This is ../info/gnus, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from gnus.texi.

INFO-DIR-SECTION The Emacs editor and associated tools
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* GNUS: (gnus).			The news reader GNUS.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.

   Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
of a permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions.


File: gnus,  Node: Top,  Next: Starting Up,  Up: (dir)

The Gnus Newsreader
*******************

You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus.  The news
can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of--NNTP, local
spool or your mbox file.  All at the same time, if you want to push your
luck.

* Menu:

* Starting Up::           Finding news can be a pain.
* The Group Buffer::      Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
* The Summary Buffer::    Reading, saving and posting articles.
* The Article Buffer::    Displaying and handling articles.
* Composing Messages::    Information on sending mail and news.
* Select Methods::        Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
* Scoring::               Assigning values to articles.
* Various::               General purpose settings.
* The End::               Farewell and goodbye.
* Appendices::            Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
* Index::                 Variable, function and concept index.
* Key Index::             Key Index.


File: gnus,  Node: Starting Up,  Next: The Group Buffer,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 Starting Gnus
***************

If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
and reading news is extremely easy--you just type `M-x gnus' in your
Emacs.

   If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the
command `M-x gnus-other-frame' instead.

   If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
variables.

* Menu:

* Finding the News::    Choosing a method for getting news.
* The First Time::      What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
* The Server is Down::  How can I read my mail then?
* Slave Gnusii::        You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
* Fetching a Group::    Starting Gnus just to read a group.
* New Groups::          What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
* Startup Files::       Those pesky startup files---`.newsrc'.
* Auto Save::           Recovering from a crash.
* The Active File::     Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
* Startup Variables::   Other variables you might change.


File: gnus,  Node: Finding the News,  Next: The First Time,  Up: Starting Up

1.1 Finding the News
====================

The `gnus-select-method' variable says where Gnus should look for news.
This variable should be a list where the first element says "how" and
the second element says "where".  This method is your native method.
All groups that are not fetched with this method are foreign groups.

   For instance, if the `news.somewhere.edu' NNTP server is where you
want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:

     (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))

   If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:

     (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))

   If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
certainly be much faster.

   If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
`NNTPSERVER' environment variable.  If that variable isn't set, Gnus
will see whether `gnus-nntpserver-file' (`/etc/nntpserver' by default)
has any opinions on the matter.  If that fails as well, Gnus will will
try to use the machine that is running Emacs as an NNTP server.  That's
a long-shot, though.

   If `gnus-nntp-server' is set, this variable will override
`gnus-select-method'.  You should therefore set `gnus-nntp-server' to
`nil', which is what it is by default.

   You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
NNTP server.  If you give a non-numerical prefix to `gnus' (i.e., `C-u
M-x gnus'), Gnus will let you choose between the servers in the
`gnus-secondary-servers' list (if any).  You can also just type in the
name of any server you feel like visiting.

   However, if you use one NNTP server regularly and are just
interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
better served by using the `B' command in the group buffer.  It will
let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
to any of the groups you want to.  This also makes `.newsrc'
maintenance much tidier.  *Note Foreign Groups::.

   A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
`gnus-secondary-select-methods' variable.  The select methods listed in
this variable are in many ways just as native as the
`gnus-select-method' server.  They will also be queried for active
files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
groups are.

   For instance, if you use the `nnmbox' backend to read your mail, you
would typically set this variable to

     (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))


File: gnus,  Node: The First Time,  Next: The Server is Down,  Prev: Finding the News,  Up: Starting Up

1.2 The First Time
==================

If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
be subscribed by default.

   If the variable `gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups' is set, Gnus
will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
killed.  Your system administrator should have set this variable to
something useful.

   Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
picked groups (i.e., `*.newusers').  ("Arbitrary" is here defined as
"whatever Lars thinks you should read".)

   You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which
should help you with most common problems.

   If `gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups' is `t', Gnus will just use
the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
special.


File: gnus,  Node: The Server is Down,  Next: Slave Gnusii,  Prev: The First Time,  Up: Starting Up

1.3 The Server is Down
======================

If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
problems starting.  However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.

   Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
without a native select method if that server can't be contacted.  This
will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
for some reason or other.  If you decide to continue and have no foreign
groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
buffer.  But, hey, that's your problem.  Blllrph!

   If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to
read your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
`gnus-no-server' command to start Gnus.  That might come in handy if
you're in a hurry as well.


File: gnus,  Node: Slave Gnusii,  Next: Fetching a Group,  Prev: The Server is Down,  Up: Starting Up

1.4 Slave Gnusiï
================

You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
same time.  If you are using different `.newsrc' files (eg., if you are
using the two different Gnusiï to read from two different servers),
that is no problem whatsoever.  You just do it.

   The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusiï that use the same
`.newsrc' file.

   To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the
Gnus Towers have come up with a new concept: "Masters" and "servants".
(We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have taken out a
copyright on those words.  If you wish to use those words in
conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
me.  Usage of the patent ("Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
Applications") will be much more expensive, of course.)

   Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with `M-x gnus' (or
however you do it).  Each subsequent slave Gnusiï should be started with
`M-x gnus-slave'.  These slaves won't save normal `.newsrc' files, but
instead save "slave files" that contains information only on what
groups have been read in the slave session.  When a master Gnus starts,
it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
information from them.  (The slave files will be read in the sequence
they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)

   Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
information in the normal (i. e., master) `.newsrc' file.


File: gnus,  Node: Fetching a Group,  Next: New Groups,  Prev: Slave Gnusii,  Up: Starting Up

1.5 Fetching a Group
====================

It it sometime convenient to be able to just say "I want to read this
group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not".  This is
perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
command `gnus-fetch-group' provides this functionality in any case.  It
takes the group name as a parameter.


