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4 @settitle Pterodactyl Gnus 0.49 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Pterodactyl Gnus 0.49 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The Gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Gnus 0.49.
368 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
369 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
371 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
372 being accused of plagiarism:
374 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
375 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
376 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
377 even read news with it!
379 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
380 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
381 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
382 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
383 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
405 @chapter Starting Gnus
410 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
411 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
414 @findex gnus-other-frame
415 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
416 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
417 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
419 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
420 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
421 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
423 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
424 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
434 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
435 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 @node Finding the News
442 @section Finding the News
445 @vindex gnus-select-method
447 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
448 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
449 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
450 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
453 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
454 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
457 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
460 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
463 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
466 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
467 certainly be much faster.
469 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
471 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
472 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
473 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
474 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
475 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
476 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
478 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
479 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
480 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
481 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
483 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
484 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
485 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
486 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
487 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
488 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
490 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
492 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
493 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
494 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
495 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
496 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
497 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
499 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
501 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
502 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
503 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
504 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
505 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
506 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
509 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
510 would typically set this variable to
513 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
518 @section The First Time
519 @cindex first time usage
521 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
522 be subscribed by default.
524 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
525 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
526 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
527 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
530 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
531 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
532 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
534 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
535 help you with most common problems.
537 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
538 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
542 @node The Server is Down
543 @section The Server is Down
544 @cindex server errors
546 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
547 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
548 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
550 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
551 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
552 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
553 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
554 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
555 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
556 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
558 @findex gnus-no-server
559 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
561 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
562 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
563 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
564 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
565 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
566 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
571 @section Slave Gnusae
574 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
575 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
576 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
577 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
579 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
582 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
583 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
584 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
585 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
586 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
587 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
588 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
590 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
591 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
592 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
593 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
594 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
595 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
596 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
597 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
599 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
600 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
603 @node Fetching a Group
604 @section Fetching a Group
605 @cindex fetching a group
607 @findex gnus-fetch-group
608 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
609 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
610 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
611 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
612 It takes the group name as a parameter.
620 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
621 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
622 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
623 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
624 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
625 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
626 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
627 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
628 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
631 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
632 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
633 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
637 @node Checking New Groups
638 @subsection Checking New Groups
640 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
641 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
642 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
643 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
644 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
645 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
646 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
647 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
648 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
649 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
651 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
652 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
653 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
654 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
655 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
656 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
657 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
658 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
659 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
660 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
661 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
663 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
664 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
665 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
666 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
667 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
668 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
671 @node Subscription Methods
672 @subsection Subscription Methods
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
675 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
676 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
678 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
679 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
681 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
685 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
687 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
688 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
689 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
691 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
692 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
693 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
694 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
696 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
698 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
700 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
701 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
702 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
703 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
704 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
705 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
706 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
707 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
708 up. Or something like that.
710 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
711 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
712 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
713 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
714 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
716 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
717 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
723 A closely related variable is
724 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
725 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
726 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
727 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
730 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
731 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
733 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
736 @node Filtering New Groups
737 @subsection Filtering New Groups
739 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
740 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
741 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
744 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
747 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
748 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
749 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
750 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
751 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
752 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
753 subscribing these groups.
754 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
755 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
757 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
758 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
759 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
760 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
761 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
762 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
763 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
764 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
766 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
767 Yet another variable that meddles here is
768 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
769 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
770 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
771 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
772 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
773 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
774 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
775 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
777 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
778 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
781 @node Changing Servers
782 @section Changing Servers
783 @cindex changing servers
785 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
786 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
787 very flaky and you want to use another.
789 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
790 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
794 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
795 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
796 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
797 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
800 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
801 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
802 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
803 functions more than absolutely necessary.
805 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
806 @findex gnus-change-server
807 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
808 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
809 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
810 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
811 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
814 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
815 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
816 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
817 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
819 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
820 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
821 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
822 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
823 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
824 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
826 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
827 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
828 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
832 @section Startup Files
833 @cindex startup files
838 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
839 information is traditionally stored in this file.
841 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
842 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
843 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
844 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
845 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
846 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
847 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
849 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
850 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
851 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
852 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
853 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
854 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
856 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
857 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
858 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
859 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
860 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
861 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
863 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
864 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
865 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
866 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
867 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
868 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
869 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
870 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
871 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
872 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
873 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
874 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
876 @vindex gnus-startup-file
877 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
878 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
879 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
881 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
882 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
883 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
884 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
885 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
886 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
887 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
888 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
889 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
890 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
893 (defun turn-off-backup ()
894 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
896 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
897 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
900 @vindex gnus-init-file
901 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
902 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
903 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
904 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
905 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
906 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
907 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
908 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
909 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
918 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
919 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
920 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
921 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
922 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
925 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
926 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
929 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
930 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
931 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
933 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
934 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
935 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
936 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
937 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
938 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
940 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
941 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
942 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
945 @node The Active File
946 @section The Active File
948 @cindex ignored groups
950 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
951 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
952 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
954 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
955 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
956 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
957 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
958 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
959 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
960 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
963 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
964 @c if you set it to anything else.
966 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
968 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
969 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
970 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
972 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
973 you actually subscribe to.
975 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
976 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
977 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
978 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
980 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
981 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
982 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
983 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
984 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
985 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
987 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
988 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
989 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
990 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
991 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
992 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
994 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
995 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
997 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
998 secondary select methods.
1001 @node Startup Variables
1002 @section Startup Variables
1006 @item gnus-load-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1008 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1009 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1010 times you start Gnus.
1012 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1014 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1016 @item gnus-startup-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1018 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1020 @item gnus-started-hook
1021 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1022 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1025 @item gnus-started-hook
1026 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1027 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1028 generating the group buffer.
1030 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1031 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1032 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1033 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1034 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1035 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1036 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1037 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1039 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1040 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1041 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1042 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1043 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1044 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1046 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1047 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1048 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1050 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1051 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1052 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1054 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1055 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1056 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1057 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1062 @node The Group Buffer
1063 @chapter The Group Buffer
1064 @cindex group buffer
1066 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1067 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1068 long as Gnus is active.
1072 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1073 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1074 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1075 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1076 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1077 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1078 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1079 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1085 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1086 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1087 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1088 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1089 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1090 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1091 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1092 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1093 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1094 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1095 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1096 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1097 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1098 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1099 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1100 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1101 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1105 @node Group Buffer Format
1106 @section Group Buffer Format
1109 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1110 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1111 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1115 @node Group Line Specification
1116 @subsection Group Line Specification
1117 @cindex group buffer format
1119 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1120 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1122 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1125 25: news.announce.newusers
1126 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1131 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1132 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1133 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1134 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1136 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1137 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1138 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1139 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1140 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1141 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1143 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1145 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1146 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1147 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1148 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1151 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1152 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1153 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1155 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1160 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1163 Whether the group is subscribed.
1166 Level of subscribedness.
1169 Number of unread articles.
1172 Number of dormant articles.
1175 Number of ticked articles.
1178 Number of read articles.
1181 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1182 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1185 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1188 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1197 Newsgroup description.
1200 @samp{m} if moderated.
1203 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1212 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1216 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1219 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1220 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1221 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1222 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1223 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1226 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1228 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1232 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1236 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1237 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1238 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1239 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1240 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1241 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1246 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1247 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1248 group, or a bogus native group.
1251 @node Group Modeline Specification
1252 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1253 @cindex group modeline
1255 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1256 The mode line can be changed by setting
1257 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1258 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1262 The native news server.
1264 The native select method.
1268 @node Group Highlighting
1269 @subsection Group Highlighting
1270 @cindex highlighting
1271 @cindex group highlighting
1273 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1274 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1275 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1276 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1277 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1279 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1283 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1284 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1285 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1286 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1287 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1288 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1289 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1290 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1291 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1292 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1294 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1295 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1296 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1297 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1298 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1299 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1302 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1304 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1311 The number of unread articles in the group.
1315 Whether the group is a mail group.
1317 The level of the group.
1319 The score of the group.
1321 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1323 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1324 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1326 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1327 topic being inserted.
1330 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1331 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1332 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1334 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1335 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1336 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1337 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1338 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1341 @node Group Maneuvering
1342 @section Group Maneuvering
1343 @cindex group movement
1345 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1346 expected, hopefully.
1352 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1353 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1354 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1360 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1361 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1362 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1366 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1367 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1372 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1376 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1377 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1378 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1382 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1383 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1384 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1387 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1393 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1394 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1395 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1400 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1401 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1402 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1406 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1407 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1408 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1411 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1412 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1413 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1414 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1418 @node Selecting a Group
1419 @section Selecting a Group
1420 @cindex group selection
1425 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1426 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1427 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1428 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1429 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1430 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1431 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1432 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1433 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1434 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1438 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1439 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1440 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1441 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1442 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1446 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1447 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1448 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1449 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1450 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1451 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1452 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1453 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1454 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1455 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1458 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1459 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1460 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1461 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1462 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1465 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1466 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1467 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1468 doing any processing of its contents
1469 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1470 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1471 manner will have no permanent effects.
1475 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1476 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1477 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1478 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1479 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1480 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1481 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1482 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1485 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1486 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1487 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1488 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1493 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1494 full summary buffer.
1497 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1500 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1505 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1506 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1507 Useful functions include:
1510 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1511 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1512 don't select the article.
1514 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1515 Select the first unread article.
1517 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1518 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1522 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1523 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1524 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1528 @node Subscription Commands
1529 @section Subscription Commands
1530 @cindex subscription
1538 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1539 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1540 Toggle subscription to the current group
1541 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1547 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1548 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1549 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1550 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1556 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1557 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1558 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1564 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1565 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1568 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1569 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1570 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1571 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1572 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1578 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1579 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1583 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1584 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1587 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1588 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1589 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1590 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1591 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1592 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1593 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1594 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1595 @file{.newsrc} file.
1599 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1609 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1610 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1611 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1612 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1613 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1614 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1619 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1620 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1621 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1625 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1626 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1627 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1629 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1630 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1631 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1632 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1633 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1634 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1641 @section Group Levels
1645 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1646 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1647 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1648 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1649 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1651 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1657 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1658 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1659 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1660 prompted for a level.
1663 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1664 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1665 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1666 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1667 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1668 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1669 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1670 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1671 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1672 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1673 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1674 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1675 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1676 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1677 reasons of efficiency.
1679 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1680 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1682 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1683 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1684 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1686 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1687 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1688 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1689 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1690 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1691 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1692 relevant valid ranges.
1694 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1695 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1696 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1697 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1698 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1699 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1702 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1703 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1704 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1707 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1708 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1709 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1710 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1713 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1714 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1715 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1716 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1718 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1719 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1720 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1721 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1722 to 5. The default is 6.
1726 @section Group Score
1731 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1732 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1733 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1736 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1737 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1738 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1739 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1740 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1741 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1742 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1744 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1745 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1746 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1747 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1748 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1749 action after each summary exit, you can add
1750 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1751 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1752 slow things down somewhat.
1755 @node Marking Groups
1756 @section Marking Groups
1757 @cindex marking groups
1759 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1760 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1761 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1762 bidding on those groups.
1764 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1765 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1766 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1774 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1775 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1781 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1782 Remove the mark from the current group
1783 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1787 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1788 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1792 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1793 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1797 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1798 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1802 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1803 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1804 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1807 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1809 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1810 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1811 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1812 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1813 the command to be executed.
1816 @node Foreign Groups
1817 @section Foreign Groups
1818 @cindex foreign groups
1820 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1821 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1822 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1823 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1830 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1831 @cindex making groups
1832 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1833 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1834 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1838 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1839 @cindex renaming groups
1840 Rename the current group to something else
1841 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1842 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1848 @findex gnus-group-customize
1849 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1853 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1854 @cindex renaming groups
1855 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1856 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1860 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1861 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1862 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1866 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1867 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1868 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1872 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1874 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1875 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1880 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1881 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1885 @cindex (ding) archive
1886 @cindex archive group
1887 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1888 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1889 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1890 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1891 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1892 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1893 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1897 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1899 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1900 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1901 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1902 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1906 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1908 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1909 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1910 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1914 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1915 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1917 Make a group based on some file or other
1918 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1919 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1920 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1921 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1922 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1923 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1924 @xref{Document Groups}.
1928 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1929 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1930 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1931 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1935 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1940 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1941 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1942 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1943 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1944 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1945 @xref{Web Searches}.
1947 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1948 to a particular group by using a match string like
1949 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1952 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1953 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1954 This function will delete the current group
1955 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1956 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1957 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1958 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1959 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1963 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1964 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1965 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1969 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1970 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1971 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1974 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1977 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1978 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1979 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1980 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1981 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1982 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1986 @node Group Parameters
1987 @section Group Parameters
1988 @cindex group parameters
1990 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1991 Here's an example group parameter list:
1994 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1998 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1999 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2000 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2001 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2003 The following group parameters can be used:
2008 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2011 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2014 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2015 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2016 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2017 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2018 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2020 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2021 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2022 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2023 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2024 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2025 list address instead.
2029 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2032 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2035 It is totally ignored
2036 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2037 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2039 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2040 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2041 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2042 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2043 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2045 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2046 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2047 sending the message.
2051 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2052 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2053 of whether it has any unread articles.
2055 @item broken-reply-to
2056 @cindex broken-reply-to
2057 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2058 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2059 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2060 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2061 broken behavior. So there!
2065 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2066 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2070 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2071 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2072 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2077 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2078 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2079 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2080 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2081 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2082 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2083 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2087 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2088 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2089 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2092 @cindex total-expire
2093 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2094 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2095 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2096 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2101 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2102 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2103 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2104 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2105 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2106 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2109 @cindex score file group parameter
2110 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2111 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2112 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2115 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2116 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2117 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2118 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2121 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2122 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2123 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2124 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2127 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2128 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2132 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2135 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2140 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2141 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2142 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2146 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2147 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2148 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2150 @item @var{(variable form)}
2151 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2152 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2153 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2154 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2155 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2156 @code{eval}ed there.
2158 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2159 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2160 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2161 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2162 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2166 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2167 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2171 @node Listing Groups
2172 @section Listing Groups
2173 @cindex group listing
2175 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2183 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2184 List all groups that have unread articles
2185 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2186 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2187 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2188 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2195 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2196 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2197 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2198 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2199 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2200 unsubscribed groups).
2204 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2205 List all unread groups on a specific level
2206 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2207 with no unread articles.
2211 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2212 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2213 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2214 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2219 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2220 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2225 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2226 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2231 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2235 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2236 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2237 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2238 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2239 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2240 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2241 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2242 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2246 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2247 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2248 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2253 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2254 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2258 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2259 @cindex visible group parameter
2260 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2261 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2262 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2263 get the same effect.
2265 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2266 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2267 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2268 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2269 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2272 @node Sorting Groups
2273 @section Sorting Groups
2274 @cindex sorting groups
2276 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2277 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2278 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2279 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2280 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2281 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2286 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2287 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2288 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2290 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2291 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2292 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2294 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2295 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2296 Sort by group level.
2298 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2299 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2300 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2302 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2303 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2304 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2305 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2307 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2308 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2309 Sort by number of unread articles.
2311 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2312 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2313 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2318 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2319 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2323 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2324 some sorting criteria:
2328 @kindex G S a (Group)
2329 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2330 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2331 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2334 @kindex G S u (Group)
2335 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2336 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2337 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2340 @kindex G S l (Group)
2341 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2342 Sort the group buffer by group level
2343 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2346 @kindex G S v (Group)
2347 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2348 Sort the group buffer by group score
2349 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2352 @kindex G S r (Group)
2353 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2354 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2358 @kindex G S m (Group)
2359 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2360 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2365 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2366 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2368 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2369 commands will sort in reverse order.
2371 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2375 @kindex G P a (Group)
2376 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2377 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2378 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2381 @kindex G P u (Group)
2382 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2383 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2384 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2387 @kindex G P l (Group)
2388 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2389 Sort the groups by group level
2390 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2393 @kindex G P v (Group)
2394 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2395 Sort the groups by group score
2396 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2399 @kindex G P r (Group)
2400 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2401 Sort the groups by group rank
2402 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2405 @kindex G P m (Group)
2406 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2407 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2408 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2414 @node Group Maintenance
2415 @section Group Maintenance
2416 @cindex bogus groups
2421 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2422 Find bogus groups and delete them
2423 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2427 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2428 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2429 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2430 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2431 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2435 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2436 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2437 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2438 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2441 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2442 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2443 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2444 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2449 @node Browse Foreign Server
2450 @section Browse Foreign Server
2451 @cindex foreign servers
2452 @cindex browsing servers
2457 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2458 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2459 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2460 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2463 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2464 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2465 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2466 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2468 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2473 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2474 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2479 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2482 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2483 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2484 Enter the current group and display the first article
2485 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2488 @kindex RET (Browse)
2489 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2490 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2494 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2495 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2496 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2503 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2507 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2508 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2509 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2514 @section Exiting Gnus
2515 @cindex exiting Gnus
2517 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2522 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2523 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2524 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2525 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2529 @findex gnus-group-exit
2530 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2531 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-quit
2536 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2537 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2540 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2541 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2542 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2543 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2544 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2549 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2550 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2551 trying to customize meta-variables.
2556 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2557 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2558 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2564 @section Group Topics
2567 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2568 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2569 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2570 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2571 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2572 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2576 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2577 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2588 2: alt.religion.emacs
2591 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2593 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2594 13: comp.sources.unix
2597 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2599 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2600 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2601 is a toggling command.)
2603 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2604 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2605 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2606 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2609 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2610 the hook for the group mode:
2613 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2617 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2618 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2619 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2620 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2621 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2625 @node Topic Variables
2626 @subsection Topic Variables
2627 @cindex topic variables
2629 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2630 really neat, I think.
2632 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2633 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2634 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2647 Number of groups in the topic.
2649 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2651 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2654 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2655 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2656 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2659 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2660 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2662 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2663 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2664 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2667 @node Topic Commands
2668 @subsection Topic Commands
2669 @cindex topic commands
2671 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2672 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2673 definitions slightly.
2679 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2680 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2681 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2685 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2686 Move the current group to some other topic
2687 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2688 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2692 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2693 Copy the current group to some other topic
2694 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2695 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2699 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2700 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2701 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2702 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2703 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2704 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2705 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2708 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2709 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2713 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2714 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2715 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2719 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2720 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2721 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2725 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2726 Toggle hiding empty topics
2727 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2731 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2732 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2733 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2736 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2737 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2738 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2739 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2743 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2745 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2746 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2747 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2748 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2749 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2750 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2754 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2756 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2757 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2758 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2759 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2762 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2763 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2764 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2765 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2769 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2770 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2771 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2775 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2776 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2777 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2782 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2783 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2786 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2787 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2788 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2792 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2793 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2794 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2798 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2799 @cindex group parameters
2800 @cindex topic parameters
2802 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2803 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2809 @subsection Topic Sorting
2810 @cindex topic sorting
2812 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2818 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2819 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2820 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2821 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2824 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2825 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2826 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2827 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2830 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2831 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2832 Sort the current topic by group level
2833 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2836 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2837 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2838 Sort the current topic by group score
2839 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2842 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2843 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2844 Sort the current topic by group rank
2845 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2848 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2849 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2850 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2851 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2855 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2858 @node Topic Topology
2859 @subsection Topic Topology
2860 @cindex topic topology
2863 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2869 2: alt.religion.emacs
2872 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2874 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2875 13: comp.sources.unix
2878 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2879 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2880 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2885 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2886 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2890 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2891 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2892 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2893 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2894 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2895 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2897 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2898 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2899 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2902 @node Topic Parameters
2903 @subsection Topic Parameters
2904 @cindex topic parameters
2906 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2907 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2908 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2910 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2911 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2912 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2913 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2919 2: alt.religion.emacs
2923 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2925 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2926 13: comp.sources.unix
2930 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2931 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2932 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2933 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2934 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2935 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2937 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2938 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2939 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2940 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2941 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2943 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2944 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2945 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2946 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2947 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2948 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2949 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2950 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2953 @node Misc Group Stuff
2954 @section Misc Group Stuff
2957 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2958 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2959 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2960 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2967 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2968 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2969 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2973 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2974 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2975 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2979 @findex gnus-group-mail
2980 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2984 Variables for the group buffer:
2988 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2989 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2990 is called after the group buffer has been
2993 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2994 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2995 is called after the group buffer is
2996 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2999 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3000 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3001 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3002 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3004 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3005 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3006 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3007 whether they are empty or not.
