\makeindex
\begin{document}
-\newcommand{\gnusversionname}{Oort Gnus v0.15}
+\newcommand{\gnusversionname}{Oort Gnus v0.16}
\newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
\newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
luck.
-This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.15.
+This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.16.
@end ifinfo
* Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
* Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
* More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
-* Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
+* Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
Decoding Articles
* Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
* Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
* MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
+* Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
* Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
* Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
* Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
* Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
* Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
-* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
+* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
* A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
Other Sources
If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
-file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
-incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
+file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
+incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
messages as unread that have been read in the master.
@node Fetching a Group
several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
@vindex gnus-startup-file
+@vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
+@vindex version-control
The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
+If you want version control for this file, set
+@code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
+@code{version-control} variable.
@vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
@vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
@item ticked
The number of ticked articles in the group.
@item total
-The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
-MIN-NUMBER plus one.
+The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
+@var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
@item topic
When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
topic being inserted.
first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
-group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
-determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
-positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
-negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
+group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
+determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
+positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
+negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
(auto-expire . t))
@end example
-We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
+We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
Display all articles, both read and unread.
@item an integer
-Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
-entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
+Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
+entering the group with C-u @var{integer}.
@item default
Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
example:
-@example
+@lisp
(setq gnus-parameters
'(("mail\\..*"
(gnus-show-threads nil)
("list\\..*"
(total-expire . t)
(broken-reply-to . t))))
-@end example
+@end lisp
String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
the @code{to-group} example shows.
is a toggling command.)
Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
-dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
-now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
-@samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
-bothered?
+dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
+Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
+under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
+Hot and bothered?
If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
@kindex T # (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
-(@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
+sub-topics unless given a prefix.
@item T M-#
@kindex T M-# (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
-(@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
+sub-topics unless given a prefix.
@item C-c C-x
@kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
-This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
+This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
for this to work though.
@vindex nnmail-extra-headers
A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
-to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
-you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
-this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
-the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
+to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
+If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
+changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
+and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
+regeneration.
@vindex gnus-summary-line-format
You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
+If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
+again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
+@kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
+
@item G n
@itemx n
@kindex n (Summary)
or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
+@vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
+@vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
+If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
+the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
+skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
+what is considered uninteresting with
+@code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
+pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
+
@item DEL
@kindex DEL (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-page
prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
-This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
+This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
for this to work though.
* Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
* Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
* More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
-* Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
+* Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
@end menu
@vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
-a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
+a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
extra connection.
-Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
+Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
you really want to.
@vindex gnus-asynchronous
@vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
@findex gnus-async-read-p
There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
-articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
-return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
-pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
-@code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
-data structure as the only parameter.
+articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
+variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
+function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
+to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
+returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
+article data structure as the only parameter.
-If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
+If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
+than 100 lines, you could say something like:
@lisp
(defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
-related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
+related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
like:
@lisp
@vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
@cindex sox
This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
-for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
+for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
say something like:
@lisp
(setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
-think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
+think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
@item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
@vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
@item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
@vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
-@code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
-address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
-an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
-If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
-advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
-@samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
-@samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
-following element to remove them:
+@code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
+matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
+symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
+a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
+address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
+sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
+banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
+sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
@lisp
("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
the server.
+@item g
+Force redisplaying of the current article
+(@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
+If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
+interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
+(@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
+
@item W l
@kindex W l (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
@item B p
@kindex B p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
-Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
+Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
@code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
(@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
@kindex A M (summary)
@findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
-either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
+add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
-summary buffer, or say:
-
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
-@end lisp
+summary buffer.
That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
@item to-address
Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
+@item to-list
+Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
+the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
+@item cc-list
+Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
+the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
@item date
Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
old.
Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
-like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
+like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
(@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
+@findex gnus-mime-delete-part
+@item d (Article)
+@kindex d (Article)
+Delete the @sc{mime} object from the article and replace it with some
+information about the removed @sc{mime} object
+(@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
+
@findex gnus-mime-copy-part
@item c (Article)
@kindex c (Article)
@cindex article customization
A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
-exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
+exist. You can call these functions interactively
+(@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
called automatically when you select the articles.
To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
@item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
@item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
@item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
+@item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
+@item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
@xref{Article Hiding}.
@kindex SPACE (Article)
@findex gnus-article-next-page
Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
+This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
@item DEL
@kindex DEL (Article)
@findex gnus-article-prev-page
Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
+This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
@item C-c ^
@kindex C-c ^ (Article)
lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
still a pain, though.