File: gnus,  Node: New Groups,  Next: Startup Files,  Prev: Fetching a Group,  Up: Starting Up

1.6 New Groups
==============

What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
`gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method' variable.

   This variable should contain a function.  Some handy pre-fab values
are:

`gnus-subscribe-zombies'
     Make all new groups zombies.  You can browse the zombies later
     (with `A z') and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe
     to them.  This is the default.

`gnus-subscribe-randomly'
     Subscribe all new groups randomly.

`gnus-subscribe-alphabetically'
     Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.

`gnus-subscribe-hierarchically'
     Subscribe all new groups hierarchically.

`gnus-subscribe-interactively'
     Subscribe new groups interactively.  This means that Gnus will ask
     you about *all* new groups.

`gnus-subscribe-killed'
     Kill all new groups.


   A closely related variable is
`gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive'.  (That's quite a mouthful.)
If this variable is non-`nil', Gnus will ask you in a hierarchical
fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not.  Gnus will ask you
for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the hierarchy or not.

   One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
`gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive'.  This is an error.  This
will not work.  This is ga-ga.  So don't do it.

   A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
subscribed (or ignored) is to put an "options" line at the start of the
`.newsrc' file.  Here's an example:

     options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all

   This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual
scientific person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it
says that all groups that have names beginning with `alt' and `rec'
should be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with `sci' should
be subscribed.  Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
subscribing these groups.  `gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method' is
used instead.  This variable defaults to
`gnus-subscribe-alphabetically'.

   If you don't want to mess with your `.newsrc' file, you can just set
the two variables `gnus-options-subscribe' and
`gnus-options-not-subscribe'.  These two variables do exactly the same
as the `.newsrc' `options -n' trick.  Both are regexps, and if the the
new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally subscribed,
and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.

   Yet another variable that meddles here is
`gnus-auto-subscribed-groups'.  It works exactly like
`gnus-options-subscribe', and is therefore really superfluous, but I
thought it would be nice to have two of these.  This variable is more
meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
more for user fiddling.  By default this variable makes all new groups
that come from mail backends (`nnml', `nnbabyl', `nnfolder', `nnmbox',
and `nnmh') subscribed.  If you don't like that, just set this variable
to `nil'.

   If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new
groups, you could set `gnus-check-new-newsgroups' to `nil'.  This will
also save you some time at startup.  Even if this variable is `nil',
you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing `U' in the
group buffer (*note Group Maintenance::).  This variable is `t' by
default.

   Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing
the list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed
and dead groups.  This isn't a particularly fast method.  If
`gnus-check-new-newsgroups' is `ask-server', Gnus will ask the server
for new groups since the last time.  This is both faster & cheaper.
This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed groups
altogether, so you may set `gnus-save-killed-list' to `nil', which will
save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.  Saves disk space,
too.  Why isn't this the default, then?  Unfortunately, not all servers
support this command.

   I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
server supports `ask-server'?  No?  Good, because I don't have a
fail-safe answer.  I would suggest just setting this variable to
`ask-server' and see whether any new groups appear within the next few
days.  If any do, then it works.  If any don't, then it doesn't work.
I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server supports
`ask-server', but it would just be a guess.  So I won't.  You could
`telnet' to the server and say `HELP' and see whether it lists
`NEWGROUPS' among the commands it understands.  If it does, then it
might work.  (But there are servers that lists `NEWGROUPS' without
supporting the function properly.)

   This variable can also be a list of select methods.  If so, Gnus will
issue an `ask-server' command to each of the select methods, and
subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods.  This might be handy
if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups.  A side effect is
that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
Use the mantra "dingnusdingnusdingnus" to achieve permanent bliss.


File: gnus,  Node: Startup Files,  Next: Auto Save,  Prev: New Groups,  Up: Starting Up

1.7 Startup Files
=================

Now, you all know about the `.newsrc' file.  All subscription
information is traditionally stored in this file.

   Things got a bit more complicated with GNUS.  In addition to keeping
the `.newsrc' file updated, it also used a file called `.newsrc.el' for
storing all the information that didn't fit into the `.newsrc' file.
(Actually, it also duplicated everything in the `.newsrc' file.)  GNUS
would read whichever one of these files was the most recently saved,
which enabled people to swap between GNUS and other newsreaders.

   That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
`.newsrc' and `.newsrc.el' files, Gnus also has a file called
`.newsrc.eld'.  It will read whichever of these files that are most
recent, but it will never write a `.newsrc.el' file.

   You can turn off writing the `.newsrc' file by setting
`gnus-save-newsrc-file' to `nil', which means you can delete the file
and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.  However,
this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than Gnus.  But
hey, who would want to, right?

   If `gnus-save-killed-list' (default `t') is `nil', Gnus will not
save the list of killed groups to the startup file.  This will save
both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk).  It will
also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old, so
the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.  You
should always set `gnus-check-new-newsgroups' to `nil' or `ask-server'
if you set this variable to `nil' (*note New Groups::).

   The `gnus-startup-file' variable says where the startup files are.
The default value is `~/.newsrc', with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup file
being whatever that one is with a `.eld' appended.

   `gnus-save-newsrc-hook' is called before saving any of the newsrc
files, while `gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook' is called just before saving
the `.newsrc.eld' file, and `gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook' is called
just before saving the `.newsrc' file.  The latter two are commonly
used to turn version control on or off.  Version control is off by
default when saving the startup files.


File: gnus,  Node: Auto Save,  Next: The Active File,  Prev: Startup Files,  Up: Starting Up

1.8 Auto Save
=============

Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
special "dribble buffer".  This buffer is auto-saved the normal Emacs
way.  If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the `.newsrc'
files, all changes you have made can be recovered from this file.

