21396 been opened, the function should fail.
21398 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21399 name. Take this example:
21403 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21404 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21407 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21408 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21410 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21411 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21412 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21414 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21415 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21416 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21418 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21419 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21420 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21421 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21422 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21423 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21426 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21427 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21428 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21429 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21432 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21435 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21438 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21439 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21440 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21441 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21442 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21443 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21447 @node Required Backend Functions
21448 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21452 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21454 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21455 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21456 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21457 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21459 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21460 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21461 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21462 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21464 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21465 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21466 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21467 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21468 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21469 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21470 number, do maximum fetches.
21472 Here's an example HEAD:
21475 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21476 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21477 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21478 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21479 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21480 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21481 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21483 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21484 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21485 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21489 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21490 these in the data buffer.
21492 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21496 head = error / valid-head
21497 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21498 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21499 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21500 header = <text> eol
21503 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21504 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21508 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21509 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21510 field = <text except TAB>
21513 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21517 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21519 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21520 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21522 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21523 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21524 server. In fact, it should do so.
21526 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21527 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21530 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21532 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21533 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21536 There should be no data returned.
21539 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21541 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21542 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21543 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21544 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21546 There should be no data returned.
21549 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21551 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21552 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21553 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21554 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21556 There should be no data returned.
21559 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21561 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21563 There should be no data returned.
21566 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21568 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21569 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21570 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21571 it would be nice if that were possible.
21573 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21574 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21575 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21576 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21577 into its article buffer.
21579 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21580 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21581 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21582 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21583 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21584 on successful article retrieval.
21587 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21589 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21590 making @var{group} the current group.
21592 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21595 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21598 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21601 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21602 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21603 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21604 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21605 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21606 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21607 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21608 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21611 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21612 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21613 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21617 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21619 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21620 a no-op on most backends.
21622 There should be no data returned.
21625 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21627 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21630 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21633 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21634 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21637 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21638 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21641 active-file = *active-line
21642 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21644 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21647 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21648 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21649 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21652 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21654 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21655 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21656 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21657 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21658 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21659 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21661 There should be no result data from this function.
21666 @node Optional Backend Functions
21667 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21671 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21673 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21674 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21675 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21677 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21678 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21679 former is in the same format as the data from
21680 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21681 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21684 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21688 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21690 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21691 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21692 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21693 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21694 should return the (altered) group info.
21696 There should be no result data from this function.
21699 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21701 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21702 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21703 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21704 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21705 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21706 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21707 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21708 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21710 There should be no result data from this function.
21713 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21715 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21716 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21717 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21718 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21719 propagate the mark information to the server.
21721 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21724 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21727 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21728 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21729 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21730 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21731 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21732 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21733 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21734 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21735 not limit itself to these.
21737 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21738 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21739 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21740 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21742 An example action list:
21745 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21746 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21747 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21750 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21751 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21753 There should be no result data from this function.
21755 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21757 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21758 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21759 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21760 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21761 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21763 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21764 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21765 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21768 There should be no result data from this function.
21771 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21773 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21774 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21775 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21776 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21777 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21778 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21779 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21781 There should be no result data from this function.
21784 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21786 The result data from this function should be a description of
21790 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21792 description = <text>
21795 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21797 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21798 groups available on the server.
21801 description-buffer = *description-line
21805 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21807 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21808 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21809 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21812 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21814 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21816 There should be no return data.
21819 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21821 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21822 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21823 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21824 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21825 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21828 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21831 There should be no result data returned.
21834 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21837 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21838 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21840 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21841 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21842 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21843 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21844 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21845 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21847 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21848 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21851 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21852 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21854 There should be no data returned.
21857 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21859 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21860 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21861 this function in short order.
21863 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21864 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21866 There should be no data returned.
21869 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21871 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21872 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21874 There should be no data returned.
21877 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21879 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21880 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21881 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21883 There should be no data returned.
21886 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21888 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21889 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21891 There should be no data returned.
21896 @node Error Messaging
21897 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21899 @findex nnheader-report
21900 @findex nnheader-get-report
21901 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21902 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21903 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21904 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21905 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21906 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21909 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21911 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21914 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21915 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21916 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21917 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21919 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21920 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21921 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21924 @node Writing New Backends
21925 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21927 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21928 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21929 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21930 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21931 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21934 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21935 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21936 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21938 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21939 package called @code{nnoo}.
21941 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21942 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21948 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21949 parameters. For instance:
21952 (nnoo-declare nndir
21956 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21957 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21960 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21961 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21962 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21964 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21965 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21966 a function in those backends.
21969 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21970 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21971 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21974 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21975 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21976 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21978 @item nnoo-define-basics
21979 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21983 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21987 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21988 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21989 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21991 @item nnoo-map-functions
21992 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21993 functions from the parent backends.
21996 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21997 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21998 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22001 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22002 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22003 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22004 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22007 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22008 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22009 haven't already been defined.
22015 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22019 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22020 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22021 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22026 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22029 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22030 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22034 (require 'nnheader)
22038 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22040 (nnoo-declare nndir
22043 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22044 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22045 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22047 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22048 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22051 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22052 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22053 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22055 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22056 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22058 ;;; Interface functions.
22060 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22062 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22063 (setq nndir-directory
22064 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22066 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22067 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22068 (push `(nndir-current-group
22069 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22071 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22072 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22074 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22076 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22077 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22078 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22079 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22080 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22084 nnmh-status-message
22086 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22092 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22093 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22095 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22096 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22097 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22098 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22100 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22101 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22106 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22109 The abilities can be:
22113 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22115 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22117 This backend supports both mail and news.