-@item gnus-version-expose-system
-@vindex gnus-version-expose-system
+@item gnus-user-agent
+@vindex gnus-user-agent
+@cindex User-Agent
-Your system type (@code{system-configuration} variable, such as
-@samp{i686-pc-linux}) is exposed in the auto-generated by default
-User-Agent header. Sometimes, it may be desireable (mostly because of
-aesthetic reasons) to turn it off. In this case, set it to @code{nil}.
+This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
+User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
+Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
+@code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
+configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
+system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
+use a valid format, see RFC 2616."
@end table
The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
-If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
-the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
-REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
-one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
-reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
-@code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
-arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
+If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
+will look in the original article for a header whose name is
+@var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
+@var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
+replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
+followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
+@code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
+no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
-any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
-to @dfn{match}.
+any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
+said to @dfn{match}.
Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
-change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
-won't change the "derived" variables.
+change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
+won't change the ``derived'' variables.
This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
@code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
@findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
@item nntp-open-ssl-stream
-Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
-this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
-installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
-need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
+Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
+you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
+installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}. You then
define a server as follows:
@lisp
These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
-the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
+the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
@vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
List of strings to be used as the switches to
@code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
-@samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
+@samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
@samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
and things will happen automatically.
-For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
-mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
+For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
+mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
@lisp
(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
-directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
+directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
like any other group.
mail belongs in that group.
The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
-expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
+expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
-rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
-In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
+rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
+In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
function of your choice. This function will be called without any
The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
@code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
-that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
+that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
@vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
@cindex crosspost
@vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
@vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
-By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
+By default the splitting codes @sc{mime} decodes headers so you can match
on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
can be turned off completely by binding
The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
(usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
+
+@item :prescript
+@itemx :postscript
+Script run before/after fetching mail.
@end table
An example file mail source:
@item :path
The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
-@samp{~/Maildir/}.
+@file{~/Maildir/}.
@item :subdirs
The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
@samp{("new" "cur")}.
@item :program
When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
-mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
+mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
@code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
@example
The name of the server.
@item l
-User name from `imap-default-user'.
+User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
@item p
The port number of the server.
@item mail-source-delete-incoming
@vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
-If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
+If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
+@code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
+files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
+(This will only happen, when reveiving new mail). You may also set
+@code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
+@code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
+
+@item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
+@vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
+If @code{non-nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
+files. This variable only applies when
+@code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
@item mail-source-ignore-errors
@vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
when the @code{:} function is run.
@item
-@code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
-element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
-called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
-return a split.
+@code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
+first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
+@var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
+as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
@item
@code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
(because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
-Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
-@code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
-incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
-@uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
+Spool}).
@menu
* Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
* Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
* Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
* MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
+* Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
* Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
* Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
@end menu
@table @code
@item nnml-directory
@vindex nnml-directory
-All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
-The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
-@file{~/Mail}).
+All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
+default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
+is @file{~/Mail}).
@item nnml-active-file
@vindex nnml-active-file
The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
-@file{~/Mail/active"}.
+@file{~/Mail/active}.
@item nnml-newsgroups-file
@vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
-Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
+Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
@item nnml-get-new-mail
@vindex nnml-get-new-mail
@end table
+@node Maildir
+@subsubsection Maildir
+@cindex nnmaildir
+@cindex maildir
+
+@code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
+corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
+@uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
+@uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
+stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
+maildir.
+
+Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
+reading, without needing locks. With other backends, you would have
+your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
+configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
+can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
+to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
+group in Gnus.
+
+nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
+corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
+data in the filesystem.
+
+nnmaildir stores article marks and NOV data in each maildir. So you
+can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
+keep your marks.
+
+Virtual server settings:
+
+@table @code
+@item directory
+For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
+more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
+symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a directory
+already used for other purposes). You could also put maildirs
+themselves (instead of symlinks to them) directly in the server
+directory, but that would break @code{nnmaildir-request-delete-group},
+so you wouldn't be able to delete those groups from within Gnus. (You
+could still delete them from your shell with @code{rm -r foo}.) Each
+maildir will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
+filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
+in the directory starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is
+scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
+the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
+nnmaildir notices at these times.
+
+The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
+which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
+the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
+only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
+server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
+don't worry - a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
+optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using @file{~/Mail}
+or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus use that
+directory by default for various things, and may get confused if
+nnmaildir uses it too. @file{~/.nnmaildir} is a typical value.
+
+@item create-directory
+This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
+@code{expand-file-name} to get the name of the directory where new
+maildirs are created. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the server
+is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is closed.
+This parameter is optional, but if you do not supply it, you cannot
+create new groups from within Gnus. (You could still create them from
+your shell with @code{mkdir -m 0700 foo foo/tmp foo/new foo/cur}.) A
+relative path is interpreted as relative to the @code{directory} path.