   If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
read it.  The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file
is saved.

   If `gnus-use-dribble-file' is `nil', Gnus won't create and maintain
a dribble buffer.  The default is `t'.

   Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in `gnus-dribble-directory'.  If
this variable is `nil', which it is by default, Gnus will dribble into
the directory where the `.newsrc' file is located.  (This is normally
the user's home directory.)  The dribble file will get the same file
permissions as the `.newsrc' file.


File: gnus,  Node: The Active File,  Next: Startup Variables,  Prev: Auto Save,  Up: Starting Up

1.9 The Active File
===================

When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
articles have arrived, it reads the active file.  This is a very large
file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.

   Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match
the regexp `gnus-ignored-newsgroups'.  This is done primarily to reject
any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in.  However, this is not
recommended.  In fact, it's highly discouraged.  Instead, *note New
Groups:: for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.

   The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network,
you can set `gnus-read-active-file' to `nil' to prevent Gnus from
reading the active file.  This variable is `t' by default.

   Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups
that you actually subscribe to.

   Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
variable to `nil' will probably make Gnus slower, not faster.  At
present, having this variable `nil' will slow Gnus down considerably,
unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.

   This variable can also have the value `some'.  Gnus will then
attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups.  On some
servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
support the `LIST ACTIVE group' command), on others this isn't fast at
all.  In any case, `some' should be faster than `nil', and is certainly
faster than `t' over slow lines.

   If this variable is `nil', Gnus will ask for group info in total
lock-step, which isn't very fast.  If it is `some' and you use an NNTP
server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and read all the
replies in one swoop.  This will normally result in better performance,
but if the server does not support the aforementioned `LIST ACTIVE
group' command, this isn't very nice to the server.

   In any case, if you use `some' or `nil', you should definitely kill
all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.


File: gnus,  Node: Startup Variables,  Prev: The Active File,  Up: Starting Up

1.10 Startup Variables
======================

`gnus-load-hook'
     A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded.  Note that this
     hook will normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no
     matter how many times you start Gnus.

`gnus-startup-hook'
     A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.

`gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups'
     If non-`nil', Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
     startup.  A "bogus group" is a group that you have in your
     `.newsrc' file, but doesn't exist on the news server.  Checking for
     bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources
     it's best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus
     groups once in a while from the group buffer instead (*note Group
     Maintenance::).

`gnus-inhibit-startup-message'
     If non-`nil', the startup message won't be displayed.  That way,
     your boss might not notice that you are reading news instead of
     doing your job as easily.

`gnus-no-groups-message'
     Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.


File: gnus,  Node: The Group Buffer,  Next: The Summary Buffer,  Prev: Starting Up,  Up: Top

2 The Group Buffer
******************

The "group buffer" lists all (or parts) of the available groups.  It is
the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
long as Gnus is active.

* Menu:

* Group Buffer Format::    Information listed and how you can change it.
* Group Maneuvering::      Commands for moving in the group buffer.
* Selecting a Group::      Actually reading news.
* Subscription Commands::  Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
* Group Levels::           Levels? What are those, then?
* Group Score::            A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
* Marking Groups::         You can mark groups for later processing.
* Foreign Groups::         Creating and editing groups.
* Group Parameters::       Each group may have different parameters set.
* Listing Groups::         Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
* Sorting Groups::         Re-arrange the group order.
* Group Maintenance::      Maintaining a tidy `.newsrc' file.
* Browse Foreign Server::  You can browse a server.  See what it has to offer.
* Exiting Gnus::           Stop reading news and get some work done.
* Group Topics::           A folding group mode divided into topics.
* Misc Group Stuff::       Other stuff that you can to do.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Buffer Format,  Next: Group Maneuvering,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.1 Group Buffer Format
=======================

* Menu:

* Group Line Specification::       Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
* Group Modeline Specification::   The group buffer modeline.
* Group Highlighting::             Having nice colors in the group buffer.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Line Specification,  Next: Group Modeline Specification,  Up: Group Buffer Format

2.1.1 Group Line Specification
------------------------------

The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.

   Here's a couple of example group lines:

          25: news.announce.newusers
      *    0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin

   Quite simple, huh?

   You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
`news.announce.newusers'.  There are no unread articles, but some
ticked articles, in `alt.fan.andrea-dworkin' (see that little asterisk
at the beginning of the line?)

   You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
`gnus-group-line-format' variable.  This variable works along the lines
of a `format' specification, which is pretty much the same as a
`printf' specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.  *Note
Formatting Variables::.

   The default value that produced those lines above is `%M%S%5y:
%(%g%)\n'.

   There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves
to the colon after performing an operation.  Nothing else is
required--not even the group name.  All displayed text is just window
dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.  Gnus stores all real
information it needs using text properties.

   (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
instead of wasting time reading news.)

   Here's a list of all available format characters:

`M'
     Only marked articles.

`S'
     Whether the group is subscribed.

`L'
     Level of subscribedness.

`N'
     Number of unread articles.

`I'
     Number of dormant articles.

`T'
     Number of ticked articles.

`R'
     Number of read articles.

`t'
     Total number of articles.

`y'
     Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.

`i'
     Number of ticked and dormant articles.

`g'
     Full group name.

`G'
     Group name.

`D'
     Newsgroup description.

`o'
     `m' if moderated.

`O'
     `(m)' if moderated.

`s'
     Select method.

`n'
     Select from where.

`z'
     A string that looks like `<%s:%n>' if a foreign select method is
     used.

`P'
     Indentation based on the level of the topic (*note Group Topics::).

`c'
     Short (collapsed) group name.  The `gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels'
     variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group
     name.  The default is `1'.