22119 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22122 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22123 articles and groups.
22125 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22126 true for almost all backends.
22127 @item prompt-address
22128 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22129 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22130 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22134 @node Mail-like Backends
22135 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22137 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22138 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22139 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22140 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22143 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22144 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22145 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22148 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22149 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22152 This function takes four parameters.
22156 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22159 @item exit-function
22160 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22162 @item temp-directory
22163 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22166 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22167 performed for one group only.
22170 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22171 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22172 find the article number assigned to this article.
22174 The function also uses the following variables:
22175 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22176 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22177 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22178 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22182 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22183 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22187 @node Score File Syntax
22188 @subsection Score File Syntax
22190 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22191 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22192 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22194 Here's a typical score file:
22198 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22205 BNF definition of a score file:
22208 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22209 element = rule / atom
22210 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22211 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22212 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22213 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22215 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22216 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22217 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22218 date-header = "date"
22219 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22220 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22221 score = "nil" / <integer>
22222 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22223 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22224 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22225 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22226 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22227 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22228 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22229 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22230 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22231 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22232 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22233 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22234 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22235 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22236 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22237 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22238 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22239 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22240 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22241 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22242 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22243 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22244 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22245 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22246 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22247 eval = "eval" space <form>
22248 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22251 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22254 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22255 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22256 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22257 one looong line, then that's ok.
22259 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22260 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22264 @subsection Headers
22266 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22267 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22268 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22269 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22271 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22272 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22273 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22274 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22275 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22276 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22277 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22279 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22280 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22281 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22282 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22283 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22285 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22286 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22292 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22293 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22295 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22296 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22297 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22298 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22300 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22304 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22307 is transformed into
22310 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22313 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22314 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22317 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22320 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22321 is slightly tricky:
22324 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22330 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22333 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22339 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22346 and is equal to the previous range.
22348 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22349 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22350 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22354 range = simple-range / normal-range
22355 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22356 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22357 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22358 number *[ " " contents ]
22361 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22362 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22363 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22364 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22365 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22370 @subsection Group Info
22372 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22373 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22374 describes the group.
22376 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22377 second is a more complex one:
22380 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22382 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22383 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22385 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22388 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22389 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22390 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22391 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22392 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22393 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22394 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22395 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22396 this section is about.
22398 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22399 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22400 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22402 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22405 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22406 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22407 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22408 group = quote <string> quote
22409 ralevel = rank / level
22410 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22411 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22412 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22414 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22415 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22416 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22417 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22420 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22421 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22424 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22425 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22428 @item gnus-info-group
22429 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22430 @findex gnus-info-group
22431 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22432 Get/set the group name.
22434 @item gnus-info-rank
22435 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22436 @findex gnus-info-rank
22437 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22438 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22440 @item gnus-info-level
22441 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22442 @findex gnus-info-level
22443 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22444 Get/set the group level.
22446 @item gnus-info-score
22447 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22448 @findex gnus-info-score
22449 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22450 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22452 @item gnus-info-read
22453 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22454 @findex gnus-info-read
22455 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22456 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22458 @item gnus-info-marks
22459 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22460 @findex gnus-info-marks
22461 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22462 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22464 @item gnus-info-method
22465 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22466 @findex gnus-info-method
22467 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22468 Get/set the group select method.
22470 @item gnus-info-params
22471 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22472 @findex gnus-info-params
22473 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22474 Get/set the group parameters.
22477 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22478 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22480 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22481 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22482 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22483 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22486 @node Extended Interactive
22487 @subsection Extended Interactive
22488 @cindex interactive
22489 @findex gnus-interactive
22491 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22492 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22493 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22496 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22497 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22502 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22503 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22504 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22505 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22506 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22507 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22508 @code{interactive}.
22510 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22515 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22516 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22520 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22521 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22522 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22525 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22529 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22533 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22539 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22540 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22544 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22545 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22546 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22548 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22549 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22550 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22551 Gnus, that's very useful.
22553 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22554 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22555 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22556 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22557 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22558 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22559 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22560 following function:
22563 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22567 (,function ,@@args))
22571 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22572 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22573 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22576 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22577 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22578 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22580 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22581 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22582 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22585 @node Various File Formats
22586 @subsection Various File Formats
22589 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22590 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22594 @node Active File Format
22595 @subsubsection Active File Format
22597 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22598 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22601 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22604 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22605 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22606 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22607 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22608 no.general 1000 900 y
22611 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22614 active = *group-line
22615 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22616 group = <non-white-space string>
22618 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22619 low-number = <positive integer>
22620 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22623 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22624 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22627 @node Newsgroups File Format
22628 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22630 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22631 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22632 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22635 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22636 Here's the definition:
22640 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22641 group = <non-white-space string>
22643 description = <string>
22648 @node Emacs for Heathens
22649 @section Emacs for Heathens
22651 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22652 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22653 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22654 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22655 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22656 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22657 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22661 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22662 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22667 @subsection Keystrokes
22671 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22674 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22677 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22678 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22679 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22680 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22681 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22682 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22684 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22685 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22686 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22687 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22688 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22689 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22690 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22692 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22693 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22694 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22695 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22696 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22697 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22698 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22700 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22701 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22702 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22703 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22704 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22710 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22712 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22713 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22714 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22715 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22717 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22718 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22719 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22720 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22721 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22722 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22723 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22726 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22727 write the following:
22730 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22733 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22734 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22735 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22738 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22739 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22740 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22741 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22742 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22744 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22745 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22746 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22750 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22754 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22757 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22758 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22761 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22764 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22765 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22768 @include gnus-faq.texi