3012 @node Scanning New Messages
3013 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3014 @cindex new messages
3015 @cindex scanning new news
3021 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3022 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3023 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3024 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3025 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3026 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3031 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3032 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3033 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3034 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3035 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3036 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3037 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3039 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3040 @cindex activating groups
3042 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3043 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3048 @findex gnus-group-restart
3049 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3050 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3051 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3055 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3056 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3058 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3059 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3063 @node Group Information
3064 @subsection Group Information
3065 @cindex group information
3066 @cindex information on groups
3073 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3074 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3077 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3078 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3079 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3080 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3081 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3082 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3083 for fetching the file.
3085 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3086 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3090 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3092 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3093 @cindex describing groups
3094 @cindex group description
3095 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3096 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3097 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3101 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3102 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3103 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3110 @findex gnus-version
3111 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3115 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3116 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3119 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3122 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3123 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3127 @node Group Timestamp
3128 @subsection Group Timestamp
3130 @cindex group timestamps
3132 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3133 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3134 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3137 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3140 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3142 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3143 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3146 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3147 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3150 This will result in lines looking like:
3153 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3154 0: custom 19961002T012713
3157 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3158 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3162 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3163 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3168 @subsection File Commands
3169 @cindex file commands
3175 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3176 @vindex gnus-init-file
3177 @cindex reading init file
3178 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3179 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3183 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3184 @cindex saving .newsrc
3185 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3186 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3187 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3190 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3191 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3192 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3197 @node The Summary Buffer
3198 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3199 @cindex summary buffer
3201 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3202 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3204 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3205 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3207 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3210 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3211 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3212 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3213 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3214 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3215 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3216 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3217 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3218 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3219 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3220 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3221 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3222 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3223 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3224 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3225 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3226 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3227 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3228 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3229 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3230 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3231 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3232 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3233 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3234 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3235 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3236 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3237 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3241 @node Summary Buffer Format
3242 @section Summary Buffer Format
3243 @cindex summary buffer format
3247 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3248 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3249 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3255 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3256 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3257 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3258 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3261 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3262 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3263 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3264 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3265 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3266 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3267 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3268 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3269 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3270 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3271 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3274 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3275 'mail-extract-address-components)
3278 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3279 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3280 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3281 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3284 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3285 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3287 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3288 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3289 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3290 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3291 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3293 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3295 The following format specification characters are understood:
3303 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3304 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3305 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3307 Full @code{From} header.
3309 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3311 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3312 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3314 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3315 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3316 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3317 may be more thorough.
3319 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3322 Number of lines in the article.
3324 Number of characters in the article.
3326 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3328 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3329 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3331 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3332 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3334 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3335 for adopted articles.
3337 One space for each thread level.
3339 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3344 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3345 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3349 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3351 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3352 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3353 default level. If the difference between
3354 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3355 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3363 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3365 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3371 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3372 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3374 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3375 article has any children.
3381 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3382 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3383 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3384 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3385 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3386 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3389 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3390 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3391 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3392 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3393 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3394 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3396 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3397 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3399 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3402 @node To From Newsgroups
3403 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3407 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3408 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3409 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3410 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3411 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3415 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3416 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3417 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3421 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3422 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3425 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3426 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3429 @findex gnus-extra-header
3430 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3431 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3432 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3435 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3439 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3440 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3441 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3442 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3443 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3444 headers are used instead.
3448 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3449 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3450 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
3452 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3455 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3457 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3458 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3459 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3460 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3465 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3466 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3468 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3469 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3470 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3471 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3473 Here are the elements you can play with:
3479 Unprefixed group name.
3481 Current article number.
3483 Current article score.
3487 Number of unread articles in this group.
3489 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3492 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3493 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3494 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3495 and no unselected ones.
3497 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3498 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3500 Subject of the current article.
3502 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3504 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3506 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3508 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3510 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3512 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3516 @node Summary Highlighting
3517 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3521 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3522 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3523 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3524 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3525 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3527 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3528 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3529 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3530 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3532 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3533 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3534 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3535 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3537 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3538 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3539 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3540 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3541 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3542 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3544 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3545 ((> score default) . bold))
3547 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3548 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3552 @node Summary Maneuvering
3553 @section Summary Maneuvering
3554 @cindex summary movement
3556 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3557 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3559 None of these commands select articles.
3564 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3565 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3566 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3567 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3568 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3572 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3573 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3574 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3575 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3576 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3581 @kindex G j (Summary)
3582 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3583 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3584 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3587 @kindex G g (Summary)
3588 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3589 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3590 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3593 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3594 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3595 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3596 to the group buffer.
3598 Variables related to summary movement:
3602 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3603 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3604 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3605 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3606 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3607 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3608 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3609 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3610 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3611 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3612 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3613 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3614 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3615 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3617 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3618 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3619 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3620 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3621 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3622 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3623 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3625 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3627 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3628 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3629 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3630 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3631 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3633 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3634 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3635 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3636 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3637 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3638 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3639 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3640 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3643 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3644 the given number of lines from the top.
3649 @node Choosing Articles
3650 @section Choosing Articles
3651 @cindex selecting articles
3654 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3655 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3659 @node Choosing Commands
3660 @subsection Choosing Commands
3662 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3663 and they all select and display an article.
3667 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3668 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3669 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3670 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3675 @kindex G n (Summary)
3676 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3677 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3678 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3683 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3684 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3685 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3690 @kindex G N (Summary)
3691 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3692 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3697 @kindex G P (Summary)
3698 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3699 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3702 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3703 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3704 Go to the next article with the same subject
3705 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3708 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3709 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3710 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3711 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3715 @kindex G f (Summary)
3717 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3718 Go to the first unread article
3719 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3723 @kindex G b (Summary)
3725 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3726 Go to the article with the highest score
3727 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3732 @kindex G l (Summary)
3733 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3734 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3737 @kindex G o (Summary)
3738 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3740 @cindex article history
3741 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3742 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3743 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3744 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3745 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3746 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3750 @node Choosing Variables
3751 @subsection Choosing Variables
3753 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3756 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3757 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3758 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3759 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3760 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3761 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3763 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3764 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3765 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3766 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3768 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3769 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3770 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3771 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3772 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3773 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3774 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3775 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3776 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3777 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3778 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3779 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3780 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3781 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3786 @node Paging the Article
3787 @section Scrolling the Article
3788 @cindex article scrolling
3793 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3794 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3795 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3796 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3797 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3800 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3801 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3802 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3805 @kindex RET (Summary)
3806 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3807 Scroll the current article one line forward
3808 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3811 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3812 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3813 Scroll the current article one line backward
3814 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3818 @kindex A g (Summary)
3820 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3821 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3822 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3823 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3824 the way it came from the server.
3829 @kindex A < (Summary)
3830 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3831 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3832 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3837 @kindex A > (Summary)
3838 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3839 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3843 @kindex A s (Summary)
3845 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3846 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3847 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3851 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3852 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3857 @node Reply Followup and Post
3858 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3861 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3862 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3866 @node Summary Mail Commands
3867 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3869 @cindex composing mail
3871 Commands for composing a mail message:
3877 @kindex S r (Summary)
3879 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3880 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3881 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3882 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3883 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3888 @kindex S R (Summary)
3889 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3890 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3891 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3892 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3893 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3896 @kindex S w (Summary)
3897 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3898 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3899 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3900 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3901 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3904 @kindex S W (Summary)
3905 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3906 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3907 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3908 the process/prefix convention.
3911 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3912 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3913 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3914 Forward the current article to some other person
3915 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3916 headers of the forwarded article.
3921 @kindex S m (Summary)
3922 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3923 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3924 Send a mail to some other person
3925 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3928 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3929 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3930 @cindex bouncing mail
3931 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3932 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3933 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3934 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3935 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3936 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3937 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3938 very well fail, though.
3941 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3942 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3943 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3944 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3945 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3946 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3947 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3948 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3949 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3950 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3952 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3953 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3954 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3955 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3956 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3958 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3959 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3962 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3963 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3964 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3965 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3966 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3969 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3970 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3971 @cindex crossposting
3972 @cindex excessive crossposting
3973 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3974 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3976 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3977 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3978 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3979 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3980 command understands the process/prefix convention
3981 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3985 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3988 @node Summary Post Commands
3989 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3991 @cindex composing news
3993 Commands for posting a news article:
3999 @kindex S p (Summary)
4000 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4001 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4002 Post an article to the current group
4003 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4008 @kindex S f (Summary)
4009 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4010 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4011 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4015 @kindex S F (Summary)
4017 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4018 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4019 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4020 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4021 process/prefix convention.
4024 @kindex S n (Summary)
4025 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4026 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4027 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4030 @kindex S N (Summary)
4031 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4032 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4033 message through mail and include the original message
4034 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4035 the process/prefix convention.
4038 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4039 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4040 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4041 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4042 headers of the forwarded article.
4045 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4046 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4048 @cindex making digests
4049 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4050 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4051 process/prefix convention.
4054 @kindex S u (Summary)
4055 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4056 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4057 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4058 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4061 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4064 @node Canceling and Superseding
4065 @section Canceling Articles
4066 @cindex canceling articles
4067 @cindex superseding articles
4069 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4070 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4072 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4074 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4076 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4077 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4078 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4079 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4080 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4081 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4083 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4084 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4087 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4088 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4089 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4091 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4092 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4093 your original article.
4095 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4097 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4098 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4099 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4102 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4103 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4104 have posted almost the same article twice.
4106 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4107 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4108 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4109 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4110 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4111 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4112 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4113 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4114 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4115 canceled/superseded.
4117 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4120 @node Marking Articles
4121 @section Marking Articles
4122 @cindex article marking
4123 @cindex article ticking
4126 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4128 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4129 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4130 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4132 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4135 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4136 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4137 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4141 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4145 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4146 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4150 @node Unread Articles
4151 @subsection Unread Articles
4153 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4158 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4159 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4161 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4162 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4163 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4164 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4165 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4169 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4170 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4172 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4173 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4174 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4177 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4178 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4180 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4185 @subsection Read Articles
4186 @cindex expirable mark
4188 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4193 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4194 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4195 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4198 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4199 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4202 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4203 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4204 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4207 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4208 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4211 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4212 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4215 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4216 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4219 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4220 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4223 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4224 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4227 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4228 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4231 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4232 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4236 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4237 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4238 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4242 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4243 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4245 One more special mark, though:
4249 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4250 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4252 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4253 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4254 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4255 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4261 @subsection Other Marks
4262 @cindex process mark
4265 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4271 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4272 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4273 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4274 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4275 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4278 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4279 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4280 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4281 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4284 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4285 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4286 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4289 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4290 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4291 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4292 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4295 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4296 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4297 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4298 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4299 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4302 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4303 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4304 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4305 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4306 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4307 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4311 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4312 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4313 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4315 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4316 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4317 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4321 @subsection Setting Marks
4322 @cindex setting marks
4324 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4329 @kindex M c (Summary)
4330 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4332 @cindex mark as unread
4333 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4334 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4340 @kindex M t (Summary)
4341 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4342 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4343 @xref{Article Caching}.
4348 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4349 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4350 Mark the current article as dormant
4351 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4355 @kindex M d (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4358 Mark the current article as read
4359 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4363 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4364 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4365 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4370 @kindex M k (Summary)
4371 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4372 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4373 and then select the next unread article
4374 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4378 @kindex M K (Summary)
4379 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4380 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4381 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4382 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4385 @kindex M C (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4387 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4388 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4391 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4393 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4394 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4397 @kindex M H (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4399 Catchup the current group to point
4400 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4403 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4404 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4405 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4406 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4409 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4411 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4412 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4416 @kindex M e (Summary)
4418 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4419 Mark the current article as expirable
4420 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4423 @kindex M b (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4425 Set a bookmark in the current article
4426 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4429 @kindex M B (Summary)
4430 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4431 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4432 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4435 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4436 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4437 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4438 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4441 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4442 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4443 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4444 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4447 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4449 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4450 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4451 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4454 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4455 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4456 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4457 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4458 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4459 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4460 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4461 The default is @code{t}.
4464 @node Setting Process Marks
4465 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4466 @cindex setting process marks
4473 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4474 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4475 Mark the current article with the process mark
4476 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4477 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4481 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4482 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4483 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4484 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4487 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4488 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4489 Remove the process mark from all articles
4490 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4493 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4494 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4495 Invert the list of process marked articles
4496 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4499 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4500 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4501 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4502 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4505 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4507 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4510 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4511 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4512 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4513 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4516 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4517 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4518 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4519 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4522 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4523 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4524 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4525 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4528 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4529 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4530 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4533 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4535 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4536 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4539 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4541 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4544 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4545 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4546 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4547 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4550 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4552 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4553 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4556 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4557 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4558 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4559 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4562 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4563 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4564 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4565 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4574 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4575 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4576 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4579 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4580 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4581 additional articles.
4587 @kindex / / (Summary)
4588 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4589 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4590 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4593 @kindex / a (Summary)
4594 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4595 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4596 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4600 @kindex / u (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4603 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4604 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4605 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4606 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4609 @kindex / m (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4611 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4612 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4615 @kindex / t (Summary)
4616 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4617 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4618 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4619 articles younger than that number of days.
4622 @kindex / n (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4624 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4625 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4626 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4629 @kindex / w (Summary)
4630 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4631 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4632 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4636 @kindex / v (Summary)
4637 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4638 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4639 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4643 @kindex M S (Summary)
4644 @kindex / E (Summary)
4645 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4646 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4647 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4650 @kindex / D (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4652 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4653 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4656 @kindex / * (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4658 Include all cached articles in the limit
4659 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4662 @kindex / d (Summary)
4663 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4664 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4665 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4668 @kindex / T (Summary)
4669 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4670 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4673 @kindex / c (Summary)
4674 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4675 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4676 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4679 @kindex / C (Summary)
4680 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4681 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4682 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4683 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4691 @cindex article threading
4693 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4694 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4695 hierarchical fashion.
4697 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4698 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4699 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4700 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4701 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4702 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4703 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4705 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4709 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4712 A tree-like article structure.
4715 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4718 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4719 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4720 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4721 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4722 called loose threads.
4724 @item thread gathering
4725 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4727 @item sparse threads
4728 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4729 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4735 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4736 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4740 @node Customizing Threading
4741 @subsection Customizing Threading
4742 @cindex customizing threading
4745 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4746 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4747 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4748 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4753 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4756 @cindex loose threads
4759 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4760 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4761 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4762 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4763 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4764 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4766 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4767 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4768 There are four possible values:
4772 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4773 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4774 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4775 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4776 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4781 @cindex adopting articles
4786 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4787 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4788 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4789 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4792 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4793 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4794 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4795 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4796 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4797 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4798 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4801 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4802 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4803 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4807 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4808 display them after one another.
4811 Don't gather loose threads.
4814 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4815 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4816 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4817 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4818 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4819 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4820 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4821 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4822 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4823 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4824 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4826 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4827 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4828 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4831 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4832 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4833 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4834 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4835 simplification is used.
4837 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4838 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4839 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4840 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4842 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4844 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4850 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4851 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4852 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4853 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4858 (mapconcat 'identity
4859 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4861 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4864 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4867 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4868 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4869 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4870 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4871 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4872 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4874 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4877 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4878 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4879 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4881 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4882 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4885 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4886 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4887 Remove excessive whitespace.
4890 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4893 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4894 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4895 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4896 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4897 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4898 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4899 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4900 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4902 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4903 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4904 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4905 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4906 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4907 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4908 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4909 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4910 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4914 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4915 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4916 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4917 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4919 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4920 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4921 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4924 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4928 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4929 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4935 @node Filling In Threads
4936 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4939 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4940 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4941 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4942 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4943 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4944 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4945 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4946 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4947 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4948 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4949 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4950 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4952 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4953 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4954 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4956 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4957 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4958 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4959 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4960 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4961 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4962 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4963 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4964 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4965 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4966 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4967 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4968 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4969 @code{nil} by default.
4974 @node More Threading
4975 @subsubsection More Threading
4978 @item gnus-show-threads
4979 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4980 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4981 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4982 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4983 slower and more awkward.
4985 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4986 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4987 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4990 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4991 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4992 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4993 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4994 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4995 threads are expunged.
4997 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4998 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4999 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5002 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5003 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5004 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5005 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5006 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5009 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5010 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5011 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5017 @node Low-Level Threading
5018 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5022 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5023 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5024 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5026 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5027 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5028 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5029 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5030 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5031 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5032 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5033 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5034 meaningful. Here's one example:
5037 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5039 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5040 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5042 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5044 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5051 @node Thread Commands
5052 @subsection Thread Commands
5053 @cindex thread commands
5059 @kindex T k (Summary)
5060 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5062 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5063 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5064 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5069 @kindex T l (Summary)
5070 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5072 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5073 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5076 @kindex T i (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5078 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5082 @kindex T # (Summary)
5083 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5084 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5085 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5088 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5089 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5090 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5091 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5094 @kindex T T (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5096 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5099 @kindex T s (Summary)
5100 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5101 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5102 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5105 @kindex T h (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5107 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5110 @kindex T S (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5112 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5115 @kindex T H (Summary)
5116 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5117 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5120 @kindex T t (Summary)
5121 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5122 Re-thread the current article's thread
5123 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5124 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5127 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5128 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5129 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5130 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5134 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5135 understand the numeric prefix.
5140 @kindex T n (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5142 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5145 @kindex T p (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5147 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5150 @kindex T d (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5152 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5155 @kindex T u (Summary)
5156 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5157 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5160 @kindex T o (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5162 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5165 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5166 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5167 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5168 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5169 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5170 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5171 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5172 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5173 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5174 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5175 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5176 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5183 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5184 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5185 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5186 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5187 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5188 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5189 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5190 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5191 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5192 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5193 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5195 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5196 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5197 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5198 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5199 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5201 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5202 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5203 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5205 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5206 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5207 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5208 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5209 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5210 ascending article order.
5212 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5213 by number, you could do something like:
5216 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5217 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5218 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5219 (reverse gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5222 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5223 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5224 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5225 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5226 which the articles arrived.
5228 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5232 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5234 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5235 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5238 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5239 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5240 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5241 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5244 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5245 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5246 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5247 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5248 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5249 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5250 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5251 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5252 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5253 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5254 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5255 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5256 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5258 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5262 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5263 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5264 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5269 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5270 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5271 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5272 @cindex article pre-fetch
5275 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5276 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5277 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5278 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5279 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5281 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5282 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5284 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5285 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5286 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5287 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5288 connection is blocked.
5290 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5291 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5292 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5293 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5295 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5296 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5297 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5298 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5301 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5304 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5305 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5306 happen automatically.
5308 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5309 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5310 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5311 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5312 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5313 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5314 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5316 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5317 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5318 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5319 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5320 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5321 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5322 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5323 data structure as the only parameter.
5325 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5328 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5329 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5330 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5331 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5334 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5337 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5338 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5339 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5341 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5342 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5343 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5344 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5348 Remove articles when they are read.
5351 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5354 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5356 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5357 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5358 @c from the next group.