`u'
     User defined specifier.  The next character in the format string
     should be a letter.  GNUS will call the function
     `gnus-user-format-function-'`X', where `X' is the letter following
     `%u'.  The function will be passed the current headers as
     argument.  The function should return a string, which will be
     inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
     specifier.

   All the "number-of" specs will be filled with an asterisk (`*') if
no info is available--for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Modeline Specification,  Next: Group Highlighting,  Prev: Group Line Specification,  Up: Group Buffer Format

2.1.2 Group Modeline Specification
----------------------------------

The mode line can be changed by setting
(`gnus-group-mode-line-format').  It doesn't understand that many
format specifiers:

`S'
     The native news server.

`M'
     The native select method.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Highlighting,  Prev: Group Modeline Specification,  Up: Group Buffer Format

2.1.3 Group Highlighting
------------------------

Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
`gnus-group-highlight' variable.  This is an alist with elements that
look like (FORM . FACE).  If FORM evaluates to something non-`nil', the
FACE will be used on the line.

   Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
background is dark:

     (setq gnus-group-highlight
         `(((> unread 200) .
            ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
           ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
            ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
           ((< level 3) .
            ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
           ((zerop unread) .
            ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
           (t .
            ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
           ))

   Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
include:

`group'
     The group name.

`unread'
     The number of unread articles in the group.

`method'
     The select method.

`mailp'
     Whether the group is a mail group.

`level'
     The level of the group.

`score'
     The score of the group.

`ticked'
     The number of ticked articles in the group.

`topic'
     When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the
     current topic being inserted.

   When the forms are `eval'ed, point is at the beginning of the line
of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
functions for snarfing info on the group.

   `gnus-group-update-hook' is called when a group line is changed.  It
will not be called when `gnus-visual' is `nil'.  This hook calls
`gnus-group-highlight-line' by default.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Maneuvering,  Next: Selecting a Group,  Prev: Group Buffer Format,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.2 Group Maneuvering
=====================

All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
expected, hopefully.

`n'
     Go to the next group that has unread articles
     (`gnus-group-next-unread-group').

`p'
`DEL'
     Go to the previous group group that has unread articles
     (`gnus-group-prev-unread-group').

`N'
     Go to the next group (`gnus-group-next-group').

`P'
     Go to the previous group (`gnus-group-prev-group').

`M-p'
     Go to the next unread group on the same level (or lower)
     (`gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level').

`M-n'
     Go to the previous unread group on the same level (or lower)
     (`gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level').

   Three commands for jumping to groups:

`j'
     Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
     (`gnus-group-jump-to-group').  Killed groups can be jumped to, just
     like living groups.

`,'
     Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
     (`gnus-group-best-unread-group').

`.'
     Jump to the first group with unread articles
     (`gnus-group-first-unread-group').

   If `gnus-group-goto-unread' is `nil', all the movement commands will
move to the next group, not the next unread group.  Even the commands
that say they move to the next unread group.  The default is `t'.


File: gnus,  Node: Selecting a Group,  Next: Subscription Commands,  Prev: Group Maneuvering,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.3 Selecting a Group
=====================

`SPACE'
     Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display
     the first unread article (`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 N, Gnus will fetch N number of articles.  If N is positive,
     fetch the N newest articles, if N is negative, fetch the ABS(N)
     oldest articles.

`RET'
     Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
     (`gnus-group-select-group').  Takes the same arguments as
     `gnus-group-read-group'--the only difference is that this command
     does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
     entry.

`M-RET'
     This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with
     the minimum amount off fuzz (`gnus-group-quick-select-group').  No
     scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and
     no expunging.  This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and
     have to enter some humongous group.

`M-SPACE'
     This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above,
     but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
     (`gnus-group-visible-select-group').

`c'
     Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
     (`gnus-group-catchup-current').  `gnus-group-catchup-group-hook'
     is when catching up a group from the group buffer.

`C'
     Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
     (`gnus-group-catchup-current-all').

   The `gnus-large-newsgroup' variable says what Gnus should consider
to be a big group.  This is 200 by default.  If the group has more
unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
group.  The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
from the server.  If the user specifies a negative number (`-n'), the
`n' oldest articles will be fetched.  If it is positive, the `n'
articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.

   `gnus-auto-select-first' control whether any articles are selected
automatically when entering a group.

`nil'
     Don't select any articles when entering the group.  Just display
     the full summary buffer.

`t'
     Select the first unread article when entering the group.

`best'
     Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
     group.

   If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to `nil' in
`gnus-select-group-hook', which is called when a group is selected.


File: gnus,  Node: Subscription Commands,  Next: Group Levels,  Prev: Selecting a Group,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.4 Subscription Commands
=========================

`S t'
`u'
     Toggle subscription to the current group
     (`gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group').

`S s'
`U'
     Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it.  If it was
     subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
     (`gnus-group-unsubscribe-group').

`S k'
`C-k'
     Kill the current group (`gnus-group-kill-group').

`S y'
`C-y'
     Yank the last killed group (`gnus-group-yank-group').

`C-x C-t'
     Transpose two groups (`gnus-group-transpose-groups').  This isn't
     really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
     kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.

`S w'
`C-w'
     Kill all groups in the region (`gnus-group-kill-region').

`S z'
     Kill all zombie groups (`gnus-group-kill-all-zombies').

`S C-k'
     Kill all groups on a certain level (`gnus-group-kill-level').
     These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command
     should be used with some caution.  The only thing where this
     command comes in really handy is when you have a `.newsrc' with
     lots of unsubscribed groups that you want to get rid off.  `S C-k'
     on level `7' will kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not
     have message numbers in the `.newsrc' file.


   Also *note Group Levels::.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Levels,  Next: Group Score,  Prev: Subscription Commands,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.5 Group Levels
================

All groups have a level of "subscribedness".  For instance, if a group
is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5.  You can
ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower (*note Listing
Groups::), or to just check for new articles in groups on a given level
or lower (*note Scanning New Messages::).