+@code{create-directory} and @code{directory} must be different;
+otherwise, group creation and deletion will break. (If you don't need
+those features, you can omit @code{create-directory} entirely.)
+
+@item directory-files
+This should be a function with the same interface as
+@code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
+used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
+parameter is optional; the default is
+@code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
+@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
+@code{directory-files} otherwise.
+(@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
+server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
+scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
+
+@item get-new-mail
+If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
+maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
+the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
+@code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
+value is @code{nil}.
+
+Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
+an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
+would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
+in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
+supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
+@end table
+
+@subsubsection Group parameters
+
+nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
+this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
+behavior for other mail backends: articles are deleted after one week,
+etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
+unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
+duplicate the behavior you already have with another backend.
+
+If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
+is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
+original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
+evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
+different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
+backends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
+numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
+@code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
+quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
+
+@table @code
+@item expire-age
+An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
+it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
+articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
+nnmaildir falls back to the usual
+@code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overridable by
+the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
+wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
+60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
+article's age is measured starting from the article file's
+modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
+delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
+article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
+
+@item expire-group
+If this is set to a string (a full Gnus group name, like
+@code{"backend+server.address.string:group.name"}), and if it is not
+the name of the same group that the parameter belongs to, then
+articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry before
+being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
+article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
+source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the destination
+group.
+
+@item read-only
+If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
+maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
+@file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
+not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
+edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
+directory of another maildir - e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
+a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
+@file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
+mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
+permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
+extra copies of the articles.
+
+@item directory-files
+A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
+used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
+group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
+server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
+
+@item always-marks
+A list of mark symbols, such as
+@code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
+article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
+marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
+say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
+removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
+abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
+
+@item never-marks
+A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
+Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
+articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
+the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
+@code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
+probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
+abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
+
+@item nov-cache-size
+An integer specifying the size of the NOV memory cache. To speed
+things up, nnmaildir keeps NOV data in memory for a limited number of
+articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
+probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
+only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened - i.e.,
+when you first start Gnus, typically. The NOV cache is never resized
+until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
+of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
+buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
+not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
+@end table
+
+@subsubsection Article identification
+Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
+Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
+contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
+@code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
+the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
+identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
+@file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
+about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
+available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
+request the article in the summary buffer.
+
+@subsubsection NOV data
+An article identified by @code{uniq} has its NOV data (used to
+generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
+@code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
+@code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
+need for it - an article's NOV data is updated automatically when the
+article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
+nnmaildir to regenerate the NOV data for a single article simply by
+deleting the corresponding NOV file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
+cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
+may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
+
+@subsubsection Article marks
+An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
+@code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
+When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
+files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
+to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
+corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
+file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
+@file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
+
+You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
+@file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
+your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
+remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
+this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
+best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
+in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
+group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
+changes, and might undo them.
+
+
@node Mail Folders
@subsubsection Mail Folders
@cindex nnfolder
@item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
@vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
-Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
+Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
@item nnfolder-get-new-mail
@vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
-itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
+itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
@item nnslashdot-directory
@vindex nnslashdot-directory
Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
-@samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
+@file{~/News/slashdot/}.
@item nnslashdot-active-url
@vindex nnslashdot-active-url
@item nnultimate-directory
@vindex nnultimate-directory
The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
-@samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
+@file{~/News/ultimate/}.
@end table
@item nnwarchive-directory
@vindex nnwarchive-directory
The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
-@samp{~/News/warchive/}.
+@file{~/News/warchive/}.
@item nnwarchive-login
@vindex nnwarchive-login
@item nnrss-directory
@vindex nnrss-directory
The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
-@samp{~/News/rss/}.
+@file{~/News/rss/}.
@end table
@cindex nnimap
@cindex @sc{imap}
-@sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
+@sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
specify the network address of the server.
manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
usage explained in this section.
-A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
+A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
need external programs and libraries, see below.)
@samp{starttls}.
@item
@dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
-@samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
-library @samp{ssl.el}.
+@samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
@item
@dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
@item
SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
-to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
-distribution, for instance).
+to OpenSSL/SSLeay.
@vindex imap-shell-program
@vindex imap-shell-host
@table @code
@item always
-The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
+The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
closing a mailbox.
@item never
Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
* Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
* Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
* Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
-* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
+* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
* A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
@end menu
them every time you fetch new mail.)
These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
-end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
-crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
+end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
+crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
@item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
-number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
+number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
@item nnmail-expiry-target
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
+Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
follow the list without subscribing to it.
@item
At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
-"anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
+``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
INBOX.mailbox).
@end itemize
names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
@sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
(or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
-the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
+the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
-@code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
-the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
-the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
-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
-is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
-@code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
-of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
-correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
-low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
+@code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
+is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
+where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
+The alist is 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 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on.