5361 @node Article Caching
5362 @section Article Caching
5363 @cindex article caching
5366 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5367 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5368 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5369 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5370 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5372 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5374 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5375 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5376 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5377 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5378 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5379 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5380 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5381 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5383 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5384 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5385 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5386 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5387 as dormant, and don't worry.
5389 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5391 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5392 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5393 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5394 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5395 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5396 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5397 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5398 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5399 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5400 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5402 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5403 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5404 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5405 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5406 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5407 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5408 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5409 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5410 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5411 not then be downloaded by this command.
5413 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5414 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5415 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5416 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5417 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5418 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5420 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5421 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5422 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5423 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5424 variables, the group is not cached.
5426 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5427 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5428 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5429 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5430 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5431 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5432 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5433 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5434 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5438 @node Persistent Articles
5439 @section Persistent Articles
5440 @cindex persistent articles
5442 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5443 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5444 useful in my opinion.
5446 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5447 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5448 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5449 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5450 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5451 the expiry going on at the news server.
5453 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5454 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5455 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5461 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5462 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5465 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5466 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5467 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5468 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5472 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5474 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5475 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5476 interested in persistent articles:
5479 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5483 @node Article Backlog
5484 @section Article Backlog
5486 @cindex article backlog
5488 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5489 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5490 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5491 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5492 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5493 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5494 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5495 increase memory usage some.
5497 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5498 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5499 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5500 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5501 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5502 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5503 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5505 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5508 @node Saving Articles
5509 @section Saving Articles
5510 @cindex saving articles
5512 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5513 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5514 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5515 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5516 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5518 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5519 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5520 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5522 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5523 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5524 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5525 deleted before saving.
5531 @kindex O o (Summary)
5533 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5534 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5535 Save the current article using the default article saver
5536 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5539 @kindex O m (Summary)
5540 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5541 Save the current article in mail format
5542 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5545 @kindex O r (Summary)
5546 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5547 Save the current article in rmail format
5548 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5551 @kindex O f (Summary)
5552 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5553 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5554 Save the current article in plain file format
5555 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5558 @kindex O F (Summary)
5559 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5560 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5561 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5564 @kindex O b (Summary)
5565 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5566 Save the current article body in plain file format
5567 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5570 @kindex O h (Summary)
5571 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5572 Save the current article in mh folder format
5573 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5576 @kindex O v (Summary)
5577 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5578 Save the current article in a VM folder
5579 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5582 @kindex O p (Summary)
5583 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5584 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5585 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5588 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5589 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5590 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5591 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5592 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5593 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5594 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5595 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5596 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5597 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5598 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5599 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5603 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5604 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5605 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
5606 functions below, or you can create your own.
5610 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5611 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5612 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5613 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5614 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5615 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5616 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5618 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5619 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5620 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5621 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5622 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5623 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5625 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5626 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5627 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5628 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5629 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5630 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5631 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5633 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5634 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5635 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5636 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5637 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5639 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5640 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5641 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5642 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5643 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5646 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5647 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5648 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5649 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5650 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5652 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5653 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5654 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5655 reader to use this setting.
5658 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5659 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5660 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5661 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5664 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5665 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5666 available functions that generate names:
5670 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5671 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5672 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5674 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5675 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5676 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5678 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5679 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5680 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5682 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5683 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5684 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5687 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5688 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5689 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5690 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5691 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5695 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5696 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5697 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5698 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5701 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5702 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5703 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5704 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5705 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5706 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5707 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5708 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5709 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5711 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5712 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5713 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5714 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5716 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5717 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5718 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5721 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5722 lots of mail groups called things like
5723 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5724 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5725 following will do just that:
5728 (defun my-save-name (group)
5729 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5730 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5732 (setq gnus-split-methods
5733 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5738 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5739 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5740 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5741 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5742 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5743 all the files in the top level directory
5744 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5745 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5746 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5747 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5749 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5750 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5751 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5752 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5753 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5756 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5760 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5761 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5764 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5765 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5766 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5767 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5770 @node Decoding Articles
5771 @section Decoding Articles
5772 @cindex decoding articles
5774 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5775 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5778 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5779 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5780 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5781 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5782 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5783 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5787 @cindex article series
5788 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5789 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5790 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5791 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5792 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5794 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5795 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5796 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5798 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5799 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5800 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5802 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5803 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5804 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5807 @node Uuencoded Articles
5808 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5810 @cindex uuencoded articles
5815 @kindex X u (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5817 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5818 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5821 @kindex X U (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5823 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5824 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5827 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5829 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5832 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5834 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5835 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5839 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5840 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5841 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5842 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5843 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5845 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5846 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5847 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5848 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5851 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5852 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5853 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5854 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5855 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5856 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5860 @node Shell Archives
5861 @subsection Shell Archives
5863 @cindex shell archives
5864 @cindex shared articles
5866 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5867 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5868 some commands to deal with these:
5873 @kindex X s (Summary)
5874 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5875 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5878 @kindex X S (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5880 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5883 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5884 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5885 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5888 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5889 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5890 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5891 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5895 @node PostScript Files
5896 @subsection PostScript Files
5902 @kindex X p (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5904 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5907 @kindex X P (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5909 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5910 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5913 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5915 View the current PostScript series
5916 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5919 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5921 View and save the current PostScript series
5922 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5927 @subsection Other Files
5931 @kindex X o (Summary)
5932 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5933 Save the current series
5934 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5937 @kindex X b (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5939 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5940 doesn't really work yet.
5944 @node Decoding Variables
5945 @subsection Decoding Variables
5947 Adjective, not verb.
5950 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5951 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5952 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5956 @node Rule Variables
5957 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5958 @cindex rule variables
5960 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5961 variables are of the form
5964 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5971 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5972 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5974 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5975 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5978 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5979 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5982 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5983 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5984 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5985 user and default view rules.
5987 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5988 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5989 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5994 @node Other Decode Variables
5995 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5998 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6000 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6001 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6002 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6003 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6004 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6008 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6009 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6012 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6013 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6014 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6017 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6018 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6019 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6020 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6021 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6024 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6025 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6026 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6028 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6029 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6030 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6031 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6032 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6035 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6036 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6037 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6039 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6040 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6041 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6042 looking for files to display.
6044 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6045 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6046 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6049 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6050 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6051 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6054 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6055 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6056 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6059 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6060 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6061 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6064 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6065 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6066 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6067 decoded articles as unread.
6069 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6070 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6071 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6072 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6074 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6075 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6076 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6078 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6079 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6081 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6082 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6083 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6084 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6086 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6087 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6088 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6089 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6090 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6091 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6092 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6093 simply dropped them.
6098 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6099 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6103 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6104 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6105 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6106 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6107 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6108 for you when you post the article.
6110 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6111 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6112 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6113 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6115 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6116 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6117 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6118 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6119 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6120 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6121 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6123 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6124 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6125 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6126 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6127 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6128 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6129 Default is @code{t}.
6135 @subsection Viewing Files
6136 @cindex viewing files
6137 @cindex pseudo-articles
6139 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6140 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6141 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6142 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6143 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6144 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6145 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6147 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6148 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6149 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6150 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6152 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6153 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6154 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6156 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6157 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6158 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6159 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6160 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6162 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6163 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6164 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6165 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6166 a list of parameters to that command.
6168 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6169 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6170 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6172 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6173 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6174 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6177 @node Article Treatment
6178 @section Article Treatment
6180 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6181 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6182 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6183 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6184 these articles easier.
6187 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6188 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6189 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6190 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6191 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6192 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6193 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6197 @node Article Highlighting
6198 @subsection Article Highlighting
6199 @cindex highlighting
6201 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6202 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6207 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6209 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6210 Do much highlighting of the current article
6211 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6212 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6214 Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
6215 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
6216 This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
6217 signature and adds buttons.
6220 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6221 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6222 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6223 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6224 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6225 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6226 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6227 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6228 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6229 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6230 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6233 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6235 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6237 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6240 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6242 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6243 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6244 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6246 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6247 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6248 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6250 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6251 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6252 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6254 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6255 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6256 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6257 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6258 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6259 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6261 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6262 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6263 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6265 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6266 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6267 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6269 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6270 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6271 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6272 that it's a citation.
6274 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6275 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6276 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6278 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6279 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6280 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6282 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6283 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6284 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6285 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6291 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6292 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6293 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6294 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6295 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6296 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6297 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6298 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6303 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6306 @node Article Fontisizing
6307 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6309 @cindex article emphasis
6311 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6312 @kindex W e (Summary)
6313 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6314 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6315 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6316 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6318 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6319 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6320 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6321 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6322 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6323 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6324 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6325 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6329 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6330 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6331 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6334 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6335 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6336 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6337 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6338 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6339 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6340 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6341 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6342 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6343 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6344 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6345 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6346 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6348 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6349 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6350 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6354 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6357 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6360 @node Article Hiding
6361 @subsection Article Hiding
6362 @cindex article hiding
6364 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6365 too much cruft in most articles.
6370 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6371 @findex gnus-article-hide
6372 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6373 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6374 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6377 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6379 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6383 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6385 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6386 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6389 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6390 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6391 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6395 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6397 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6398 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6399 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6400 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6401 articles that have signatures in them do:
6403 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6405 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp)
6407 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6408 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6410 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6413 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6418 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6420 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6421 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6424 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6426 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6427 customizing the hiding:
6431 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6432 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6433 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6434 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6435 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6436 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6437 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6442 Starting point of the hidden text.
6444 Ending point of the hidden text.
6446 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6448 Number of lines of hidden text.
6451 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6452 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6453 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6458 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6459 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6461 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6462 following two variables:
6465 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6466 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6467 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6468 50), hide the cited text.
6470 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6471 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6472 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6477 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6478 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6479 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6480 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6481 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6482 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6486 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6487 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6488 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6490 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6491 citation customization.
6493 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6497 @node Article Washing
6498 @subsection Article Washing
6500 @cindex article washing
6502 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6503 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6505 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6506 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6512 @kindex W l (Summary)
6513 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6514 Remove page breaks from the current article
6515 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6519 @kindex W r (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6521 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6522 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6523 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6524 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6525 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6527 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6528 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6529 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6530 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6533 @kindex W t (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6535 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6536 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6539 @kindex W v (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6541 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6542 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6545 @kindex W m (Summary)
6546 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6547 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6548 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6551 @kindex W o (Summary)
6552 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6553 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6556 @kindex W d (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6558 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6560 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6562 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6563 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6564 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6567 @kindex W w (Summary)
6568 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6569 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6570 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6571 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6573 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6577 @kindex W c (Summary)
6578 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6579 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6580 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6581 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6582 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6585 @kindex W q (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6587 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6588 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6589 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6590 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6594 @kindex W f (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6597 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6598 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6599 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6605 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6606 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6607 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6608 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6609 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6610 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6611 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6612 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6613 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6614 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6615 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6616 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6617 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6618 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6622 @kindex W b (Summary)
6623 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6624 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6625 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6628 @kindex W B (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6630 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6631 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6634 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6635 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6636 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6637 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6640 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6641 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6642 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6643 lines with a single empty line.
6644 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6647 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6649 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6650 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6653 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6655 Do all the three commands above
6656 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6659 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6661 Remove all blank lines
6662 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6665 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6666 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6667 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6668 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6672 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6675 @node Article Buttons
6676 @subsection Article Buttons
6679 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6680 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6681 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6682 button on these references.
6684 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6685 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6686 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6691 @item gnus-button-alist
6692 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6693 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6696 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6702 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6703 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6704 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6707 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6708 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6709 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6712 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6713 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6714 avoid false matches.
6717 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6720 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6721 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6725 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6728 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6731 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6732 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6733 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6734 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6735 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6738 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6741 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6743 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6744 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6745 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6746 default values of the variables above.
6748 @item gnus-article-button-face
6749 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6750 Face used on buttons.
6752 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6753 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6754 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6758 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6762 @subsection Article Date
6764 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6765 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6766 when the article was sent.
6771 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6772 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6773 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6774 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6777 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6778 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6780 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6781 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6784 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6785 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6786 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6789 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6790 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6791 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6792 @findex format-time-string
6793 Display the date using a user-defined format
6794 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6795 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6796 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6797 for a list of possible format specs.
6800 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6801 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6802 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6803 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6804 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6805 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6806 updated continually, you can put
6809 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6812 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6813 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6817 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6818 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6819 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6820 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6821 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6822 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6823 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6827 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6828 preferred format automatically.
6831 @node Article Signature
6832 @subsection Article Signature
6834 @cindex article signature
6836 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6837 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6838 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6839 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6840 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6841 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6842 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6843 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6844 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6847 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6848 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6849 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6850 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6851 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6852 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6853 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6854 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6857 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6860 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6861 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6866 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6869 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6872 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6873 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6875 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6876 in question is not a signature.
6879 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6880 listed above. Here's an example:
6883 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6884 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6887 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6888 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6889 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6890 signature after all.
6894 @section MIME Commands
6895 @cindex MIME decoding
6899 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6900 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6901 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6904 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6905 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6906 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6908 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6909 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6910 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6911 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6912 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6913 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
6916 @kindex W M v (Summary)
6917 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
6918 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
6925 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
6926 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
6927 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
6928 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
6931 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
6934 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
6938 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
6939 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
6940 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
6941 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
6942 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
6943 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
6944 save all jpegs into some directory).
6946 Here's an example function the does the latter:
6949 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
6950 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
6952 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
6953 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
6954 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
6955 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
6956 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
6962 @node Article Commands
6963 @section Article Commands
6970 @kindex A P (Summary)
6971 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6972 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6973 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6974 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6975 run just before printing the buffer.
6980 @node Summary Sorting
6981 @section Summary Sorting
6982 @cindex summary sorting
6984 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6985 can't really see why you'd want that.
6990 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6991 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6992 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6995 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6996 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6997 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7000 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7001 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7002 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7005 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7006 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7007 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7010 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7011 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7012 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7015 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7016 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7017 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7020 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7021 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7022 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7023 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7024 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7028 @node Finding the Parent
7029 @section Finding the Parent
7030 @cindex parent articles
7031 @cindex referring articles
7036 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7037 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7038 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7039 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7040 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7041 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7042 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7043 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7044 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7046 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7047 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7048 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7049 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7050 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7054 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7055 @kindex A R (Summary)
7056 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7057 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7060 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7061 @kindex A T (Summary)
7062 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7063 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7064 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7065 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7066 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7067 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7068 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7070 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7071 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7072 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7073 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7074 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7075 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7078 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7079 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7081 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7082 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7083 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7084 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7085 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7086 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7087 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7090 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7091 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7092 by giving this command a prefix.
7094 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7095 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7096 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7097 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7098 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7099 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7102 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7103 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7104 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7105 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7106 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7107 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7110 @node Alternative Approaches
7111 @section Alternative Approaches
7113 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7114 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7117 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7118 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7123 @subsection Pick and Read
7124 @cindex pick and read
7126 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7127 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7128 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7129 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7131 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7132 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7133 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7134 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7135 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7136 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7138 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7143 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7144 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7145 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7146 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7147 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7148 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7149 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7150 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7153 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7154 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7155 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7156 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7160 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7161 Unpick the thread or article
7162 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7163 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7164 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7165 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7166 the thread or article at that line.
7170 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7171 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7172 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7173 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7174 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7175 will still be visible when you are reading.
7179 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7180 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7181 which is mapped to the same function
7182 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7184 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7187 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7190 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7191 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7193 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7194 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7195 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7197 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7198 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7199 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7200 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7201 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7202 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7203 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7207 @subsection Binary Groups
7208 @cindex binary groups
7210 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7211 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7212 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7213 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7214 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7215 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7216 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7219 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7220 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7221 command, when you have turned on this mode
7222 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7224 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7225 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7229 @section Tree Display
7232 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7233 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
7234 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7235 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7238 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7241 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7242 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7243 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7245 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7246 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7247 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7248 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7249 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7251 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7252 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7253 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7254 default is @code{modeline}.
7256 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7257 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7258 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7259 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7260 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7261 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7262 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7268 The name of the poster.
7270 The @code{From} header.
7272 The number of the article.
7274 The opening bracket.
7276 The closing bracket.
7281 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7283 Variables related to the display are:
7286 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7287 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7288 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7289 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7290 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7291 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7293 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7294 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7295 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7296 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7300 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7301 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7302 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7303 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7304 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7305 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7306 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7307 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7308 other windows displayed next to it.
7310 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7311 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7312 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7313 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7314 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7315 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7316 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7320 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7323 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7333 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7337 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7338 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7340 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7342 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7347 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7348 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7349 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7352 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7353 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7354 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7355 (gnus-add-configuration
7359 (summary 0.75 point)
7364 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7367 @node Mail Group Commands
7368 @section Mail Group Commands
7369 @cindex mail group commands
7371 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7372 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7374 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7375 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7380 @kindex B e (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7382 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7383 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7386 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7387 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7388 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7389 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7390 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7391 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7394 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7396 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7397 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7398 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7399 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7402 @kindex B m (Summary)
7404 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7405 Move the article from one mail group to another
7406 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7409 @kindex B c (Summary)
7411 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7412 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7413 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7414 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7417 @kindex B B (Summary)
7418 @cindex crosspost mail
7419 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7420 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7421 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7422 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7423 be properly updated.
7426 @kindex B i (Summary)
7427 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7428 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7429 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7430 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7433 @kindex B r (Summary)
7434 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7435 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7436 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7437 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7438 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7442 @kindex B w (Summary)
7444 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7445 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7446 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7447 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7448 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7449 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7452 @kindex B q (Summary)
7453 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7454 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7455 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7456 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7459 @kindex B t (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7461 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7462 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7465 @kindex B p (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7467 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7468 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7469 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7470 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7471 article from your news server (or rather, from
7472 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7473 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7474 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7475 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7476 just not have arrived yet.
7480 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7481 @cindex moving articles
7482 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7483 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7484 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7485 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7486 suggestions you find reasonable.
7489 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7490 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7491 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7492 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7496 @node Various Summary Stuff
7497 @section Various Summary Stuff
7500 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7501 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7502 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7503 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7507 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7508 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7509 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7511 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7512 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7513 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7514 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7515 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7516 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7519 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7520 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7521 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7522 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7523 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7525 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7526 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7527 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7530 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7531 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7532 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7533 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7534 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7535 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7536 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7537 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7538 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7539 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7544 @node Summary Group Information
7545 @subsection Summary Group Information
7550 @kindex H f (Summary)
7551 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7552 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7553 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7554 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7555 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7556 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7557 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7558 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7559 be used for fetching the file.
7562 @kindex H d (Summary)
7563 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7564 Give a brief description of the current group
7565 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7566 rereading the description from the server.
7569 @kindex H h (Summary)
7570 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7571 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7572 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7575 @kindex H i (Summary)
7576 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7577 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7581 @node Searching for Articles
7582 @subsection Searching for Articles
7587 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7588 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7589 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7590 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7593 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7594 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7595 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7596 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7600 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7601 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7602 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7603 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7607 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7608 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7609 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7610 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7613 @node Summary Generation Commands
7614 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7619 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7620 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7621 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7624 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7625 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7626 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7627 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7632 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7633 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7638 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7639 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7640 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7641 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7642 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7643 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7644 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7645 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7646 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7650 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7651 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7652 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7653 several documents into one biiig group
7654 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7655 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7656 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7657 command understands the process/prefix convention
7658 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7661 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7662 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7663 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7664 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7665 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7666 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7670 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7671 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7672 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7675 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7676 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7677 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7678 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7683 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7684 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7685 @cindex summary exit
7686 @cindex exiting groups
7688 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7689 group and return you to the group buffer.
7695 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7698 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7699 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7700 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7701 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7702 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7703 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7704 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7705 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7706 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7707 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7711 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7713 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7714 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7715 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7719 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7721 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7722 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7723 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7724 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7727 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7728 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7729 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7730 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7733 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7734 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7735 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7736 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7739 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7740 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7741 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7742 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7743 all articles, both read and unread.