   Remember:  The higher the level of the group, the less important it
is.

`S l'
     Set the level of the current group.  If a numeric prefix is given,
     the next N groups will have their levels set.  The user will be
     prompted for a level.

   Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
`gnus-level-subscribed' (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
`gnus-level-subscribed' (exclusive) and `gnus-level-unsubscribed'
(inclusive) (default 7) to be unsubscribed, `gnus-level-zombie' to be
zombies (walking dead) (default 8) and `gnus-level-killed' to be killed
(default 9), completely dead.  Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed
groups exactly the same, but zombie and killed groups have no
information on what articles you have read, etc, stored.  This
distinction between dead and living groups isn't done because it is
nice or clever, it is done purely for reasons of efficiency.

   It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on
quite low levels (eg. 1 or 2).

   If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some
care.  Set them once, and don't touch them ever again.  Better yet,
don't touch them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.

   Two closely related variables are `gnus-level-default-subscribed'
(default 3) and `gnus-level-default-unsubscribed' (default 6), which
are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
(un)subscribed.  These two variables should, of course, be inside the
relevant legal ranges.

   If `gnus-keep-same-level' is non-`nil', some movement commands will
only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower).  In
particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
will go to the next group of the same level (or lower).  This might be
handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
rest.

   All groups with a level less than or equal to
`gnus-group-default-list-level' will be listed in the group buffer by
default.

   If `gnus-group-list-inactive-groups' is non-`nil', non-active groups
will be listed along with the unread groups.  This variable is `t' by
default.  If it is `nil', inactive groups won't be listed.

   If `gnus-group-use-permanent-levels' is non-`nil', once you give a
level prefix to `g' or `l', all subsequent commands will use this level
as the "work" level.

   Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
`gnus-activate-level' or less.  If you don't want to activate
unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to `5'.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Score,  Next: Marking Groups,  Prev: Group Levels,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.6 Group Score
===============

You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
is somewhat restrictive.  Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps?  Within
reason?

   This is what "group score" is for.  You can assign a score to each
group.  You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level.  (Taken together,
the level and the score is called the "rank" of the group.  A group
that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
on level 5 that has a score of 300.  (The level is the most significant
part and the score is the least significant part.)

   If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups
you read seldom you can add the `gnus-summary-bubble-group' function to
the `gnus-summary-exit-hook' hook.  This will result (after sorting) in
a bubbling sort of action.  If you want to see that in action after
each summary exit, you can add `gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank' or
`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score' to the same hook, but that will slow
things down somewhat.


File: gnus,  Node: Marking Groups,  Next: Foreign Groups,  Prev: Group Score,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.7 Marking Groups
==================

If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
numerical prefix to the command.  Most group commands will then do your
bidding on those groups.

   However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
perform a command on several groups.  You simply mark the groups first
with the process mark and then execute the command.

`#'
`M m'
     Set the mark on the current group (`gnus-group-mark-group').

`M-#'
`M u'
     Remove the mark from the current group (`gnus-group-unmark-group').

`M U'
     Remove the mark from all groups (`gnus-group-unmark-all-groups').

`M w'
     Mark all groups between point and mark (`gnus-group-mark-region').

`M b'
     Mark all groups in the buffer (`gnus-group-mark-buffer').

`M r'
     Mark all groups that match some regular expression
     (`gnus-group-mark-regexp').

   Also *note Process/Prefix::.

   If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been
marked with the process mark, you can use the `M-&'
(`gnus-group-universal-argument') command.  It will prompt you for the
command to be executed.


File: gnus,  Node: Foreign Groups,  Next: Group Parameters,  Prev: Marking Groups,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.8 Foreign Groups
==================

Here are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
special-purpose groups:

`G m'
     Make a new group (`gnus-group-make-group').  Gnus will prompt you
     for a name, a method and possibly an "address".  For an easier way
     to subscribe to NNTP groups, *note Browse Foreign Server::.

`G r'
     Rename the current group to something else
     (`gnus-group-rename-group').  This is legal only on some groups -
     mail groups mostly.  This command might very well be quite slow on
     some backends.

`G e'
     Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
     group (`gnus-group-edit-group-method').

`G p'
     Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
     (`gnus-group-edit-group-parameters').

`G E'
     Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
     (`gnus-group-edit-group').

`G d'
     Make a directory group.  You will be prompted for a directory name
     (`gnus-group-make-directory-group').

`G h'
     Make the Gnus help group (`gnus-group-make-help-group').

`G a'
     Make a Gnus archive group (`gnus-group-make-archive-group').  By
     default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be
     created (`gnus-group-recent-archive-directory'), but given a
     prefix, a full group will be created from from
     `gnus-group-archive-directory'.

`G k'
     Make a kiboze group.  You will be prompted for a name, for a
     regexp to match groups to be "included" in the kiboze group, and a
     series of strings to match on headers
     (`gnus-group-make-kiboze-group').  *Note Kibozed Groups::

`G D'
     Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
     `nneething' backend (`gnus-group-enter-directory').

`G f'
     Make a group based on some file or other
     (`gnus-group-make-doc-group').  If you give a prefix to this
     command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
     Currently supported types are `babyl', `mbox', `digest', `mmdf',
     `news', `rnews', `clari-briefs', and `forward'.  If you run this
     command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.

`G DEL'
     This function will delete the current group
     (`gnus-group-delete-group').  If given a prefix, this function will
     actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove
     the group itself from the face of the Earth.  Use a prefix only if
     you are absolutely sure of what you are doing.

`G V'
     Make a new, fresh, empty `nnvirtual' group
     (`gnus-group-make-empty-virtual').