+These type predicates should return @code{nil} if the document is not
+of the correct type; @code{t} if it is of the correct type; and a
+number if the document might be of the correct type. A high number
+means high probability; a low number means low probability with
+@samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
@node SOUP
@item nnsoup-replies-directory
@vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
-reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
+reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
@item nnsoup-replies-format-type
@vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
@item
-Uhm... that's it.
+Uhm@dots{} that's it.
@end itemize
always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
just don't give a damn.
-The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
+The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
@item
Agent score file
-These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
-stated above.
+These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
+keywords stated above.
example:
These directives in either the category definition or a group's
parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
-files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
+files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
@itemize @bullet
@end itemize
-Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
+Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
-removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
+removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
@item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
-@strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
+@strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
@end table
Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
@item e
-Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
+Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
@item f
@item gnus-score-file-suffix
@vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
-(@samp{SCORE} by default.)
+(@file{SCORE} by default.)
@item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
@vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
@cindex score cache
All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
-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
+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
@file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
@file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
@item local
@cindex local variables
-The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
-Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
-and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
-strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
-much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
+The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
+@var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
+current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
+convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
+groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
+be evaluated.
@end table
@vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
-is @samp{ADAPT}.
+is @file{ADAPT}.
@vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
old articles for a long time.
@end itemize
-... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
+@dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
holding our breath yet?
In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
-yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
-like this one?"
+yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
+like this one?''
There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
-expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
+expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
@node Interactive
friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
-(NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
+(Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
@code{xface}).
Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
@item hashcash-payment-alist
@vindex hashcash-payment-alist
Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
-default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
-where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
-the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
-contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
-string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
+default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
+@var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
+or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
+that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
+@var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
+(normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
@item hashcash
@vindex hashcash
they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
-mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
+mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
will study them as spam samples.
@item
code
-@example
+@lisp
(defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
"True if blackbox should be used.")
-@end example
+@end lisp
Add
@example
Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
@samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
@code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
+
+Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
+@code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
+mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
+
@end enumerate
For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
-@example
+@lisp
(defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
"The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
Only applicable to spam groups.")
"The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
-@end example
+@end lisp
@item
functionality
-@example
+@lisp
(defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
(spam-generic-register-routine
;; the spam function
(let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
(when (stringp from)
(blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
-@end example
+@end lisp
Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
@code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
-@example
+@lisp
(require 'spam-stat)
(spam-stat-load)
-@end example
+@end lisp
This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
created.
spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
@code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
-@example
+@lisp
(setq nnmail-split-fancy
`(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
"mail.misc"))
-@end example
+@end lisp
@defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
expression are considered potential spam.
-@example
+@lisp
(setq nnmail-split-fancy
`(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
(: spam-stat-split-fancy)
"mail.misc"))
-@end example
+@end lisp
If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
mails, when creating the dictionary!
-@example
+@lisp
(setq nnmail-split-fancy
`(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
"mail.misc"))
-@end example
+@end lisp
You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
dictionary!
-@example
+@lisp
(setq nnmail-split-fancy
`(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
(: spam-stat-split-fancy)
("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
"mail.misc"))
-@end example
+@end lisp
@node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
-@example
+@lisp
(require 'spam-stat)
(spam-stat-load)
-@end example
+@end lisp
Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
-I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
+I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
wrong show.
@itemize @bullet
New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
@item
- @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
-Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
+ @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
+Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
@item
@kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
-@kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
+@kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
@item
@code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
@code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
@item
- The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
+ The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
@item
@cindex slow
Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
-can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
+can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-j} when things are
slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
-gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
+gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET message}. Then perform
the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
@cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
@cindex ding mailing list
-You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
-Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
+You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@email{ding@@gnus.org}.
+Write to @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
@page
This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
-If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
-headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
+If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
+headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
header = <text> eol
@end example
+@cindex BNF
+(The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
+
If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
@dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
separated by tabs.
@example
nov-buffer = *nov-line
-nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
+nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
field = <text except TAB>
@end example
There should be no result data returned.
-@item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
-&optional LAST)
+@item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
@var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
have.
-@example
+@lisp
(nnoo-define-basics nndir)
-@end example
+@end lisp
@item deffoo
This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
functions from the parent back ends.
-@example
+@lisp
(nnoo-map-functions nndir
(nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
(nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
-@end example
+@end lisp
This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
haven't already been defined.
-@example
+@lisp
(nnoo-import nndir
(nnmh
nnmh-request-list
nnmh-request-newgroups)
(nnml))
-@end example
+@end lisp
This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
projects / elisp / gnus.git- / blobdiff