7747 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7748 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7750 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7751 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7752 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7753 articles, both read and unread.
7756 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7757 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7758 Exit the group and go to the next group
7759 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7762 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7763 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7764 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7765 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7768 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7769 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7770 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7771 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7772 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7773 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7776 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7777 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7780 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7781 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7782 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7783 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7784 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7785 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7786 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7787 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7788 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7789 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7790 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7791 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7793 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7795 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7796 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7797 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7798 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7799 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7800 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7801 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7802 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7803 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7806 @node Crosspost Handling
7807 @section Crosspost Handling
7811 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7812 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7813 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7814 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7815 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7816 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7819 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7820 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7821 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7822 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7823 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7825 @cindex cross-posting
7828 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7829 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7830 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7831 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7832 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7833 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7834 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7835 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7836 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7837 the cross reference mechanism.
7839 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7840 @cindex overview.fmt
7841 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7842 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7843 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7844 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7845 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7846 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7849 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7850 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7851 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7856 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7859 @node Duplicate Suppression
7860 @section Duplicate Suppression
7862 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7863 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7864 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7865 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7870 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7871 is evil and not very common.
7874 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7875 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7878 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7879 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7882 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7885 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7886 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7888 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7889 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7890 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7891 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7892 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7893 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7894 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7897 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7898 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7899 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7900 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7901 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7905 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7906 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7907 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7909 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7910 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7911 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7912 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7913 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7914 session are suppressed.
7916 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7917 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7918 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7919 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7921 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7922 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7923 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7924 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7927 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7928 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7929 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7930 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7931 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7932 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7933 to you to figure out, I think.
7936 @node The Article Buffer
7937 @chapter The Article Buffer
7938 @cindex article buffer
7940 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7941 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7942 tell Gnus otherwise.
7945 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7946 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7947 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7948 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7949 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7953 @node Hiding Headers
7954 @section Hiding Headers
7955 @cindex hiding headers
7956 @cindex deleting headers
7958 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7959 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7961 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7962 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7963 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7964 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7965 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7966 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7967 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7968 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7969 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7971 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7975 @item gnus-visible-headers
7976 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7977 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7978 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7979 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7981 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7982 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7985 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7988 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7991 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7992 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7993 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7994 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7995 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7996 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7998 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7999 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8002 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8005 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8008 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8009 variable will have no effect.
8013 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8014 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8015 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8016 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8017 the headers are to be displayed.
8019 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8020 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8023 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8026 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8027 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8029 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8030 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8031 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8032 You can hide further boring headers by entering
8033 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
8034 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
8035 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
8036 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
8037 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
8039 These conditions are:
8042 Remove all empty headers.
8044 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8045 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8047 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8050 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8053 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8056 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8058 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8061 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8064 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8065 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8068 This is also the default value for this variable.
8072 @section Using @sc{mime}
8075 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8076 while people stand around yawning.
8078 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8079 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8081 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8082 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8083 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8085 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
8086 @findex gnus-display-mime
8087 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
8088 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
8089 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
8090 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
8092 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
8096 @findex gnus-article-press-button
8098 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
8099 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
8100 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
8102 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
8103 @item M-RET (Article)
8105 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
8106 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
8108 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
8110 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
8111 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
8113 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
8115 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
8116 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
8118 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
8120 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
8123 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
8124 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
8127 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
8128 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
8129 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
8130 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
8131 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
8132 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
8133 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
8134 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
8135 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
8137 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8140 @node Customizing Articles
8141 @section Customizing Articles
8142 @cindex article customization
8144 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8145 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
8146 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
8147 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
8149 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8150 @findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
8151 By default this hook just contains
8152 @code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
8153 @code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
8154 and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
8155 @code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
8156 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
8157 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
8158 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
8159 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
8160 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
8162 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
8163 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
8164 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
8165 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
8166 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8169 @node Article Keymap
8170 @section Article Keymap
8172 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8173 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8174 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8175 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8178 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8183 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8184 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8185 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8188 @kindex DEL (Article)
8189 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8190 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8193 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8194 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8195 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8196 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8197 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8200 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8201 @findex gnus-article-mail
8202 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8203 given a prefix, include the mail.
8207 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8208 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8209 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8213 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8214 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8215 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8218 @kindex TAB (Article)
8219 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8220 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8221 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8224 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8225 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8226 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8232 @section Misc Article
8236 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8237 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8238 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8239 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8242 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8243 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8245 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8246 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8248 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8249 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8250 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8251 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8252 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8253 the contents of the article buffer.
8255 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8256 @item gnus-article-display-hook
8257 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
8258 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
8259 hiding headers, and the like.
8261 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8262 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8263 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8265 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8266 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8267 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8268 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8270 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8271 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8272 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8273 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8274 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8279 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8280 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8284 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8286 @item gnus-break-pages
8287 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8288 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8289 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8290 paging will not be done.
8292 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8293 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8294 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8299 @node Composing Messages
8300 @chapter Composing Messages
8301 @cindex composing messages
8304 @cindex sending mail
8309 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8310 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8311 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8312 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8313 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8314 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8315 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8318 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8319 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8320 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8321 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8322 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8323 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8324 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8325 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8328 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8329 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8335 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8338 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8339 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8340 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8341 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8343 @item gnus-add-to-list
8344 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8345 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8346 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8354 Variables for composing news articles:
8357 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8358 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8359 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8360 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8361 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8362 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8363 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8364 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8365 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8368 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8369 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8370 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8371 file. It is 1000 by default.
8376 @node Posting Server
8377 @section Posting Server
8379 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8380 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8382 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8384 @vindex gnus-post-method
8386 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8387 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8388 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8389 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8390 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8393 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8396 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8397 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8398 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8399 the ``current'' server for posting.
8401 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8402 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8404 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8405 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8408 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8409 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8410 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8415 @section Mail and Post
8417 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8421 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8422 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8423 @cindex mailing lists
8425 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8426 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8427 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8428 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8429 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8430 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8431 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8432 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8433 still a pain, though.
8437 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8438 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8439 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8442 @findex ispell-message
8444 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8448 @node Archived Messages
8449 @section Archived Messages
8450 @cindex archived messages
8451 @cindex sent messages
8453 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8454 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8455 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8456 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8459 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8460 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8461 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8465 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8466 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8467 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8468 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8471 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8472 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8473 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8474 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8477 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8478 '(nnfolder "archive"
8479 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8480 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8481 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8484 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8486 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8487 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8488 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8490 This variable can be used to do the following:
8494 Messages will be saved in that group.
8495 @item a list of strings
8496 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8497 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8498 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8500 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8505 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8507 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8510 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8512 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8515 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8517 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8518 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8519 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8520 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8525 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8526 '((if (message-news-p)
8531 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8532 messages in one file per month:
8535 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8536 '((if (message-news-p)
8538 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8539 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8542 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8543 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8545 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8546 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8547 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8548 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8549 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8550 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8551 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8552 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8553 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8554 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8556 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8557 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8558 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8559 this will disable archiving.
8562 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8563 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8564 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8565 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8566 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8569 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8570 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8571 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8574 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8575 but the latter is the preferred method.
8579 @node Posting Styles
8580 @section Posting Styles
8581 @cindex posting styles
8584 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8586 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8587 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8588 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8591 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8592 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8593 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8594 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8595 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8600 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8601 (organization "What me?"))
8603 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8604 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8605 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8608 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8609 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8610 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8611 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8612 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8613 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8614 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8615 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8617 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8618 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8619 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8620 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8621 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8622 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8625 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8626 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8627 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8628 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8629 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8630 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8633 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8634 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8635 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8637 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8638 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8639 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8640 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8642 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8643 @vindex message-this-is-news
8645 So here's a new example:
8648 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8650 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8652 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8653 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8655 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8656 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8657 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8658 (message-this-is-news
8659 (signature my-news-signature))
8660 (posting-from-work-p
8661 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8662 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8663 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8664 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8666 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8674 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8675 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8676 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8677 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8678 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8680 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8681 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8682 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8683 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8684 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8688 @vindex nndraft-directory
8689 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8690 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8691 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8692 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8693 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8694 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8696 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8697 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8700 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8701 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8702 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8703 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8704 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8705 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8706 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8707 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8708 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8709 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8710 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8711 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8712 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8713 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8715 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8716 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8717 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8719 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8721 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8722 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8723 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8725 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8728 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8729 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8730 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8731 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8732 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8733 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8734 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8737 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8738 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8739 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8742 @node Rejected Articles
8743 @section Rejected Articles
8744 @cindex rejected articles
8746 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8747 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8748 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8749 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8751 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8752 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8753 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8754 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8755 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8757 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8758 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8759 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8762 @node Select Methods
8763 @chapter Select Methods
8764 @cindex foreign groups
8765 @cindex select methods
8767 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8768 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8769 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8770 personal mail group.
8772 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8773 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8774 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8775 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8776 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8777 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8779 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8780 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8782 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8785 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8786 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8787 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8788 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8789 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8791 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8794 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8795 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8796 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8797 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8798 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8799 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8803 @node The Server Buffer
8804 @section The Server Buffer
8806 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8807 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8808 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8809 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8810 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8811 backend represents a virtual server.
8813 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8814 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8815 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8816 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8818 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8819 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8820 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8821 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8822 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8823 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8824 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8826 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8827 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8830 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8831 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8832 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8833 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8834 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8835 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8836 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8839 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8840 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8843 @node Server Buffer Format
8844 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8845 @cindex server buffer format
8847 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8848 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8849 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8850 variable, with some simple extensions:
8855 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8858 The name of this server.
8861 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8864 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8867 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8868 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8869 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8870 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8880 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8883 @node Server Commands
8884 @subsection Server Commands
8885 @cindex server commands
8891 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8892 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8896 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8897 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8900 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8901 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8902 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8906 @findex gnus-server-exit
8907 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8911 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8912 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8916 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8917 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8921 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8922 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8926 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8927 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8931 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8932 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8933 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8938 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8939 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8940 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8941 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8946 @node Example Methods
8947 @subsection Example Methods
8949 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8952 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8955 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8961 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8962 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8965 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8966 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8968 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8969 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8973 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8976 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8977 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8979 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8980 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8981 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8985 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8988 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8991 Here's the method for a public spool:
8995 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8996 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8999 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9000 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9001 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9002 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9003 should probably look something like this:
9007 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9008 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9009 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9010 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9011 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9014 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9015 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9016 server that would look something like this:
9020 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9021 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9022 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9023 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9024 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9025 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9028 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9029 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9030 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9031 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9034 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9035 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9037 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9038 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9040 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9041 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9042 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9044 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9046 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9047 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9048 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9049 will contain the following:
9059 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9060 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9061 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9064 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9065 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9066 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9069 @node Server Variables
9070 @subsection Server Variables
9072 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9073 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9074 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9075 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9076 won't change the "derived" variables.
9078 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9079 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9080 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9081 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9082 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9083 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9084 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9085 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9086 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9090 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9091 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9092 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9096 @node Servers and Methods
9097 @subsection Servers and Methods
9099 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9100 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9101 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9102 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9106 @node Unavailable Servers
9107 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9109 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9110 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9111 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9112 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9113 actually the case or not.
9115 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9116 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9117 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9118 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9119 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9120 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9121 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9122 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9124 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9125 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9127 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9128 with the following commands:
9134 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9135 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9136 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9140 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9141 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9142 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9146 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9147 Mark the current server as unreachable
9148 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9151 @kindex M-o (Server)
9152 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9153 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9154 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9157 @kindex M-c (Server)
9158 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9159 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9160 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9164 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9165 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9166 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9172 @section Getting News
9173 @cindex reading news
9174 @cindex news backends
9176 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9177 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9178 or it can read from a local spool.
9181 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9182 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9187 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9190 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9191 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9192 server as the, uhm, address.
9194 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9195 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9196 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9197 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9199 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9200 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9201 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9203 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9208 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9209 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9210 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9212 @cindex authentification
9213 @cindex nntp authentification
9214 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9215 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9216 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9217 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9218 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9219 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9220 present in this hook.
9222 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9223 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9224 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9225 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9226 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9227 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9228 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9229 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9230 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9231 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9232 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9233 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9237 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9240 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9241 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9242 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9243 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9244 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9249 Here's an example file:
9252 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9253 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9256 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9257 have to be first, for instance.
9259 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9260 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9261 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9262 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9263 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9264 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9265 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9267 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9268 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9274 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9275 previously mentioned.
9277 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9279 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9280 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9281 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9282 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9283 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9286 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9290 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9292 The default value is
9295 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9296 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9299 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9300 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9302 @item nntp-maximum-request
9303 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9304 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9305 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9306 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9307 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9308 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9309 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9311 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9312 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9313 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9314 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9315 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9316 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9317 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9318 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9319 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9320 no timeouts are done.
9322 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9323 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9324 @c @cindex PPP connections
9325 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9326 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9327 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9328 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9329 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9330 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9331 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9332 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9333 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9334 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9336 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9337 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9338 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9339 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9342 @item nntp-server-hook
9343 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9344 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9347 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9348 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9349 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9350 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9351 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9352 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9353 functions are supplied:
9356 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9357 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9360 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9361 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9362 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9365 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9369 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9370 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9371 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9372 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9374 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9375 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9376 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9378 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9379 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9380 User name on the remote system.
9384 @item nntp-open-telnet
9385 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9386 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9388 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9391 @item nntp-telnet-command
9392 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9393 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9395 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9396 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9397 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9399 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9400 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9401 User name for log in on the remote system.
9403 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9404 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9405 Password to use when logging in.
9407 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9408 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9409 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9412 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9413 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9414 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9415 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9417 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9418 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9419 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9420 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9421 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9425 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9426 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9427 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9428 you must have SSLay installed
9429 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9430 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9431 define a server as follows:
9434 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9436 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9438 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9439 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9440 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9441 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9446 @item nntp-end-of-line
9447 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9448 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9449 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9450 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9452 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9453 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9454 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9458 @vindex nntp-address
9459 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9461 @item nntp-port-number
9462 @vindex nntp-port-number
9463 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9466 @item nntp-buggy-select
9467 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9468 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9470 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9471 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9472 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9473 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9476 @item nntp-xover-commands
9477 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9480 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9481 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9485 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9486 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9487 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9488 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9489 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9490 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9491 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9492 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9493 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9494 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9495 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9497 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9498 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9499 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9501 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9502 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9503 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9504 server closes connection.
9506 @item nntp-record-commands
9507 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9508 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9509 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9510 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9511 that doesn't seem to work.
9517 @subsection News Spool
9521 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9522 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9523 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9526 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9527 anything else) as the address.
9529 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9530 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9531 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9532 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9536 @item nnspool-inews-program
9537 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9538 Program used to post an article.
9540 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9541 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9542 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9544 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9545 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9546 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9547 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9549 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9550 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9551 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9552 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9554 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9555 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9556 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9558 @item nnspool-active-file
9559 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9560 The path to the active file.
9562 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9563 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9564 The path to the group descriptions file.
9566 @item nnspool-history-file
9567 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9568 The path to the news history file.
9570 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9571 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9572 The path to the active date file.
9574 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9575 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9576 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9579 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9580 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9582 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9583 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9584 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9590 @section Getting Mail
9591 @cindex reading mail
9594 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9598 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9599 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9600 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9601 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9602 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9603 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9604 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9605 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9606 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9607 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9608 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9612 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9613 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9615 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9616 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9617 and things will happen automatically.
9619 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9620 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9623 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9624 '((nnml "private")))
9627 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9628 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9629 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9630 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9631 like any other group.
9633 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9636 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9637 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9638 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9642 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9643 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9644 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9647 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9648 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9649 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9652 @node Splitting Mail
9653 @subsection Splitting Mail
9654 @cindex splitting mail
9655 @cindex mail splitting
9657 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9658 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9659 to be split into groups.
9662 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9663 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9664 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9668 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9669 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9670 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9671 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9672 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9673 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9674 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9677 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9680 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9681 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9682 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9683 mail belongs in that group.
9685 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9686 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9687 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9688 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9689 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9690 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9692 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9693 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9694 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9695 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9696 thinks should carry this mail message.
9698 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9699 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9700 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9701 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9703 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9704 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9705 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9706 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9707 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9709 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9712 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9713 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9714 links. If that's the case for you, set
9715 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9716 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9718 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9719 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9720 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9721 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9723 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9724 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9725 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9726 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9727 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9728 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9729 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9730 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9734 @node Mail Backend Variables
9735 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9737 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9741 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9742 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9743 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9744 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9746 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9747 @item nnmail-spool-file
9751 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9752 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9753 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9754 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9755 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9756 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9757 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9758 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9759 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9760 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9761 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9762 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9763 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9764 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9765 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9767 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9769 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9770 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9773 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9774 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9775 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9776 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9777 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9778 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9780 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9781 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9782 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9783 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9784 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9785 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9786 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9789 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9790 @item nnmail-crash-box
9791 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9792 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9793 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9796 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9797 @item nnmail-split-hook
9798 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
9799 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9800 @findex RFC2047 decoding
9801 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9802 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9803 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9804 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9805 in the buffer will show up in any files.
9806 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
9809 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9810 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9811 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9812 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9813 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9814 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9815 starting to handle the new mail) and
9816 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9817 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9818 default file modes the new mail files get:
9821 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9822 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9824 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9825 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9828 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9829 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9830 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9831 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9832 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9833 it will be used instead.
9835 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9836 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9837 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9838 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9840 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9841 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9844 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9845 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9846 @cindex incoming mail files
9847 @cindex deleting incoming files
9848 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9849 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9852 @c This is @code{nil} by
9853 @c default for reasons of security.
9855 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9856 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9857 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9858 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9859 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9862 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9864 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9865 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9866 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9867 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9868 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9869 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9870 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9872 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9873 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9875 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9877 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9878 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9879 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9880 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9881 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9886 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9887 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9888 @cindex mail splitting
9889 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9891 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9892 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9893 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9894 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9895 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9896 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9898 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9901 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9902 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9903 ;; from real errors.
9904 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9906 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9907 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9908 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9909 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9910 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9911 ;; Other mailing lists...
9912 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9913 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9915 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9916 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9920 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9921 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9922 the five possible split syntaxes:
9927 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9928 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9932 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9933 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9934 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9937 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9938 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9939 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9940 be stored in one or more groups.
9943 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9944 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9947 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9948 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9951 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9952 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9953 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9957 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
9961 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9962 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9963 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9964 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9965 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9967 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9968 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9969 are expanded as specified by the variable
9970 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9971 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9974 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9975 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9976 when all this splitting is performed.
9978 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9979 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9980 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9983 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9986 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9987 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
9988 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9989 groupings 1 through 9.
9992 @node Mail and Procmail
9993 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9998 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9999 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
10000 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
10001 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
10002 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
10004 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
10005 something like the following:
10007 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
10009 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
10010 (setq nnmail-spool-file
10011 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
10014 This also means that you probably don't want to set
10015 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
10018 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
10019 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
10020 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
10021 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
10022 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
10023 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
10025 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
10028 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
10030 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
10031 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
10033 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
10034 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
10035 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
10036 to include all your mail groups.
10038 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
10039 method will be created automatically.
10041 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
10042 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
10043 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
10044 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
10045 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
10046 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
10047 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
10048 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
10050 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
10051 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
10052 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
10053 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
10054 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
10056 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10057 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
10058 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
10059 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
10060 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
10061 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
10063 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
10064 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
10065 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
10066 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
10067 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
10070 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
10071 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
10072 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
10073 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
10074 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
10078 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10079 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10081 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10082 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10083 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10086 Doing so can be quite easy.
10088 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10089 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10090 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10091 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10092 your @code{nnml} groups.