`G v'
     Add the current group to an `nnvirtual' group
     (`gnus-group-add-to-virtual').  Uses the process/prefix convention.

   *Note Select Methods:: for more information on the various select
methods.

   If the `gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups' is a positive number, Gnus
will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
groups from different NNTP servers.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Parameters,  Next: Listing Groups,  Prev: Foreign Groups,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.9 Group Parameters
====================

Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
as the "group info".  This list has from three to six elements.  Here's
an example info.

     ("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
                       (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@ifi.uio.no")))

   The first element is the "group name", as Gnus knows the group,
anyway.  The second element is the "subscription level", which normally
is a small integer.  The third element is a list of ranges of read
articles.  The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of
various kinds.  The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
server, if you like).  The sixth element is a list of "group
parameters", which is what this section is about.

   Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not
required.  In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have
the first three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.

   The group parameters store information local to a particular group:

`to-address'
     If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
     `(to-address .  "some@where.com")', that address will be used by
     the backend when doing followups and posts.  This is primarily
     useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing lists--mailing
     lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to the
     mailing list is subscribed to it.  Since using this parameter
     ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it
     means that members won't receive two copies of your followups.

     Using `to-address' will actually work whether the group is foreign
     or not.  Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
     `fa.4ad-l'.  This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
     the articles from a mail-to-news gateway.  Posting directly to this
     group is therefore impossible--you have to send mail to the mailing
     list address instead.

`to-list'
     If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
     `(to-list . "some@where.com")', that address will be used when
     doing a `a' in any group.  It is totally ignored when doing a
     followup--except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get
     mail group semantics when doing `f'.

`broken-reply-to'
     Elements like `(broken-reply-to . t)' signals that `Reply-To'
     headers in this group are to be ignored.  This can be useful if
     you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
     `Reply-To' headers that point back to the listserv itself.  This is
     broken behavior.  So there!

`to-group'
     If the group parameter list contains an element like `(to-group .
     "some.group.name")', all posts will be sent to that group.

`auto-expire'
     If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all
     articles that are read will be marked as expirable.  For an
     alternative approach, *note Expiring Mail::.

`total-expire'
     If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through
     the expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable.  Use
     with caution.

`expiry-wait'
     If the group parameter has an element that looks like `(expiry-wait
     . 10)', this value will override any `nnmail-expiry-wait' and
     `nnmail-expiry-wait-function' when expiring expirable messages.
     The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an
     integer) or the symbols `never' or `immediate'.

`score-file'
     Elements that look like `(score-file . "file")' will make `file'
     into the current score file for the group in question.  This means
     that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.

`admin-address'
     When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
     unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself.  Instead, you'd
     send messages to the administrative address.  This parameter
     allows you to put the admin address somewhere convenient.

`comment'
     This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the
     group.

`(VARIABLE FORM)'
     You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the
     group you are entering.  Say you want to turn threading off in
     `news.answers'.  You'd then put `(gnus-show-threads nil)' in the
     group parameters of that group.  `gnus-show-threads' will be made
     into a local variable in the summary buffer you enter, and the form
     `nil' will be `eval'ed there.

     This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd
     like.  If you want to hear a beep when you enter the group
     `alt.binaries.pictures.furniture', you could put something like
     `(dummy-variable (ding))' in the parameters of that group.
     `dummy-variable' will be set to the result of the `(ding)' form,
     but who cares?


   If you want to change the group info you can use the `G E' command
to enter a buffer where you can edit it.

   You usually don't want to edit the entire group info, so you'd be
better off using the `G p' command to just edit the group parameters.


File: gnus,  Node: Listing Groups,  Next: Sorting Groups,  Prev: Group Parameters,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.10 Listing Groups
===================

These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.

`l'
`A s'
     List all groups that have unread articles
     (`gnus-group-list-groups').  If the numeric prefix is used, this
     command will list only groups of level ARG and lower.  By default,
     it only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed
     groups).

`L'
`A u'
     List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
     (`gnus-group-list-all-groups').  If the numeric prefix is used,
     this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower.  By
     default, it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just
     subscribed and unsubscribed groups).

`A l'
     List all unread groups on a specific level
     (`gnus-group-list-level').  If given a prefix, also list the groups
     with no unread articles.

`A k'
     List all killed groups (`gnus-group-list-killed').  If given a
     prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but
     aren't currently (un)subscribed.  This could entail reading the
     active file from the server.

`A z'
     List all zombie groups (`gnus-group-list-zombies').

`A m'
     List all subscribed groups with unread articles that match a regexp
     (`gnus-group-list-matching').

`A M'
     List groups that match a regexp (`gnus-group-list-all-matching').

`A A'
     List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
     server(s) you are connected to (`gnus-group-list-active').  This
     might very well take quite a while.  It might actually be a better
     idea to do a `A m' to list all matching, and just give `.' as the
     thing to match on.

`A a'
     List all groups that have names that match a regexp
     (`gnus-group-apropos').

`A d'
     List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
     (`gnus-group-description-apropos').


   Groups that match the `gnus-permanently-visible-groups' regexp will
always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not.  You can also
add the `visible' element to the group parameters in question to get
the same effect.

   Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in
the group buffer.  If `gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles' is `nil',
these groups will be treated just like totally empty groups.  It is `t'
by default.


File: gnus,  Node: Sorting Groups,  Next: Group Maintenance,  Prev: Listing Groups,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.11 Sorting Groups
===================

The `C-c C-s' (`gnus-group-sort-groups') command sorts the group buffer
according to the function(s) given by the `gnus-group-sort-function'
variable.  Available sorting functions include:

`gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet'
     Sort the group names alphabetically.  This is the default.

`gnus-group-sort-by-level'
     Sort by group level.