10098 Go to the group buffer.
10101 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10102 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10105 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10108 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10109 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10112 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10113 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10116 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10117 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10118 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10119 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10120 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10122 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10123 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10124 using the new mail backend.
10127 @node Expiring Mail
10128 @subsection Expiring Mail
10129 @cindex article expiry
10131 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10132 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10133 different approach to mail reading.
10135 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10136 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10137 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10138 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10139 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10140 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10143 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10144 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10145 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10146 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10147 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10148 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10149 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10150 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10152 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10153 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10154 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10155 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10156 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10157 column in the summary buffer.
10159 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10160 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10161 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10162 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10165 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10167 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10168 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10169 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10172 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10173 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10174 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10175 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10176 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10178 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10179 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10182 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10183 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10186 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10187 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10189 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10190 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10191 don't really mix very well.
10193 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10194 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10195 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10196 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10199 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10200 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10201 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10202 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10205 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10207 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10209 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10211 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10213 ((string= group "important")
10219 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10220 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10222 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10223 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10224 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10227 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10228 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10230 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10231 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10232 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10233 easier for procmail users.
10235 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10236 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10237 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10238 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10239 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10240 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10241 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10242 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10243 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10244 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10245 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10246 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10247 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10250 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10254 @subsection Washing Mail
10255 @cindex mail washing
10256 @cindex list server brain damage
10257 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10259 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10260 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10261 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10262 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10263 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10264 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10266 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10267 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10268 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10271 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10272 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10273 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10274 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10277 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10278 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10279 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10280 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10281 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10284 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10285 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10286 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10287 Emacs running on MS machines.
10291 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10292 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10293 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10294 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10297 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10298 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10299 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10300 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10302 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10303 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10304 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10305 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10306 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10307 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10308 also be a list of regexp.
10310 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10311 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10314 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10315 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10318 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10319 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10320 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10324 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10325 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10326 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10330 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10331 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10332 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10339 @subsection Duplicates
10341 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10342 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10343 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10344 @cindex duplicate mails
10345 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10346 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10347 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10348 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10349 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10350 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10351 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10352 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10353 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10354 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10355 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10356 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10357 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10359 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10360 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10361 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10362 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10364 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10367 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10368 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10372 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10373 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10374 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10375 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10376 (any mail "mail.misc")
10383 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10384 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10389 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10390 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10391 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10392 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10393 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10396 @node Not Reading Mail
10397 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10399 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10400 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10401 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10403 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10404 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10406 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10407 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10408 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10409 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10410 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10411 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10412 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10413 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10414 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10415 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10416 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10418 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10419 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10423 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10424 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10426 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10427 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10428 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10431 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10432 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10433 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10434 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10435 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10439 @node Unix Mail Box
10440 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10442 @cindex unix mail box
10444 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10445 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10446 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10447 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10448 which group it belongs in.
10450 Virtual server settings:
10453 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10454 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10455 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10457 @item nnmbox-active-file
10458 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10459 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10461 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10462 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10463 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10469 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10473 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10474 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10475 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10476 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10477 article to say which group it belongs in.
10479 Virtual server settings:
10482 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10483 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10484 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10486 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10487 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10488 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10490 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10491 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10492 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10497 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10499 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10501 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10502 format. It should be used with some caution.
10504 @vindex nnml-directory
10505 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10506 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10507 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10508 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10510 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10513 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10514 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10515 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10516 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10517 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10518 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10519 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10520 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10522 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10523 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10524 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10525 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10527 Virtual server settings:
10530 @item nnml-directory
10531 @vindex nnml-directory
10532 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10534 @item nnml-active-file
10535 @vindex nnml-active-file
10536 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10538 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10539 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10540 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10543 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10544 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10545 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10547 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10548 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10549 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10551 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10552 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10553 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10555 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10556 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10557 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10561 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10562 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10563 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10564 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10565 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10566 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10567 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10572 @subsubsection MH Spool
10574 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10576 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10577 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10578 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10579 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10581 Virtual server settings:
10584 @item nnmh-directory
10585 @vindex nnmh-directory
10586 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10588 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10589 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10590 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10593 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10594 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10595 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10596 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10597 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10598 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10599 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10604 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10606 @cindex mbox folders
10607 @cindex mail folders
10609 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10610 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10611 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10614 Virtual server settings:
10617 @item nnfolder-directory
10618 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10619 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10621 @item nnfolder-active-file
10622 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10623 The name of the active file.
10625 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10626 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10627 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10629 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10630 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10631 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10633 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10634 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10635 @cindex backup files
10636 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10637 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10638 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10639 your @file{.emacs} file:
10642 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10643 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10645 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10648 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10649 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10650 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10651 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10652 extract some information from it before removing it.
10657 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10658 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10659 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10660 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10661 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10662 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10665 @node Other Sources
10666 @section Other Sources
10668 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10669 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10673 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10674 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10675 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10676 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10677 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10678 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10682 @node Directory Groups
10683 @subsection Directory Groups
10685 @cindex directory groups
10687 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10688 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10691 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10692 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10693 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10694 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10696 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10697 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10698 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10699 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10700 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10702 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10704 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10705 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10706 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10707 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10710 @node Anything Groups
10711 @subsection Anything Groups
10714 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10715 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10716 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10719 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10720 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10721 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10722 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10723 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10724 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10725 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10726 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10727 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10728 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10731 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10732 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10733 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10734 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10736 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10737 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10738 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10739 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10741 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10742 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10743 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10744 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10745 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10746 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10747 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10748 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10753 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10754 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10755 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10756 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10758 @item nneething-exclude-files
10759 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10760 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10761 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10763 @item nneething-map-file
10764 @vindex nneething-map-file
10765 Name of the map files.
10769 @node Document Groups
10770 @subsection Document Groups
10772 @cindex documentation group
10775 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10776 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10783 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10788 The standard Unix mbox file.
10790 @cindex MMDF mail box
10792 The MMDF mail box format.
10795 Several news articles appended into a file.
10798 @cindex rnews batch files
10799 The rnews batch transport format.
10800 @cindex forwarded messages
10803 Forwarded articles.
10806 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
10810 @cindex MIME digest
10811 @cindex 1153 digest
10812 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10813 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10814 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10816 @item standard-digest
10817 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10820 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10823 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10824 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10825 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10828 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10829 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10830 group. And that's it.
10832 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10833 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10834 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10835 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10836 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10837 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10838 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10839 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10840 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10841 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10843 Virtual server variables:
10846 @item nndoc-article-type
10847 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10848 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10849 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10850 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
10851 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
10854 @item nndoc-post-type
10855 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10856 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10857 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10862 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10866 @node Document Server Internals
10867 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10869 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10870 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10871 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10872 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10874 First, here's an example document type definition:
10878 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10879 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10882 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10883 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10884 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10885 types can be defined with very few settings:
10888 @item first-article
10889 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10890 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10893 @item article-begin
10894 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10895 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10897 @item head-begin-function
10898 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10901 @item nndoc-head-begin
10902 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10905 @item nndoc-head-end
10906 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10907 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10909 @item body-begin-function
10910 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10914 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10917 @item body-end-function
10918 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10922 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10925 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10926 regexp will be totally ignored.
10930 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10931 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10932 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10933 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10934 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10937 @item prepare-body-function
10938 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10939 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10940 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10942 @item article-transform-function
10943 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10944 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10945 body of the article.
10947 @item generate-head-function
10948 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10949 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10950 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10951 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10955 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10960 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10961 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10962 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10963 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10964 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10965 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10966 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10967 (subtype digest guess))
10970 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10971 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10972 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10973 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10974 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10976 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10977 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10978 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10979 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10980 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
10981 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10982 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10983 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10984 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10985 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10993 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10994 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10995 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10997 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10998 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10999 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
11002 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
11003 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
11004 that interested in doing things properly.
11006 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
11007 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
11010 First some terminology:
11015 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
11016 get news and/or mail from.
11019 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
11020 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
11023 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
11027 @item message packets
11028 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
11029 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
11030 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11032 @item response packets
11033 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
11034 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
11035 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11045 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
11046 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
11047 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
11048 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11051 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11054 You put the packet in your home directory.
11057 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11058 the native or secondary server.
11061 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11062 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11065 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11069 You transfer this packet to the server.
11072 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11075 You then repeat until you die.
11079 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11080 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11083 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11084 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11085 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11089 @node SOUP Commands
11090 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11092 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11096 @kindex G s b (Group)
11097 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11098 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11099 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11100 process/prefix convention.
11103 @kindex G s w (Group)
11104 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11105 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11108 @kindex G s s (Group)
11109 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11110 Send all replies from the replies packet
11111 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11114 @kindex G s p (Group)
11115 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11116 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11119 @kindex G s r (Group)
11120 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11121 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11124 @kindex O s (Summary)
11125 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11126 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11127 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11128 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11133 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11138 @item gnus-soup-directory
11139 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11140 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11141 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11143 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11144 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11145 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11146 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11148 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11149 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11150 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11151 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11153 @item gnus-soup-packer
11154 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11155 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11156 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11158 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11159 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11160 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11161 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11163 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11164 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11165 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11167 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11168 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11169 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11170 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11176 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11179 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11180 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11181 you can read them at leisure.
11183 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11187 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11188 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11189 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11190 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11192 @item nnsoup-directory
11193 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11194 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11195 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11197 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11198 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11199 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11200 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11202 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11203 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11204 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11205 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11206 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11208 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11209 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11210 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11211 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11213 @item nnsoup-active-file
11214 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11215 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11216 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11217 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11218 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11220 @item nnsoup-packer
11221 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11222 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11223 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11225 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11226 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11227 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11228 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11230 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11231 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11232 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11235 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11236 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11237 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11240 @item nnsoup-always-save
11241 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11242 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11248 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11250 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11251 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11252 more for that to happen.
11254 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11255 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11256 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11259 In specific, this is what it does:
11262 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11263 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11266 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11267 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11268 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11272 @subsection Web Searches
11276 @cindex InReference
11277 @cindex Usenet searches
11278 @cindex searching the Usenet
11280 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11281 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11282 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11283 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11284 searches without having to use a browser.
11286 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11287 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11288 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11289 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11290 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11292 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11293 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11294 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11295 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11296 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11297 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11298 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11299 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11300 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11301 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11304 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11305 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11306 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11307 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11308 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11309 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11311 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11312 to use @code{nnweb}.
11314 Virtual server variables:
11319 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11320 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11324 @vindex nnweb-search
11325 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11327 @item nnweb-max-hits
11328 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11329 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11332 @item nnweb-type-definition
11333 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11334 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11335 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11340 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11344 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11347 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11350 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11354 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11361 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11362 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11363 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11366 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11367 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11368 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11370 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11376 @item nngateway-address
11377 @vindex nngateway-address
11378 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11380 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11381 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11382 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11383 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11384 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11385 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11386 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11389 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11390 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11391 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11394 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11397 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11400 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11403 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11405 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11408 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11409 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11410 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11412 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11414 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11415 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11416 @code{nngateway-address}.
11421 (setq gnus-post-method
11422 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11423 (nngateway-header-transformation
11424 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11432 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11435 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11439 @node Combined Groups
11440 @section Combined Groups
11442 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11446 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11447 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11451 @node Virtual Groups
11452 @subsection Virtual Groups
11454 @cindex virtual groups
11455 @cindex merging groups
11457 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11460 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11461 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11462 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11464 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11465 regexp to match component groups.
11467 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11468 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11469 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11470 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11471 the virtual group.)
11473 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11474 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11477 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11480 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11481 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11483 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11484 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11485 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11486 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11489 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11492 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11493 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11494 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11496 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11497 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11498 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11499 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11500 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11502 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11503 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11504 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11506 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11507 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11508 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11509 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11510 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11511 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11512 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11513 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11514 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11515 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11516 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11518 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11519 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11520 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11521 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11522 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11523 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11524 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11526 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11527 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11531 @node Kibozed Groups
11532 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11536 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11537 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11538 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11539 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11541 @kindex G k (Group)
11542 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11545 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11546 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11547 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11548 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11550 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11551 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11552 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11554 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11555 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11556 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11557 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11558 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11559 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11560 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11561 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11563 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11564 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11565 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11566 Stranger things have happened.
11568 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11569 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11571 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11572 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11573 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11574 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11575 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11576 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11578 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11579 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11582 @node Gnus Unplugged
11583 @section Gnus Unplugged
11588 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11590 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11591 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11592 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11593 read news. Believe it or not.
11595 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11596 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11597 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11598 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11599 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11601 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11602 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11603 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11604 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11605 reading news on a machine.
11607 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11611 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11612 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11616 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11617 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11624 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11626 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11629 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11630 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11631 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11632 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11633 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11634 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11635 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11636 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11637 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
11642 @subsection Agent Basics
11644 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11646 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11647 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11648 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11649 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11651 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11652 connected to the net continuously.
11654 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11655 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11657 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11662 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11663 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11664 already fetched while in this mode.
11667 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11668 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11669 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11672 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11673 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11674 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11675 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11678 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11679 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11680 then you read the news offline.
11683 And then you go to step 2.
11686 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11692 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11693 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11694 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11695 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11696 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11697 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11700 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
11707 @node Agent Categories
11708 @subsection Agent Categories
11710 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11711 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11712 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11713 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11714 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11715 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11716 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11718 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11719 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11720 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11723 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11724 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11725 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11729 @node Category Syntax
11730 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11732 A category consists of two things.
11736 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11737 are eligible for downloading; and
11740 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11741 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11742 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
11745 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
11746 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
11747 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
11748 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
11750 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
11751 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
11752 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
11754 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
11755 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
11756 operators sprinkled in between.
11758 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11760 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11761 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11767 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11768 short (for some value of ``short'').
11770 Here's a more complex predicate:
11779 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11780 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11783 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11784 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11785 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11787 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11788 you want to do, you can write your own.
11792 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11793 lines; default 100.
11796 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11797 lines; default 200.
11800 True iff the article has a download score less than
11801 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11804 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11805 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11808 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11809 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11810 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11819 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11820 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11821 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11824 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
11825 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
11826 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
11827 something along the lines of the following:
11830 (defun my-article-old-p ()
11831 "Say whether an article is old."
11832 (< (time-to-day (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
11833 (- (time-to-day (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
11836 with the predicate then defined as:
11839 (not my-article-old-p)
11842 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
11843 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
11844 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
11845 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
11848 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
11849 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
11850 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
11853 and simply specify your predicate as:
11859 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
11860 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
11861 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
11862 just don't give a damm.
11865 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
11866 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
11867 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
11868 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
11869 parameters like so:
11872 (agent-predicate . short)
11875 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
11876 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
11877 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
11880 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
11883 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
11886 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
11887 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
11888 predicate is assumed to be a list.
11891 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11892 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11893 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11894 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
11895 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
11896 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
11898 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
11899 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
11900 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
11901 if it's to be specific to that group.
11903 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
11910 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
11911 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
11917 Category specification
11921 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11927 Group Parameter specification
11930 (agent-score ("from"
11931 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11936 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
11942 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
11949 Category specification
11952 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
11958 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
11962 Group Parameter specification
11965 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
11968 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
11973 Use @code{normal} score files
11975 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
11976 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
11977 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
11978 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
11980 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
11981 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
11982 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
11983 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
11987 Category Specification
11994 Group Parameter specification
11997 (agent-score . file)
12002 @node The Category Buffer
12003 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
12005 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
12006 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
12007 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
12009 The following commands are available in this buffer:
12013 @kindex q (Category)
12014 @findex gnus-category-exit
12015 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
12018 @kindex k (Category)
12019 @findex gnus-category-kill
12020 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
12023 @kindex c (Category)
12024 @findex gnus-category-copy
12025 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
12028 @kindex a (Category)
12029 @findex gnus-category-add
12030 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
12033 @kindex p (Category)
12034 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
12035 Edit the predicate of the current category
12036 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
12039 @kindex g (Category)
12040 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
12041 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
12042 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
12045 @kindex s (Category)
12046 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
12047 Edit the download score rule of the current category
12048 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12051 @kindex l (Category)
12052 @findex gnus-category-list
12053 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12057 @node Category Variables
12058 @subsubsection Category Variables
12061 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12062 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12063 Hook run in category buffers.
12065 @item gnus-category-line-format
12066 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12067 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12068 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12072 The name of the category.
12075 The number of groups in the category.
12078 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12079 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12080 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12082 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12083 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12084 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12086 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12087 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12088 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12090 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12091 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12092 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12095 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12096 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12097 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12103 @node Agent Commands
12104 @subsection Agent Commands
12106 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12107 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12108 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12112 * Group Agent Commands::
12113 * Summary Agent Commands::
12114 * Server Agent Commands::
12117 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12118 following incantation:
12120 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12122 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12127 @node Group Agent Commands
12128 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12132 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12133 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12134 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12135 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12138 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12139 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12140 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12143 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12144 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12145 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12146 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12149 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12150 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12151 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12152 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12155 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12156 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12157 Add the current group to an Agent category
12158 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
12163 @node Summary Agent Commands
12164 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12168 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12169 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12170 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12173 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12174 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12175 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12176 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12179 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12180 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12181 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12184 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12185 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12186 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12191 @node Server Agent Commands
12192 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12196 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12197 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12198 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12199 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12202 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12203 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12204 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12205 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12211 @subsection Agent Expiry
12213 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12214 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12215 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12216 @cindex Agent expiry
12217 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12220 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12221 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12222 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12223 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12224 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12225 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12227 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12228 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12229 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12230 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12231 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12234 @node Outgoing Messages
12235 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12237 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12238 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12239 after posting, and edit them at will.
12241 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12242 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12243 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12244 messages in the draft group.
12248 @node Agent Variables
12249 @subsection Agent Variables
12252 @item gnus-agent-directory
12253 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12254 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12255 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12257 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12258 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12259 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12260 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12261 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12264 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12265 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12266 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12268 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12269 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12270 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12275 @node Example Setup
12276 @subsection Example Setup
12278 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12279 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12280 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12283 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12284 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12285 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
12287 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12288 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12289 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
12290 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
12292 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12293 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12295 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12299 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12300 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12303 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12304 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12305 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12306 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12307 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12310 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12311 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12312 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12313 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12314 back all the killed groups.)
12316 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12317 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12318 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12321 @node Batching Agents
12322 @subsection Batching Agents
12324 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12325 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12326 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12330 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12334 @node Agent Caveats
12335 @subsection Agent Caveats
12337 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
12338 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
12342 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
12347 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
12348 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
12354 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
12355 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
12362 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
12363 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
12364 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
12367 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
12368 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
12369 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
12370 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
12371 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
12373 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
12374 before generating the summary buffer.
12376 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
12377 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12378 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12380 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12381 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12382 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12383 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12386 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12387 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12388 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12389 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12390 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12391 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12392 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12393 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12394 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12395 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12396 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12397 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12398 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12399 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12400 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12401 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12405 @node Summary Score Commands
12406 @section Summary Score Commands
12407 @cindex score commands
12409 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12410 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12411 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12412 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12413 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12415 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12416 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12417 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12418 score file the current one.
12420 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12425 @kindex V s (Summary)
12426 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12427 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12430 @kindex V S (Summary)
12431 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12432 Display the score of the current article
12433 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12436 @kindex V t (Summary)
12437 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12438 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12439 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12442 @kindex V R (Summary)
12443 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12444 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12445 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12446 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12447 effect you're having.
12450 @kindex V c (Summary)
12451 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12452 Make a different score file the current
12453 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12456 @kindex V e (Summary)
12457 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12458 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12459 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12463 @kindex V f (Summary)
12464 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12465 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12466 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12469 @kindex V F (Summary)
12470 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12471 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12472 after editing score files.
12475 @kindex V C (Summary)
12476 @findex gnus-score-customize
12477 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12478 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12482 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12487 @kindex V m (Summary)
12488 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12489 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12490 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12493 @kindex V x (Summary)
12494 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12495 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12496 expunge all articles below this score
12497 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12500 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12501 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12504 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12505 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12509 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12510 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12512 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12513 keys are available:
12517 Score on the author name.
12520 Score on the subject line.
12523 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12526 Score on the References line.
12532 Score on the number of lines.
12535 Score on the Message-ID.
12538 Score on followups.
12552 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12553 what headers you are scoring on.
12565 Substring matching.
12568 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12597 Greater than number.
12602 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12603 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12604 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12608 Temporary score entry.
12611 Permanent score entry.
12614 Immediately scoring.
12619 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12620 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12621 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12622 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12624 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12625 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12626 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12627 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12628 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12630 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12631 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12632 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12633 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12634 current score file.
12636 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12637 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12638 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12641 @node Group Score Commands
12642 @section Group Score Commands
12643 @cindex group score commands
12645 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12650 @kindex W f (Group)
12651 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12652 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12653 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12654 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12658 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12660 @findex gnus-batch-score
12661 @cindex batch scoring
12663 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
12667 @node Score Variables
12668 @section Score Variables
12669 @cindex score variables
12673 @item gnus-use-scoring
12674 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12675 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12676 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12678 @item gnus-kill-killed
12679 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12680 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12681 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12682 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12683 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12684 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12685 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12687 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12688 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12689 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12690 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12691 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12693 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12694 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12695 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12696 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12698 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12699 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12700 @cindex score cache
12701 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12702 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12703 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
12704 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12705 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12706 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12709 @item gnus-save-score
12710 @vindex gnus-save-score
12711 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12712 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12713 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12715 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12716 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12717 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12718 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12719 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12720 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12721 manually entered data.
12723 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12724 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12725 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12727 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12728 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12729 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12730 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12731 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12732 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12734 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12735 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12736 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12737 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12739 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12740 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12741 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12742 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12744 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12745 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12746 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12747 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12749 Predefined functions available are:
12752 @item gnus-score-find-single
12753 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12754 Only apply the group's own score file.
12756 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12757 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12758 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12759 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12760 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12761 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12762 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12763 then a regexp match is done.
12765 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12766 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12768 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12769 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12770 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12771 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12773 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12774 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12775 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12776 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12777 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12780 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12781 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12782 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12783 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12784 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12785 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12788 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12789 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12790 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12791 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12792 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12794 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12795 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12796 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12797 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12798 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12799 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12800 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12803 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12804 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12805 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12807 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12808 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12809 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12810 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12811 threading---according to the current value of
12812 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12813 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12814 simplified in this manner.
12819 @node Score File Format
12820 @section Score File Format
12821 @cindex score file format
12823 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12824 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12825 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12827 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12831 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12833 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12835 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12837 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12842 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12846 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12847 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12848 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12849 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12853 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12854 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12856 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12857 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12858 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12860 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12865 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12866 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12867 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12868 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12869 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12870 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12871 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12872 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12873 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12874 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12875 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12876 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12877 to articles that matches these score entries.
12879 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12880 score entry has one to four elements.
12884 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12885 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12889 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12890 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12891 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12892 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12893 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12894 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12897 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12898 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12899 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12900 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12901 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12904 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12905 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12906 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12907 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12910 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12911 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12912 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12913 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12914 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12915 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12916 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12917 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12918 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12919 instead, if you feel like.
12922 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12923 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12925 These predicates are true if
12928 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12931 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12932 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12939 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12940 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12941 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12942 it's not. I think.)
12944 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12945 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12946 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12947 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12950 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12951 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12952 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12953 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12954 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12955 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12956 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12960 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12961 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12962 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12963 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12964 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12965 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12966 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12967 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12970 @item Head, Body, All
12971 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12975 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12976 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12977 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12978 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12979 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12980 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12981 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12985 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12986 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12987 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12988 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12989 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12990 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12991 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12992 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12993 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12994 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12998 @cindex Score File Atoms
13000 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13001 lower than this number will be marked as read.
13004 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13005 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
13007 @item mark-and-expunge
13008 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13009 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
13012 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
13013 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
13014 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
13015 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
13016 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
13019 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
13020 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
13023 @item exclude-files
13024 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
13025 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
13029 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
13030 ignored when handling global score files.
13033 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
13034 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
13035 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
13036 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
13039 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
13040 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
13041 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
13042 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
13044 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
13048 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13051 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13052 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13053 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13054 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13055 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13057 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13058 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13059 ordinary scoring rules.
13062 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13063 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13064 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13065 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13066 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13067 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13068 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13069 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13070 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13071 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13072 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13076 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13077 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13078 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13079 file for a number of groups.
13082 @cindex local variables
13083 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13084 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13085 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13086 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13087 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13091 @node Score File Editing
13092 @section Score File Editing
13094 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13095 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13096 with a mode for that.
13098 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13099 additional commands:
13104 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13105 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13106 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13107 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13110 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13111 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13112 Insert the current date in numerical format
13113 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13114 you were wondering.
13117 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13118 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13119 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13120 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13121 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13126 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13128 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13129 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13131 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13132 e} to begin editing score files.
13135 @node Adaptive Scoring
13136 @section Adaptive Scoring
13137 @cindex adaptive scoring
13139 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13140 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13141 stupidity, to be precise.
13143 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13144 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13145 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13146 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13147 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13148 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13149 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13150 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13151 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13153 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13154 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13155 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13156 might look something like this:
13159 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13160 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13161 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13162 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13163 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13164 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13165 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13166 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13167 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13168 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13169 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13170 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13173 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13174 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13175 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13176 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13177 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13178 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13181 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13182 will be applied to each article.
13184 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13185 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13186 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13187 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13189 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13190 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13191 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13192 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13194 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13195 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13196 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13197 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13199 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13200 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13201 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13202 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13203 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13204 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13206 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13207 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13208 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13209 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13210 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13211 aspirins afterwards.)
13213 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13214 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13215 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13217 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13218 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13219 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13221 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13222 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13223 let you use different rules in different groups.
13225 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13226 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13227 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13230 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13231 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13232 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13233 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13234 the length of the match is less than
13235 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13236 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13239 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13240 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13241 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13242 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13243 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13246 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13247 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13248 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13249 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13250 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13253 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13254 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13255 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13256 score with 30 points.
13258 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13259 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13260 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13261 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13262 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13264 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13265 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13266 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13267 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13269 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13270 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13271 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13272 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13274 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13275 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13276 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13277 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13278 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13280 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13281 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13282 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13284 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13285 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13286 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13287 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13290 @node Home Score File
13291 @section Home Score File
13293 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13294 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13295 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13296 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13298 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13299 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13300 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13302 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13303 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13308 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13312 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13313 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13317 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13321 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13322 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13325 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13326 the home score file.
13329 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13332 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
13337 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
13340 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13341 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
13344 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
13345 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
13347 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
13349 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13350 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
13353 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
13354 Other functions include
13357 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
13358 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
13359 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
13360 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
13364 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
13365 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
13366 their own home score files:
13369 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13370 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
13371 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
13372 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
13373 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
13376 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
13377 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
13378 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
13379 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
13380 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
13382 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
13383 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13384 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13385 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13386 precedence over this variable.
13389 @node Followups To Yourself
13390 @section Followups To Yourself
13392 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13393 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13394 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13395 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13396 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13397 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13401 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13402 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13403 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13406 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13407 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13408 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13412 @vindex message-sent-hook
13413 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13414 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13416 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13417 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13421 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13422 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13425 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13426 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13431 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13435 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13436 is system-dependent.
13440 @section Scoring Tips
13441 @cindex scoring tips
13447 @cindex scoring crossposts
13448 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13449 the @code{Xref} header.
13451 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13454 @item Multiple crossposts
13455 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13456 more than, say, 3 groups:
13458 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13461 @item Matching on the body
13462 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13463 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13464 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13465 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13466 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13467 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13468 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13471 @item Marking as read
13472 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13473 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13474 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13478 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13480 @item Negated character classes
13481 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13482 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13483 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13487 @node Reverse Scoring
13488 @section Reverse Scoring
13489 @cindex reverse scoring
13491 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13492 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13493 like this in your score file:
13497 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13502 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13503 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13506 @node Global Score Files
13507 @section Global Score Files
13508 @cindex global score files
13510 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13511 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13512 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13514 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13515 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13516 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13518 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13519 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13520 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13521 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13522 files are applicable to which group.
13524 Say you want to use the score file
13525 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13526 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13529 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13530 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13531 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13534 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13535 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13536 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13537 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13538 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13540 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13541 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13543 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13544 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13545 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13546 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13547 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13548 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13550 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13556 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13558 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13560 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13562 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13563 lowered out of existence.
13565 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13566 articles completely.
13569 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13570 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13571 old articles for a long time.
13574 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13575 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13576 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13577 holding our breath yet?
13581 @section Kill Files
13584 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13585 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13586 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13588 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13589 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13590 files into score files.
13592 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13593 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13594 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13595 that isn't a very good idea.
13597 Normal kill files look like this:
13600 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13601 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13605 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13606 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13608 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13609 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13612 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13617 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13618 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13619 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13622 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13623 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13624 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13627 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13632 @kindex M-k (Group)
13633 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13634 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13637 @kindex M-K (Group)
13638 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13639 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13642 Kill file variables:
13645 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13646 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13647 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13648 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13649 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13650 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13651 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13653 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13654 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13655 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13656 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13659 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13660 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13661 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13662 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13663 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13664 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13665 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13666 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13667 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13669 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13670 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13671 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13676 @node Converting Kill Files
13677 @section Converting Kill Files
13679 @cindex converting kill files
13681 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13682 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13683 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13686 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13687 You can fetch it from
13688 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13690 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13691 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13692 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13700 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13701 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13702 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13704 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13705 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13706 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13707 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13708 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13709 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13710 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13711 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13715 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13716 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13717 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13718 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13722 @node Using GroupLens
13723 @subsection Using GroupLens
13725 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13727 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13728 better bit in town at the moment.
13730 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13734 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13735 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13736 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13737 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13739 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13740 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13741 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13742 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13744 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13745 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13746 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13750 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13751 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13752 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13753 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13754 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13755 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13758 @node Rating Articles
13759 @subsection Rating Articles
13761 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13762 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13763 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13764 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13767 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13772 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13773 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13774 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13777 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13778 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13779 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13780 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13781 threads in rec.humor.
13785 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13786 the score of the article you're reading.
13791 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13792 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13793 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13796 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13797 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13798 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13802 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13803 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13806 @node Displaying Predictions
13807 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13809 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13810 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13811 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13812 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13813 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13815 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13816 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13817 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13818 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13819 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13820 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13821 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13822 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13823 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13824 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13825 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13826 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13827 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13829 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13830 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13831 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13832 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13834 The following are valid values for that variable.
13837 @item prediction-spot
13838 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13841 @item confidence-interval
13842 A numeric confidence interval.
13844 @item prediction-bar
13845 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13847 @item confidence-bar
13848 Numerical confidence.
13850 @item confidence-spot
13851 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13853 @item prediction-num
13854 Plain-old numeric value.
13856 @item confidence-plus-minus
13857 Prediction +/- confidence.
13862 @node GroupLens Variables
13863 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13867 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13868 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13869 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13870 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13873 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13874 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13877 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13878 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13880 @item grouplens-score-offset
13881 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13882 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13885 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13886 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13887 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13892 @node Advanced Scoring
13893 @section Advanced Scoring
13895 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13896 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13897 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13898 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13899 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13901 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13905 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13906 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13907 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13911 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13912 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13914 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13915 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13916 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13917 non-@code{nil} value.
13919 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13920 operator, and various match operators.
13927 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13928 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13929 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13934 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13935 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13936 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13941 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13942 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13946 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13947 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13948 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13949 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13950 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13951 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13952 the ancestry you want to go.
13954 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13955 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13956 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13957 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13958 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13961 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13962 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13964 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13965 when he's talking about Gnus:
13969 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13970 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13976 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13980 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13987 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13988 really don't want to read what he's written:
13992 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13993 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13997 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13998 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13999 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
14006 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
14007 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
14008 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
14009 ("body" "white.*socks"))
14013 The possibilities are endless.
14016 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
14017 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
14019 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
14020 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
14021 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
14022 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
14023 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
14024 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
14025 @samp{subject}) first.
14027 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
14028 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
14039 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
14040 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
14046 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14053 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14054 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14059 @section Score Decays
14060 @cindex score decays
14063 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14064 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14065 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14066 use them in any sensible way.
14068 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14069 @findex gnus-decay-score
14070 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14071 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14072 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14073 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14074 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14075 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14076 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14077 definition of that function:
14080 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14082 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14083 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14086 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14088 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14090 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14093 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14094 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14095 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14096 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14100 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14103 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14106 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14110 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14111 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14112 the new score, which should be an integer.
14114 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14115 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14122 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14123 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14124 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14125 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14126 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14127 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14128 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14129 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14130 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14131 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14132 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14133 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14134 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14135 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14136 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14137 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14138 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14139 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14143 @node Process/Prefix
14144 @section Process/Prefix
14145 @cindex process/prefix convention
14147 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14148 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14150 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14151 command to be performed on.
14155 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14156 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14157 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14158 with the current one.
14160 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14161 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14162 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14164 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14165 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14168 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14169 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14171 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14174 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14175 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14176 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14177 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14179 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14180 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14181 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14182 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14183 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14184 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14185 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14186 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14190 @section Interactive
14191 @cindex interaction
14195 @item gnus-novice-user
14196 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14197 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14198 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14199 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14200 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14203 @item gnus-expert-user
14204 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14205 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14206 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14207 matter how strange.
14209 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14210 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14211 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14212 is @code{t} by default.
14214 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14215 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14216 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14221 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14222 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14223 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14225 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14226 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14227 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14228 rule of 900 to the current article.
14230 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14231 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14232 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14233 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14234 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14235 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14236 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14238 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14239 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14240 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14241 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14242 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14243 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14244 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14245 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14246 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14248 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14249 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14250 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14252 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14256 @node Formatting Variables
14257 @section Formatting Variables
14258 @cindex formatting variables
14260 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14261 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14262 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14263 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14264 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14267 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14268 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14269 lots of percentages everywhere.
14272 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14273 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14274 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14275 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14276 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14279 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14280 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14281 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14282 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14283 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14284 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14285 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14286 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14288 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14289 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14291 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14292 @findex gnus-update-format
14293 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14294 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14295 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14296 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14300 @node Formatting Basics
14301 @subsection Formatting Basics
14303 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14304 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14305 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14307 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14308 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14309 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14310 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14311 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14314 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14315 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14316 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14317 less than 4 characters wide.
14320 @node Mode Line Formatting
14321 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14323 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14324 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14325 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14326 with the following two differences:
14331 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
14334 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
14335 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
14336 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
14337 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
14338 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
14339 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
14340 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
14345 @node Advanced Formatting
14346 @subsection Advanced Formatting
14348 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
14349 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
14350 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
14351 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
14353 These are the valid modifiers:
14358 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
14362 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
14367 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
14370 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
14375 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
14378 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
14381 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14384 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14388 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14389 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14390 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14391 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14392 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14393 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14394 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14396 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14397 last operation, padding.
14399 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14400 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14401 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14402 @xref{Compilation}.
14405 @node User-Defined Specs
14406 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14408 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14409 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14410 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14411 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14412 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14413 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14414 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14415 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14416 should protect against that.
14418 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14419 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14420 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14421 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14425 @node Formatting Fonts
14426 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14428 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14429 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14430 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14431 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14434 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14435 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14436 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14437 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14438 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14439 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14441 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
14442 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
14443 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
14444 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
14445 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
14446 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
14447 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
14448 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
14450 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14453 ;; Create three face types.
14454 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14455 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14457 ;; We want the article count to be in
14458 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14459 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14460 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14462 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14463 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14465 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14466 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14467 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14470 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14471 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14473 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14474 mode-line variables.
14477 @node Windows Configuration
14478 @section Windows Configuration
14479 @cindex windows configuration
14481 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14483 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14484 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14485 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14486 @code{t} by default.
14488 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
14489 glitches. Use at your own peril.
14491 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14492 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14493 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14496 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14497 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14498 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14502 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14503 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14504 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14505 possible names is listed below.
14507 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14508 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14511 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14515 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14516 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14517 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14518 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14519 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14520 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14521 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14522 size spec per split.
14524 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14525 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14526 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14527 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14528 present) gets focus.
14530 Here's a more complicated example:
14533 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14534 (summary 0.25 point)
14535 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14539 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14540 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14541 occupy, not a percentage.
14543 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14544 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14545 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14546 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14547 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14550 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14553 (article (horizontal 1.0
14558 (summary 0.25 point)
14563 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14564 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14566 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14567 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14568 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14569 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14570 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14572 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14573 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14574 lines from the splits.
14576 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14580 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14581 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14582 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14583 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14584 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14585 size = number | frame-params
14586 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14589 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14590 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14591 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14592 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14594 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14595 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14596 @cindex window height
14597 @cindex window width
14598 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14599 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14600 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14601 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14602 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14603 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14605 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14606 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14607 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14608 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14610 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14611 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14612 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14613 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14614 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14615 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14616 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14617 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14618 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14619 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14620 configuration list.
14623 (gnus-configure-frame
14627 (article 0.3 point))
14635 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14636 @code{frame} split:
14639 (gnus-configure-frame
14642 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14644 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14645 (user-position . t)
14646 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14651 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14652 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14653 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14654 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14655 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14656 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14657 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14658 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14661 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14662 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14664 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14665 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14666 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14667 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14668 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14669 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14671 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14672 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14673 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14677 (message (horizontal 1.0
14678 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14680 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14685 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14686 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14687 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14688 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14689 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14692 (gnus-add-configuration
14693 '(article (vertical 1.0
14695 (summary .25 point)
14699 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14700 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14701 Gnus has been loaded.
14703 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14704 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14705 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14706 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14707 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14709 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
14710 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
14711 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
14715 @node Faces and Fonts
14716 @section Faces and Fonts
14721 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14722 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14723 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14728 @section Compilation
14729 @cindex compilation
14730 @cindex byte-compilation
14732 @findex gnus-compile
14734 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14735 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14736 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14737 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14738 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14739 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14742 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14743 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14744 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14745 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14746 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14747 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14748 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14752 @section Mode Lines
14755 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14756 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14757 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14758 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14759 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14760 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14761 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14764 @cindex display-time
14766 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14767 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14768 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14769 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14770 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14771 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14772 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14773 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14776 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14778 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14779 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14781 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14782 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14783 (length display-time-string)))))
14786 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14787 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14788 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14789 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14790 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14793 @node Highlighting and Menus
14794 @section Highlighting and Menus
14796 @cindex highlighting
14799 @vindex gnus-visual
14800 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14801 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14802 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14805 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14806 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14809 @item group-highlight
14810 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14811 @item summary-highlight
14812 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14813 @item article-highlight
14814 Do highlights according to @code{gnus-article-display-hook} in the
14817 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14819 Create menus in the group buffer.
14821 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14823 Create menus in the article buffer.
14825 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14827 Create menus in the server buffer.
14829 Create menus in the score buffers.
14831 Create menus in all buffers.
14834 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14835 buffers, you could say something like:
14838 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14841 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14844 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14847 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14848 in all Gnus buffers.
14850 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14853 @item gnus-mouse-face
14854 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14855 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14856 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14860 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14864 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14865 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14866 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14868 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14869 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14870 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14872 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14873 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14874 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14876 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14877 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14878 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14880 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14881 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14882 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14884 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14885 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14886 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14897 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14898 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14899 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14900 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14901 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14905 @vindex gnus-carpal
14906 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14907 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14908 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14913 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14914 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14915 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14917 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14918 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14919 Face used on buttons.