`gnus-group-sort-by-score'
     Sort by group score.

`gnus-group-sort-by-rank'
     Sort by group score and then the group level.  The level and the
     score are, when taken together, the group's "rank".

`gnus-group-sort-by-unread'
     Sort by number of unread articles.

`gnus-group-sort-by-method'
     Sort by alphabetically on the select method.


   `gnus-group-sort-function' can also be a list of sorting functions.
In that case, the most significant sort key function must be the last
one.

   There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
some sorting criteria:

`G S a'
     Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet').

`G S u'
     Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread').

`G S l'
     Sort the group buffer by group level
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level').

`G S v'
     Sort the group buffer by group score
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score').

`G S r'
     Sort the group buffer by group level
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank').

`G S m'
     Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
     (`gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method').


   When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Maintenance,  Next: Browse Foreign Server,  Prev: Sorting Groups,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.12 Group Maintenance
======================

`b'
     Find bogus groups and delete them
     (`gnus-group-check-bogus-groups').

`F'
     Find new groups and process them (`gnus-find-new-newsgroups').  If
     given a prefix, use the `ask-server' method to query the server for
     new groups.

`C-c C-x'
     Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
     process (if any) (`gnus-group-expire-articles').

`C-c M-C-x'
     Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
     (`gnus-group-expire-all-groups').



File: gnus,  Node: Browse Foreign Server,  Next: Exiting Gnus,  Prev: Group Maintenance,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.13 Browse Foreign Server
==========================

`B'
     You will be queried for a select method and a server name.  Gnus
     will then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the
     groups there (`gnus-group-browse-foreign-server').

   A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear.  This
buffer will be use the `gnus-browse-mode'.  This buffer looks a bit
(well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
- you can't enter any of the groups.  If you want to read any of the
news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer.  The
new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
as you would any other group.

   Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight
from the browse buffer.

   Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:

`n'
     Go to the next group (`gnus-group-next-group').

`p'
     Go to the previous group (`gnus-group-prev-group').

`SPACE'
     Enter the current group and display the first article
     (`gnus-browse-read-group').

`RET'
     Enter the current group (`gnus-browse-select-group').

`u'
     Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
     subscribe to it (`gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group').

`l'
`q'
     Exit browse mode (`gnus-browse-exit').

`?'
     Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe,
     is there) (`gnus-browse-describe-briefly').


File: gnus,  Node: Exiting Gnus,  Next: Group Topics,  Prev: Browse Foreign Server,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.14 Exiting Gnus
=================

Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.

`z'
     Suspend Gnus (`gnus-group-suspend').  This doesn't really exit
     Gnus, but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer.  I'm not
     sure why this is a gain, but then who am I to judge?

`q'
     Quit Gnus (`gnus-group-exit').

`Q'
     Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (`gnus-group-quit').

   `gnus-suspend-gnus-hook' is called when you suspend Gnus and
`gnus-exit-gnus-hook' is called when you quit Gnus, while
`gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook' is called as the final item when exiting
Gnus.

   If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can
use the `gnus-unload' command.  This command is also very handy when
trying to customize meta-variables.

   Note:

     Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet
     go numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy
     sitting behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the
     back of her plastic chair.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Topics,  Next: Misc Group Stuff,  Prev: Exiting Gnus,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.15 Group Topics
=================

If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
them hierarchically according to topics.  You put your Emacs groups over
here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway.  You can
even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
groups or the sex groups--or both!  Go wild!

   To get this _fab_ functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
`gnus-topic' minor mode--type `t' in the group buffer.  (This 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 `l'.  There.  All your groups are now listed under `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:

     (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)

* Menu:

* Topic Variables::    How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
* Topic Commands::     Interactive E-Z commands.
* Topic Topology::     A map of the world.


File: gnus,  Node: Topic Variables,  Next: Topic Commands,  Up: Group Topics

2.15.1 Topic Variables
----------------------

Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
really neat, I think.

   The topic lines themselves are created according to the
`gnus-topic-line-format' variable.  *Note Formatting Variables::.
Elements allowed are:

`i'
     Indentation.

`n'
     Topic name.

`v'
     Visibility.

`l'
     Level.

`g'
     Number of groups in the topic.

`a'
     Number of unread articles in the topic.

`A'
     Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.

   Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented
with `gnus-topic-indent-level' times the topic level number of spaces.
The default is `2'.

   `gnus-topic-mode-hook' is called in topic minor mode buffers.


File: gnus,  Node: Topic Commands,  Next: Topic Topology,  Prev: Topic Variables,  Up: Group Topics

2.15.2 Topic Commands
---------------------

When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new `T' submap will be
available.  In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
definitions slightly.

`T n'
     Prompt for a new topic name and create it
     (`gnus-topic-create-topic').

`T m'
     Move the current group to some other topic
     (`gnus-topic-move-group').  This command understands the
     process/prefix convention (*note Process/Prefix::).

`T c'
     Copy the current group to some other topic
     (`gnus-topic-copy-group').  This command understands the
     process/prefix convention (*note Process/Prefix::).

`T D'
     Remove a group from the current topic (`gnus-topic-remove-group').
     This command understands the process/prefix convention (*note
     Process/Prefix::).

`T M'
     Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
     (`gnus-topic-move-matching').

`T C'
     Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
     (`gnus-topic-copy-matching').

`T #'
     Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
     (`gnus-topic-mark-topic').

`T M-#'
     Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
     (`gnus-topic-unmark-topic').

`RET'
`SPACE'
     Either select a group or fold a topic (`gnus-topic-select-group').
     When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group,
     as usual.  When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if
     it was visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already).  So it's
     basically a toggling command on topics.  In addition, if you give
     a numerical prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be
     displayed.