14921 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14922 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14923 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14925 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14926 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14927 Buttons in the group buffer.
14929 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14930 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14931 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14933 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14934 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14935 Buttons in the server buffer.
14937 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14938 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14939 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14942 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14943 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14944 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14952 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14953 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14954 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14955 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14956 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14958 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14959 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14960 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14962 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14963 been idle for thirty minutes:
14966 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14969 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14973 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14976 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14977 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14978 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14980 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14981 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14982 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14983 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14985 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14986 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14987 @var{idle} minutes.
14989 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14990 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14993 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14994 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14995 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14997 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14998 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14999 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
15000 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
15002 @vindex gnus-use-demon
15003 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
15004 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
15006 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
15007 your @file{.gnus} file:
15009 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
15011 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
15014 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
15015 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
15016 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
15017 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
15018 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
15019 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
15020 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
15021 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
15022 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
15023 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
15024 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
15026 @findex gnus-demon-init
15027 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
15028 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
15029 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
15030 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
15031 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
15033 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
15034 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
15035 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
15044 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
15045 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
15047 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
15048 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
15049 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
15050 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
15053 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
15054 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
15055 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
15056 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
15058 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15059 this will make spam disappear.
15061 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15064 @item gnus-use-nocem
15065 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15066 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15069 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15070 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15071 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15072 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15073 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15075 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15076 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15077 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15078 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15079 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15080 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15081 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15083 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15086 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15087 @cindex Chris Lewis
15088 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15089 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15092 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15093 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15094 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15096 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15098 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15101 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15102 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15103 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15106 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15107 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15108 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15109 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15110 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15111 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15112 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15113 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15114 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15115 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15117 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15118 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15121 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15124 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15125 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15128 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15131 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15134 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15135 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15137 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15138 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15139 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15140 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15142 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15143 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15146 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15148 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15156 This might be dangerous, though.
15158 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15159 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15160 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15161 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15163 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15164 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15165 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15166 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15167 might then see old spam.
15171 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15172 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15173 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15174 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15181 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15182 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15183 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15185 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15186 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15187 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15188 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15189 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15190 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15191 @code{undo} function.
15193 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15194 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15195 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15196 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15197 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15198 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15199 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15200 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15201 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15202 never be totally undoable.
15204 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15205 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15207 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15208 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15209 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15210 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15215 @section Moderation
15218 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15219 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15220 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15223 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15227 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15230 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15232 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15237 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15238 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15239 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15242 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15243 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15246 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15247 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15251 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15254 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15255 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15259 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15260 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15263 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15267 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15268 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15269 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15270 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15283 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15284 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15285 over your shoulder as you read news.
15288 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15289 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15290 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15291 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15292 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15297 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15299 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15308 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15309 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15310 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15311 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15312 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15313 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15314 @code{GIF} formats.
15317 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15318 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15319 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15320 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15321 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15323 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15324 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15325 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15326 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15327 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15328 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15331 @node Picon Requirements
15332 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
15334 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
15335 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
15338 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
15339 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
15340 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
15342 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15343 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
15344 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
15345 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
15346 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
15350 @subsubsection Easy Picons
15352 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
15353 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
15356 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
15357 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15358 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15359 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15360 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
15363 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
15364 containing the Picons databases.
15366 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
15369 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15370 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
15375 @subsubsection Hard Picons
15383 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
15384 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
15385 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
15386 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
15387 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
15392 @item gnus-picons-database
15393 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15394 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
15395 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
15396 subdirectories. This is only useful if
15397 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
15398 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
15400 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15401 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15402 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15403 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15404 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15405 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15406 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15408 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15409 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15410 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15411 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15412 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15413 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15414 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15415 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15417 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15418 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15419 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15424 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15425 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15427 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15428 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15431 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
15432 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15434 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15435 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15436 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15437 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
15438 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15440 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15441 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15442 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
15443 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15447 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
15448 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
15451 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15455 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15456 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15464 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15465 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15466 don't need to worry about.
15470 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15471 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15472 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15473 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15475 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15476 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15477 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15478 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15480 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15481 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15482 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15483 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15484 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15486 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15487 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15488 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15489 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15490 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15491 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15492 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15494 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15495 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15496 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15497 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15499 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15500 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15501 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15502 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15503 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15504 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15505 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15507 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15508 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15509 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15510 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15512 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15513 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15514 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15515 Defaults to @code{t}.
15517 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15518 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15519 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15520 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15522 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15523 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15524 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15525 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15527 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15528 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15529 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15530 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15531 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15532 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15533 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15534 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15545 @subsection Smileys
15550 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15555 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15556 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15558 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15559 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15562 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
15565 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15566 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15567 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15568 text and maps that to file names.
15570 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15571 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15572 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15573 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15574 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15575 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15577 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15578 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15580 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15581 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15582 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15584 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15585 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15589 @item smiley-data-directory
15590 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15591 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15593 @item smiley-flesh-color
15594 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15595 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15597 @item smiley-features-color
15598 @vindex smiley-features-color
15599 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15601 @item smiley-tongue-color
15602 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15603 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15605 @item smiley-circle-color
15606 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15607 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15609 @item smiley-mouse-face
15610 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15611 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15617 @subsection Toolbar
15627 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15628 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15629 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15630 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15631 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15633 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15634 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15635 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15637 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15638 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15639 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15641 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15642 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15643 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15649 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15652 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15653 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15654 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15655 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15656 unusual directory structure.
15658 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15659 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15660 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15661 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15663 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15664 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15665 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15666 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15667 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15668 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15670 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15671 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15672 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15686 @node Fuzzy Matching
15687 @section Fuzzy Matching
15688 @cindex fuzzy matching
15690 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15691 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15693 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15694 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15695 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15697 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15698 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15699 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15700 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15701 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15704 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15705 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15709 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15711 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15712 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15713 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15714 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15715 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15716 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15717 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15718 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15721 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15722 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15723 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15724 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15725 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15726 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15730 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15731 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15733 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15734 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15735 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15736 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15737 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15738 part of the mail address.)
15741 (setq message-default-news-headers
15742 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15745 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15746 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15751 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15752 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15753 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15759 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15760 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15761 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15762 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15764 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15765 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15766 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15767 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15768 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15769 your fancy split rule in this way:
15774 (to "larsi" "misc")
15778 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15779 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15780 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15781 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15782 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15784 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15785 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15786 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15787 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15788 cosmic balance somewhat.
15790 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15791 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15792 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15793 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15796 @node Various Various
15797 @section Various Various
15803 @item gnus-home-directory
15804 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15805 defaults to @file{~/}.
15807 @item gnus-directory
15808 @vindex gnus-directory
15809 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15810 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15811 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15813 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15814 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15815 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15816 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15818 @item gnus-default-directory
15819 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15820 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15821 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15822 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15823 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15824 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15825 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15828 @vindex gnus-verbose
15829 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15830 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15831 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15832 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15833 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15835 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15836 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15837 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15838 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15840 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15841 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15842 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15843 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15844 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15845 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15846 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15847 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15848 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15849 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15851 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15852 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15853 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15854 read when doing the operation described above.
15856 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15857 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15859 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15860 @cindex characters in file names
15861 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15862 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15863 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15866 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15870 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15871 Windows (phooey) systems.
15873 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15874 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15875 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15876 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15877 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15879 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15880 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15881 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15882 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15883 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15885 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15886 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15887 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15896 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15897 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15899 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15901 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15907 Not because of victories @*
15910 but for the common sunshine,@*
15912 the largess of the spring.
15916 but for the day's work done@*
15917 as well as I was able;@*
15918 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15919 but at the common table.@*
15924 @chapter Appendices
15927 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15928 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15929 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15930 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15931 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15932 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15933 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15941 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15942 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15944 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15945 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15946 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15947 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15948 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15950 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15951 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15952 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15953 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15954 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15955 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15957 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15958 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15959 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15960 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15962 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15963 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15964 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15966 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15967 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15969 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15970 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15972 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15973 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
15975 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15976 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15977 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15978 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15979 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15983 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15984 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15985 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15986 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15987 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15988 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15989 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15996 What's the point of Gnus?
15998 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15999 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
16000 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
16001 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
16002 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
16003 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
16004 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
16005 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
16006 keep track of millions of people who post?
16008 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
16009 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
16010 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
16011 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
16012 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
16013 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
16014 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
16015 every one of you to explore and invent.
16017 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
16018 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
16021 @node Compatibility
16022 @subsection Compatibility
16024 @cindex compatibility
16025 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
16026 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
16027 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
16032 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
16036 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
16039 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
16042 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
16043 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
16044 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
16045 important variables have their values copied into their global
16046 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
16047 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
16049 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
16050 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
16051 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
16052 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
16053 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
16057 @cindex highlighting
16058 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16059 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16060 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16061 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16062 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16063 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16066 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16067 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16068 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16069 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16071 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16072 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16073 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16074 to stop doing it the old way.
16076 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16078 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16080 @cindex reporting bugs
16082 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16083 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16084 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16086 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16087 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16088 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16089 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16094 @subsection Conformity
16096 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16097 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16104 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16108 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16110 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16111 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16112 We do have some breaches to this one.
16117 Gnus does not yet fully handle MIME, and this standard-to-be seems to
16118 think that MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
16121 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
16122 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
16123 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
16124 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
16125 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16130 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16131 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16132 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16133 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16137 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16138 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16143 @subsection Emacsen
16149 Gnus should work on :
16157 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16161 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
16162 reliably, at least.
16164 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16165 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16166 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16171 @subsection Contributors
16172 @cindex contributors
16174 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16175 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16176 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16177 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16178 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16179 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16180 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16181 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16182 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16183 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16185 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16191 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16194 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16195 well as numerous other things).
16198 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16201 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16204 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16205 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16208 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16209 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16212 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16215 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16216 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16219 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16222 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16225 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16228 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16231 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16232 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16235 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16238 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16241 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16244 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16248 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16251 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16254 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16257 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16258 well as autoconf support.
16262 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16263 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16265 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16274 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16278 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16300 Massimo Campostrini,
16308 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
16314 Michael Welsh Duggan,
16317 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
16321 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
16328 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
16330 Michelangelo Grigni,
16333 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
16335 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
16337 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
16342 François Felix Ingrand,
16343 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
16345 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
16354 Peter Skov Knudsen,
16355 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
16356 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
16357 Thor Kristoffersen,
16360 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
16377 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
16378 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
16385 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
16389 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
16392 John McClary Prevost,
16398 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
16403 Christian von Roques,
16405 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16412 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16414 Randal L. Schwartz,
16444 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka.
16446 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16447 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16448 (550kB and counting).
16450 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16453 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16454 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16458 @subsection New Features
16459 @cindex new features
16462 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16463 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16464 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16465 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16468 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16469 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16470 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16474 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16476 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16481 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16482 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16485 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16486 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16489 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16492 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16493 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16494 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16497 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16498 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16499 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16500 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16503 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16504 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16507 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16508 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16509 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16512 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16513 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16516 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16517 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16518 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16521 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16522 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16523 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16526 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16527 the @file{.emacs} file.
16530 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16531 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16534 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16535 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16538 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16539 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16542 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16543 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16546 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16547 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16550 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16553 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16554 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16557 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16558 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16561 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16562 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16565 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16568 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16569 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16572 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16576 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16580 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16581 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16584 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16590 @node September Gnus
16591 @subsubsection September Gnus
16595 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16599 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16604 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16605 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16609 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16610 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16614 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16618 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16619 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16622 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16626 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16629 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16632 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16635 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16639 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16640 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16643 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16647 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16651 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16655 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16659 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16662 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16663 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16666 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16670 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16671 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16674 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16677 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16678 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16679 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16682 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16686 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16689 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16693 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16694 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16697 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16698 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16701 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16702 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16705 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16706 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16707 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16710 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16711 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16714 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16717 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16720 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16721 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16725 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16728 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16731 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16732 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16735 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16739 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16742 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16747 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16750 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16754 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16757 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16761 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16764 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16767 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16768 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16771 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16772 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16776 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16777 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16780 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16784 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16785 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16788 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16791 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16795 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16799 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16800 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16803 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16807 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16808 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16811 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16812 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16815 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16819 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16822 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16823 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16827 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16830 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16836 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16838 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16842 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16849 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16852 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16853 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16856 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16857 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16861 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16862 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16865 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16868 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16869 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16872 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16876 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16877 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16881 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16882 Server Internals}).
16885 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16889 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16892 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16893 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16896 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16897 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16898 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16901 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16902 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16905 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16906 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16909 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16913 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16914 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16917 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16918 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16921 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16925 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16928 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16932 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16933 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16936 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16937 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16940 A new command for reading collections of documents
16941 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16942 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16945 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16949 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16950 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16953 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16954 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16955 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16958 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16959 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16963 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16967 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16971 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16976 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16980 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16984 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16985 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16988 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16991 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16992 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16999 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
17001 New features in Gnus 5.6:
17006 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
17007 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
17008 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
17011 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
17012 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
17013 group, which is created automatically.
17016 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
17020 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
17023 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
17024 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
17027 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
17031 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
17034 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
17035 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
17038 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
17041 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
17042 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
17045 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
17046 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
17049 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
17050 control over simplification.
17053 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
17056 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17060 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17063 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17066 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17067 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17068 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17071 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17072 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17075 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17079 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17080 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17083 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17084 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17087 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17091 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17094 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17097 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17098 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17101 A new function for citing in Message has been
17102 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17105 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17108 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17112 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17113 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17116 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17117 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17120 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17123 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17128 @node Newest Features
17129 @subsection Newest Features
17132 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17135 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17137 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17138 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17141 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17146 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
17149 Really do unbinhexing.
17152 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17153 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17156 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17159 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17162 facep is not declared.
17165 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17166 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17169 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17174 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17175 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17176 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17177 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17178 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17179 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17180 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17185 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17188 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17191 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17193 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17194 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17196 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17198 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17200 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17201 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17203 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17205 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17206 be marked as unread.
17208 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17210 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17212 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17213 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17215 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17217 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17219 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17220 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17222 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17223 articles aren't displayed.
17225 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17227 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17228 make the mail groups killed.
17230 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17232 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17233 and articles have to be removed.
17235 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17238 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17240 finding short score file names takes forever.
17242 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17244 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17246 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17248 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17250 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17252 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17254 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17255 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17259 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17261 really unbinhex binhex files.
17263 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17264 bar and the Gnus bar.
17267 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17268 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17269 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17270 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17271 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17272 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17277 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17281 postponed commands.
17283 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17285 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17288 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17289 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17291 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
17292 inherit copy prompts and save files.
17294 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
17296 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
17297 for backends that support that.
17299 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
17301 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
17302 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
17304 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
17305 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
17307 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
17309 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
17311 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
17313 server mode command: close/open all connections
17315 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
17316 has been changed before using it.
17318 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
17320 hide (sub)threads with low score.
17322 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
17324 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
17326 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
17327 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
17329 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
17330 contain groups that match a regexp.
17332 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
17335 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
17338 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
17339 from subject lines.
17341 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
17343 nntp-ping-before-connect
17345 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
17347 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
17348 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
17350 message annotations.
17352 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
17354 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
17355 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
17357 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
17362 support qmail maildir spools
17364 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
17366 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
17368 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
17370 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
17371 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
17373 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
17375 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
17377 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
17378 finds and generate proper active ranges.
17380 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
17381 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
17383 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
17385 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
17387 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
17388 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
17390 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
17392 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
17394 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
17395 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
17398 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
17400 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
17402 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
17403 `C-c C-c' when posting.
17405 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17408 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17409 should be marker as expirable.
17411 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17413 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17414 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17416 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17417 Also consult Date headers.
17419 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17421 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17423 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17424 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17426 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17427 into a See-Also header.
17429 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17431 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17433 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17434 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17436 generate font names dynamically.
17438 score file mode auto-alist.
17440 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17441 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17443 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17444 absolutely all headers there is.
17446 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17447 and pipe them to the process.
17449 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17450 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17451 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17453 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17454 the current mail group.
17456 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17458 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17459 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17461 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17462 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17464 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17466 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17467 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17469 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17470 groups it has been mailed to.
17472 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17474 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17476 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17478 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17479 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17481 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17482 newlines) should be ignored.
17484 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17485 groups in subtopics as well.
17487 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17489 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17492 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17494 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17496 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17498 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17500 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17502 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17504 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17505 or the formatted article.
17507 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17509 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17510 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17512 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17514 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17516 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17518 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17519 even unread articles.
17521 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17523 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17525 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17527 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17529 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17531 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17534 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17535 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17537 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17538 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17540 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17542 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17544 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17545 from a particular server? Hm.
17547 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17548 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17550 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17552 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17553 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17555 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17556 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17558 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17559 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17560 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17563 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17564 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17566 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17568 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17570 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17572 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17575 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17578 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17579 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17581 command to show and edit group scores
17583 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17586 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17588 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17590 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17591 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17594 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17595 that are of that length.
17597 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17599 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17601 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17603 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17605 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17607 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17609 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17610 a score lower than this number.
17612 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17614 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17616 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17617 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17619 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17621 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17622 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17624 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17627 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17628 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17629 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17630 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17632 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17635 command to remove all topic stuff.
17637 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17638 and splitting the resulting digests.
17640 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17642 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17644 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17645 matches an alist -- before saving.
17647 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17649 variable to activate each group before entering them
17650 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17652 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17653 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17655 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17656 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17658 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17660 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17661 of several groups at once.
17663 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17664 matches some regexp(s).
17666 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17668 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17670 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17672 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17674 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17676 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17678 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17680 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17681 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17682 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17683 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17685 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17686 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17688 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17690 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17691 recently cited text.
17693 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17695 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17698 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17699 server and just read the articles in the server
17701 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17702 value of nnoo variables.
17704 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17706 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17707 listed in each group info.
17709 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17712 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17713 should only be applied to some groups.
17715 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17716 mail-copies-to: never.
17718 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17719 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17721 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
17723 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17726 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17729 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17731 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17734 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17738 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17740 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17741 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17742 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17743 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17744 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17746 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17747 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17754 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17755 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17757 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17758 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17760 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17761 "Return the date the group was last read."
17762 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17767 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17768 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17769 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17770 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17774 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17775 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17777 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17780 They could be used like this:
17784 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17785 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17786 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17788 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17790 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17793 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17796 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17797 affect the summary line format.
17801 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17803 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17804 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17806 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17809 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17811 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17813 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17815 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17817 - For other files, just find them normally.
17819 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17820 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17823 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17824 tell him what you are doing.
17827 Currently, I get prompted:
17831 decend into sci.something ?
17835 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17836 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17837 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17838 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17841 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17842 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17843 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17844 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17847 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17848 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17854 more than n blank lines
17856 more than m identical lines
17857 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17859 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17863 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17864 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17865 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17866 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17869 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17870 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17871 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17872 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17875 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17878 soup - bowl of soup
17879 score below - dim light bulb
17880 score over - bright light bulb
17883 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17888 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17889 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17890 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17891 if (articles-selected)
17892 start-reading-selected-articles;
17893 junk-unread-articles;
17898 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17899 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17900 select-thread-under-cursor;
17902 select-article-under-cursor;
17906 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17907 if (more-pages-in-article)
17909 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17916 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17917 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17918 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17921 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17922 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17923 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17924 the wildcard expression).
17927 It would be nice if it also handled
17929 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17931 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17936 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17937 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17938 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17939 article versions) variable.
17941 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17943 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17944 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17948 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17951 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17952 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17953 (message-sent-hook).
17955 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17958 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17962 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17963 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17966 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17967 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17968 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17971 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17972 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17976 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17979 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17983 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17984 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17987 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17988 value of the signature file.
17991 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17992 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17995 (setq message-tab-alist
17996 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17997 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17999 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
18003 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
18006 a command to import a buffer into a group.
18009 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
18012 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
18013 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
18016 a command to process mark all unread articles.
18019 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
18020 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
18021 do more gathering by subject.
18024 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
18025 article numerical order.
18028 (gnus-thread-total-score
18029 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
18033 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
18036 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
18037 in the summary buffer.
18040 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
18041 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
18044 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
18045 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
18046 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
18047 and/or newsgroup name.
18050 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
18053 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
18056 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18059 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18060 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18061 will automatically get the process mark.
18064 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18065 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18066 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18069 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18073 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18074 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18077 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18078 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18082 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18083 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18086 be able to post via DejaNews.
18089 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18092 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18093 allow them to be displayed separately.
18096 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18097 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18100 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18101 articles that match a certain From header.
18104 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18105 saving living summary buffers.
18108 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18109 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18112 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18113 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18116 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18117 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18120 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18121 (goto-char (point-min))
18122 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18123 (replace-match "`" t t))
18124 (goto-char (point-min))
18125 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18126 (replace-match "'" t t))
18127 (goto-char (point-min))
18128 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18129 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18130 (goto-char (point-min))
18131 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18132 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18137 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18139 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18140 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18141 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18142 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18146 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18149 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18150 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18154 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18155 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18156 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18158 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18159 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18161 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18162 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18167 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18168 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18171 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18172 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
18174 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18176 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18177 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18180 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18181 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18184 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18188 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18189 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18192 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18195 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18198 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18201 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18205 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18211 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18214 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18218 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18219 X characters in the body.
18222 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18225 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18228 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18231 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18234 command to display all dormant articles.
18237 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18240 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18241 to something someone else has said.
18244 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18245 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18248 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18249 the displayed version.
18252 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18256 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18259 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18260 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18261 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18265 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18266 in the head or body.
18269 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18272 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18275 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18276 in a special, unique buffer.
18279 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18282 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18283 is less than a certain number of days old.
18286 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18289 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18292 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18293 file, for instance.
18296 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
18297 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
18298 dummy root instead of the first article.
18301 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
18302 topics for displaying.
18305 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
18306 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
18309 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
18312 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
18313 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
18314 summary buffer for each article.
18317 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
18320 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
18324 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
18327 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
18331 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
18334 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
18337 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
18338 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
18341 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
18344 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
18345 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
18348 The documentation should mention pop3.el, fetchmail, smtpmail and why
18349 po:username often fails.
18352 Fetch by Message-ID from dejanews.
18354 <URL:http://search.dejanews.com/msgid.xp?MID=%3C62h9l9$hm4@@basement.replay.com%3E&fmt=raw>
18357 Solve the halting problem.
18366 @section The Manual
18370 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
18371 either @code{texi2dvi}
18373 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
18374 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
18376 to get what you hold in your hands now.
18378 The following conventions have been used:
18383 This is a @samp{string}
18386 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
18389 This is a @file{file}
18392 This is a @code{symbol}
18396 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
18400 (setq flargnoze "yes")
18403 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
18406 (setq flumphel 'yes)
18409 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
18410 ever get them confused.
18414 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
18415 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
18416 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
18417 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
18418 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
18419 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
18420 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
18428 @section Terminology
18430 @cindex terminology
18435 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18436 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18437 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18438 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18439 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18443 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18444 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18445 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18446 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18450 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18454 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18459 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18460 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18461 is all done by the backends.
18465 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18466 default, way of getting news.
18470 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18471 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18476 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18477 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18481 A message that has been posted as news.
18484 @cindex mail message
18485 A message that has been mailed.
18489 A mail message or news article
18493 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18498 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18503 A line from the head of an article.
18507 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18508 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18512 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18513 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18514 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18515 normal @sc{head} format.
18519 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18520 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18521 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18522 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18523 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18524 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18526 @item killed groups
18527 @cindex killed groups
18528 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18529 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18531 @item zombie groups
18532 @cindex zombie groups
18533 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18536 @cindex active file
18537 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18538 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18539 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18542 @cindex bogus groups
18543 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18544 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18545 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18548 @cindex activating groups
18549 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18550 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18551 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18555 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18557 @item select method
18558 @cindex select method
18559 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18562 @item virtual server
18563 @cindex virtual server
18564 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18565 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18566 whole is a virtual server.
18570 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18571 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18574 @item ephemeral groups
18575 @cindex ephemeral groups
18576 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18577 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18578 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18581 @cindex solid groups
18582 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18583 group buffer are solid groups.
18585 @item sparse articles
18586 @cindex sparse articles
18587 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18588 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18592 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18593 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18597 @cindex thread root
18598 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18599 articles in the thread.
18603 An article that has responses.
18607 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18611 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18612 specified by RFC1153.
18618 @node Customization
18619 @section Customization
18620 @cindex general customization
18622 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18623 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18624 for some quite common situations.
18627 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18628 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18629 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18630 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18634 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18635 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18637 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18638 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18639 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18643 @item gnus-read-active-file
18644 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18645 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18646 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18647 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18648 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18650 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18651 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18652 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18653 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18657 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18658 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18660 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18661 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18662 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18666 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18667 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18668 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18669 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18670 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18672 @item gnus-visible-headers
18673 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18674 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18675 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18676 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18678 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18679 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18681 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18682 '(gnus-article-hide-headers
18683 gnus-article-hide-signature
18684 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18687 @item gnus-use-full-window
18688 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18689 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18690 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18691 want to read them anyway.
18693 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18694 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18697 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18698 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18699 lines, which might save some time.
18703 @node Little Disk Space
18704 @subsection Little Disk Space
18707 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18708 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18712 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18713 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18714 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18715 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18718 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18719 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18720 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18721 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18722 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18728 @subsection Slow Machine
18729 @cindex slow machine
18731 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18732 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18734 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18735 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18737 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18738 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18739 summary buffer faster.
18741 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18742 processing a bit faster.
18746 @node Troubleshooting
18747 @section Troubleshooting
18748 @cindex troubleshooting
18750 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18758 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18761 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18762 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18766 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18767 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18768 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18769 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18772 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18776 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18777 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18778 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18779 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18780 something like that.
18783 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18786 @cindex reporting bugs
18788 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18790 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18791 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18792 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18793 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18795 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18796 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18797 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18798 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18801 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18802 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18803 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18804 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18805 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18806 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18808 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18809 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18810 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18813 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18814 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18816 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18817 @cindex ding mailing list
18818 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18819 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18823 @node Gnus Reference Guide
18824 @section Gnus Reference Guide
18826 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18827 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18828 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18829 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18832 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18833 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18834 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18835 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18836 and general methods of operation.
18839 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18840 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18841 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18842 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18843 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18844 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18845 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18846 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18847 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18851 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18852 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18853 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18854 @cindex utility functions
18856 @cindex internal variables
18858 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18859 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18860 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18864 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18865 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18866 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18868 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18869 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18870 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18872 @item gnus-group-real-name
18873 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18874 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18877 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18878 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18879 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18880 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18882 @item gnus-get-info
18883 @findex gnus-get-info
18884 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18886 @item gnus-group-unread
18887 @findex gnus-group-unread
18888 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18892 @findex gnus-active
18893 The active entry for @var{group}.
18895 @item gnus-set-active
18896 @findex gnus-set-active
18897 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18899 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18900 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18901 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18904 @item gnus-continuum-version
18905 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18906 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18907 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18910 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18911 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18912 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18914 @item gnus-news-group-p
18915 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18916 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18918 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18919 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18920 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18922 @item gnus-server-to-method
18923 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18924 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18926 @item gnus-server-equal
18927 @findex gnus-server-equal
18928 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18930 @item gnus-group-native-p
18931 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18932 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18934 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18935 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18936 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18938 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18939 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18940 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18942 @item group-group-find-parameter
18943 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18944 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18945 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18947 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18948 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18949 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18951 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18952 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18953 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18955 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18956 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18957 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18958 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18961 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18965 @item gnus-read-method
18966 @findex gnus-read-method
18967 Prompts the user for a select method.
18972 @node Backend Interface
18973 @subsection Backend Interface
18975 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18976 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18977 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18978 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18979 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18980 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18982 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18983 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18984 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18985 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18986 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18987 been opened, the function should fail.
18989 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18990 name. Take this example:
18994 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18995 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18998 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18999 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
19001 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
19002 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
19003 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
19005 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
19006 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
19007 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
19009 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
19010 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
19011 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
19012 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
19013 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
19014 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
19017 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
19018 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
19019 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
19020 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
19023 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
19026 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
19029 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
19030 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
19031 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
19032 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
19033 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
19034 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
19038 @node Required Backend Functions
19039 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
19043 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
19045 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
19046 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
19047 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
19048 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
19050 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
19051 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
19052 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
19053 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
19055 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
19056 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
19057 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
19058 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
19059 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
19060 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
19061 number, do maximum fetches.
19063 Here's an example HEAD:
19066 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19067 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19068 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19069 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19070 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19071 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19072 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19074 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19075 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19076 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19080 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19081 these in the data buffer.
19083 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19087 head = error / valid-head
19088 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19089 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19090 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19091 header = <text> eol
19094 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19095 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19099 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19100 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19101 field = <text except TAB>
19104 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19108 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19110 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19111 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19113 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19114 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19115 server. In fact, it should do so.
19117 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19118 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19121 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19123 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19124 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19127 There should be no data returned.
19130 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19132 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19133 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19134 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19135 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19137 There should be no data returned.
19140 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19142 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19143 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19144 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19145 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19147 There should be no data returned.
19150 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19152 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19154 There should be no data returned.
19157 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19159 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19160 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19161 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19162 it would be nice if that were possible.
19164 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19165 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19166 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19167 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19168 into its article buffer.
19170 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19171 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19172 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19173 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19174 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19175 on successful article retrieval.
19178 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19180 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19181 making @var{group} the current group.
19183 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19186 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19189 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19192 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19193 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19194 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19195 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19196 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19197 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19198 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19199 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19202 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19203 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19204 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19208 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19210 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19211 a no-op on most backends.
19213 There should be no data returned.
19216 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19218 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19221 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19224 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19225 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19228 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19229 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19232 active-file = *active-line
19233 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19235 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19238 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19239 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19240 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19243 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19245 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
19246 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
19247 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
19248 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
19249 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
19250 clear if the posting could not be completed.
19252 There should be no result data from this function.
19257 @node Optional Backend Functions
19258 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
19262 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
19264 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
19265 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
19266 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
19268 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
19269 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
19270 former is in the same format as the data from
19271 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
19272 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
19275 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
19279 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
19281 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
19282 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
19283 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
19284 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
19285 should return the (altered) group info.
19287 There should be no result data from this function.
19290 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
19292 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
19293 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
19294 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
19295 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
19296 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
19297 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
19298 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
19299 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
19301 There should be no result data from this function.
19304 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
19306 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
19307 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
19308 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
19309 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
19310 the mark information to the server.
19312 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
19315 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
19318 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
19319 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
19320 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
19321 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
19322 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
19323 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
19324 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
19325 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
19326 not limit itself to theese.
19328 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
19329 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
19330 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
19331 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
19333 An example action list:
19336 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
19337 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
19338 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
19341 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
19342 mark on (currently not used for anything).
19344 There should be no result data from this function.
19346 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
19348 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
19349 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
19350 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
19351 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
19352 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
19354 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
19355 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
19356 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
19359 There should be no result data from this function.
19362 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
19364 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
19365 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
19366 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
19367 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
19368 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
19369 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
19370 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
19372 There should be no result data from this function.
19375 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
19377 The result data from this function should be a description of
19381 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
19383 description = <text>
19386 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
19388 The result data from this function should be the description of all
19389 groups available on the server.
19392 description-buffer = *description-line
19396 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
19398 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
19399 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
19400 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
19403 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19405 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
19407 There should be no return data.
19410 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
19412 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
19413 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
19414 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
19415 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
19416 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
19419 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
19422 There should be no result data returned.
19425 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
19428 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
19429 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
19431 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
19432 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
19433 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
19434 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
19435 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
19436 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
19438 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
19439 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
19442 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19443 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19445 There should be no data returned.
19448 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
19450 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
19451 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
19452 this function in short order.
19454 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19455 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19457 There should be no data returned.
19460 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
19462 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
19463 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
19465 There should be no data returned.
19468 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
19470 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
19471 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
19472 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19474 There should be no data returned.
19477 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19479 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19480 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19482 There should be no data returned.
19487 @node Error Messaging
19488 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19490 @findex nnheader-report
19491 @findex nnheader-get-report
19492 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19493 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19494 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19495 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19496 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19497 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19500 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19502 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19505 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19506 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19507 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19508 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19510 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19511 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19512 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19515 @node Writing New Backends
19516 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19518 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19519 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19520 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19521 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19522 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19525 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19526 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19527 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19529 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19530 package called @code{nnoo}.
19532 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19533 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19539 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19540 parameters. For instance:
19543 (nnoo-declare nndir
19547 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19548 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19551 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19552 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19553 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19555 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19556 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19557 a function in those backends.
19560 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19561 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19562 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19565 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19566 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19567 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19569 @item nnoo-define-basics
19570 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19574 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19578 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19579 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19580 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19582 @item nnoo-map-functions
19583 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19584 functions from the parent backends.
19587 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19588 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19589 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19592 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19593 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19594 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19595 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19598 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19599 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19600 haven't already been defined.
19606 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19610 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19611 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19612 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19617 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19620 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19621 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19625 (require 'nnheader)
19629 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19631 (nnoo-declare nndir
19634 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19635 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19636 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19638 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19639 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19642 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19643 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19644 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19646 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19647 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19649 ;;; Interface functions.
19651 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19653 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19654 (setq nndir-directory
19655 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19657 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19658 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19659 (push `(nndir-current-group
19660 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19662 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19663 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19665 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19667 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19668 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19669 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19670 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19671 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19675 nnmh-status-message
19677 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19683 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19684 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19686 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19687 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19688 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19689 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19691 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19692 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19697 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19700 The abilities can be:
19704 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19706 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19708 This backend supports both mail and news.
19710 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19713 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19714 articles and groups.
19716 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19717 true for almost all backends.
19718 @item prompt-address
19719 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19720 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19721 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19725 @node Mail-like Backends
19726 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19728 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19729 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19730 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19731 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19734 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19735 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19736 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19739 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19740 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19743 This function takes four parameters.
19747 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19750 @item exit-function
19751 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19753 @item temp-directory
19754 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19757 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19758 performed for one group only.
19761 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19762 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19763 find the article number assigned to this article.
19765 The function also uses the following variables:
19766 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19767 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19768 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19769 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19773 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19774 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19778 @node Score File Syntax
19779 @subsection Score File Syntax
19781 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19782 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19783 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19785 Here's a typical score file:
19789 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19796 BNF definition of a score file:
19799 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19800 element = rule / atom
19801 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19802 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19803 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19804 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19806 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19807 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19808 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19809 date-header = "date"
19810 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19811 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19812 score = "nil" / <integer>
19813 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19814 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19815 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19816 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19817 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19818 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19819 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19820 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19821 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19822 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19823 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19824 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19825 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19826 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19827 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19828 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19829 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19830 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19831 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19832 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19833 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19834 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19835 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19836 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19837 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19838 eval = "eval" space <form>
19839 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19842 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19845 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19846 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19847 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19848 one looong line, then that's ok.
19850 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19851 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19855 @subsection Headers
19857 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19858 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19859 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19860 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19862 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19863 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19864 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19865 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19866 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19867 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19868 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19870 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19871 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19872 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
19873 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19874 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19876 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
19877 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
19883 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19884 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19886 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19887 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19888 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19889 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19891 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19895 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19898 is transformed into
19901 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19904 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19905 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19908 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19911 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19912 is slightly tricky:
19915 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19921 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19924 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19930 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19937 and is equal to the previous range.
19939 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19940 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19941 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19945 range = simple-range / normal-range
19946 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19947 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19948 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19949 number *[ " " contents ]
19952 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19953 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19954 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19955 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19956 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19961 @subsection Group Info
19963 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19964 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19965 describes the group.
19967 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19968 second is a more complex one:
19971 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
19973 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19974 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19976 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19979 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19980 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19981 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19982 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19983 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19984 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19985 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19986 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19987 this section is about.
19989 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19990 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19991 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19993 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19996 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19997 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19998 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19999 group = quote <string> quote
20000 ralevel = rank / level
20001 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20002 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
20003 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20005 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
20006 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
20007 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
20008 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
20011 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
20012 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
20015 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
20016 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
20019 @item gnus-info-group
20020 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
20021 @findex gnus-info-group
20022 @findex gnus-info-set-group
20023 Get/set the group name.
20025 @item gnus-info-rank
20026 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
20027 @findex gnus-info-rank
20028 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
20029 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
20031 @item gnus-info-level
20032 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
20033 @findex gnus-info-level
20034 @findex gnus-info-set-level
20035 Get/set the group level.
20037 @item gnus-info-score
20038 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
20039 @findex gnus-info-score
20040 @findex gnus-info-set-score
20041 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
20043 @item gnus-info-read
20044 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
20045 @findex gnus-info-read
20046 @findex gnus-info-set-read
20047 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
20049 @item gnus-info-marks
20050 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
20051 @findex gnus-info-marks
20052 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
20053 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
20055 @item gnus-info-method
20056 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
20057 @findex gnus-info-method
20058 @findex gnus-info-set-method
20059 Get/set the group select method.
20061 @item gnus-info-params
20062 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
20063 @findex gnus-info-params
20064 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20065 Get/set the group parameters.
20068 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20069 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20071 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20072 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20073 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20074 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20077 @node Extended Interactive
20078 @subsection Extended Interactive
20079 @cindex interactive
20080 @findex gnus-interactive
20082 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20083 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20084 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20087 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20088 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20093 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20094 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20095 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20096 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20097 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20098 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20099 @code{interactive}.
20101 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20106 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20107 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20111 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20112 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20113 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20116 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20120 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20124 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20130 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20131 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20135 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20136 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20137 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20139 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20140 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20141 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20142 Gnus, that's very useful.
20144 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20145 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20146 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20147 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20148 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20149 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20150 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20151 following function:
20154 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20158 (,function ,@@args))
20162 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20163 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20164 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20167 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20168 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20169 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20171 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20172 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20173 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20176 @node Various File Formats
20177 @subsection Various File Formats
20180 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20181 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20185 @node Active File Format
20186 @subsubsection Active File Format
20188 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20189 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20192 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20195 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20196 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20197 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20198 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20199 no.general 1000 900 y
20202 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20205 active = *group-line
20206 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20207 group = <non-white-space string>
20209 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20210 low-number = <positive integer>
20211 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20214 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20215 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20218 @node Newsgroups File Format
20219 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20221 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20222 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20223 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20226 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20227 Here's the definition:
20231 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20232 group = <non-white-space string>
20234 description = <string>
20239 @node Emacs for Heathens
20240 @section Emacs for Heathens
20242 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20243 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20244 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20245 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
20246 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
20247 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
20248 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
20252 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
20253 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
20258 @subsection Keystrokes
20262 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
20265 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
20268 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
20269 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
20270 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
20271 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
20272 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
20273 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
20275 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
20276 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
20277 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
20278 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
20279 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
20280 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
20281 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
20283 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
20284 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
20285 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
20286 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
20287 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
20288 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
20289 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
20291 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
20292 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
20293 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
20294 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
20295 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
20301 @subsection Emacs Lisp
20303 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
20304 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
20305 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
20306 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
20308 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
20309 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
20310 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
20311 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
20312 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
20313 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
20314 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
20317 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
20318 write the following:
20321 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
20324 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
20325 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
20326 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
20329 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
20330 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
20331 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
20332 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
20333 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
20335 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
20336 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
20337 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
20341 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
20345 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
20348 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
20349 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
20352 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
20355 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
20356 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
20359 @include gnus-faq.texi