`T TAB'
     "Indent" the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
     previous topic (`gnus-topic-indent').  If given a prefix,
     "un-indent" the topic instead.

`C-k'
     Kill a group or topic (`gnus-topic-kill-group').

`C-y'
     Yank the previously killed group or topic
     (`gnus-topic-yank-group').  Note that all topics will be yanked
     before all groups.

`T r'
     Rename a topic (`gnus-topic-rename').

`T DEL'
     Delete an empty topic (`gnus-topic-delete').

`A T'
     List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
     (`gnus-topic-list-active').



File: gnus,  Node: Topic Topology,  Prev: Topic Commands,  Up: Group Topics

2.15.3 Topic Topology
---------------------

So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:

     Gnus
       Emacs -- I wuw it!
            3: comp.emacs
            2: alt.religion.emacs
         Naughty Emacs
          452: alt.sex.emacs
            0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
       Misc
            8: comp.binaries.fractals
           13: comp.sources.unix

   So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
sub-topic under one of the sub-topics.  (There is always just one (1)
top-level topic).  This topology can be expressed as follows:

     (("Gnus" visible)
      (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
       (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
      (("Misc" visible)))

   This is in fact how the variable `gnus-topic-topology' would look
for the display above.  That variable is saved in the `.newsrc.eld'
file, and shouldn't be messed with manually--unless you really want to.
Since this variable is read from the `.newsrc.eld' file, setting it in
any other startup files will have no effect.

   This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics
(right), and which topics are visible.  Two settings are currently
allowed--`visible' and `invisible'.


File: gnus,  Node: Misc Group Stuff,  Prev: Group Topics,  Up: The Group Buffer

2.16 Misc Group Stuff
=====================

* Menu:

* Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
* Group Information::     Information and help on groups and Gnus.
* File Commands::         Reading and writing the Gnus files.

`^'
     Enter the server buffer (`gnus-group-enter-server-mode'). *Note
     The Server Buffer::.

`a'
     Post an article to a group (`gnus-group-post-news').  The current
     group name will be used as the default.

`m'
     Mail a message somewhere (`gnus-group-mail').


   Variables for the group buffer:

`gnus-group-mode-hook'
     `gnus-group-mode-hook' is called after the group buffer has been
     created.

`gnus-group-prepare-hook'
     `gnus-group-prepare-hook' is called after the group buffer is
     generated.  It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
     unnatural way.

`gnus-permanently-visible-groups'
     Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group
     buffer, whether they are empty or not.



File: gnus,  Node: Scanning New Messages,  Next: Group Information,  Up: Misc Group Stuff

2.16.1 Scanning New Messages
----------------------------

`g'
     Check the server(s) for new articles.  If the numerical prefix is
     used, this command will check only groups of level ARG and lower
     (`gnus-group-get-new-news').  If given a non-numerical prefix, this
     command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
     backend(s).

`M-g'
     Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
     (`gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group').  The
     `gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating' variable controls whether
     this command is to move point to the next group or not.  It is `t'
     by default.

`C-c M-g'
     Activate absolutely all groups (`gnus-activate-all-groups').

`R'
     Restart Gnus (`gnus-group-restart').


   `gnus-get-new-news-hook' is run just before checking for new news.

   `gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook' is run after checking for new
news.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Information,  Next: File Commands,  Prev: Scanning New Messages,  Up: Misc Group Stuff

2.16.2 Group Information
------------------------

`M-f'
     Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
     (`gnus-group-fetch-faq').  Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
     `gnus-group-faq-directory', which is usually a directory on a
     remote machine.  `ange-ftp' will be used for fetching the file.

`D'
     Describe the current group (`gnus-group-describe-group').  If given
     a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.

`M-d'
     Describe all groups (`gnus-group-describe-all-groups').  If given a
     prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.

`V'
     Display current Gnus version numbers (`gnus-version').

`?'
     Give a very short help message (`gnus-group-describe-briefly').

`C-c C-i'
     Go to the Gnus info node (`gnus-info-find-node').


File: gnus,  Node: File Commands,  Prev: Group Information,  Up: Misc Group Stuff

2.16.3 File Commands
--------------------

`r'
     Read the init file (`gnus-init-file', which defaults to `~/.gnus')
     (`gnus-group-read-init-file').

`s'
     Save the `.newsrc.eld' file (and `.newsrc' if wanted)
     (`gnus-group-save-newsrc').  If given a prefix, force saving the
     file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.



File: gnus,  Node: The Summary Buffer,  Next: The Article Buffer,  Prev: The Group Buffer,  Up: Top

3 The Summary Buffer
********************

A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer.  You can
move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.

* Menu:

* Summary Buffer Format::       Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
* Summary Maneuvering::         Moving around the summary buffer.
* Choosing Articles::           Reading articles.
* Paging the Article::          Scrolling the current article.
* Reply Followup and Post::     Posting articles.
* Canceling and Superseding::   ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
* Marking Articles::            Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
* Limiting::                    You can limit the summary buffer.
* Threading::                   How threads are made.
* Sorting::                     How articles and threads are sorted.
* Asynchronous Fetching::       Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
* Article Caching::             You may store articles in a cache.
* Persistent Articles::         Making articles expiry-resistant.
* Article Backlog::             Having already read articles hang around.
* Saving Articles::             Ways of customizing article saving.
* Decoding Articles::           Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
* Article Treatment::           The article buffer can be mangled at will.
* Summary Sorting::             Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
* Finding the Parent::          No child support? Get the parent.
* Alternative Approaches::      Reading using non-default summaries.
* Tree Display::                A more visual display of threads.
* Mail Group Commands::         Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
* Various Summary Stuff::       What didn't fit anywhere else.
* Exiting the Summary Buffer::  Returning to the Group buffer.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Buffer Format,  Next: Summary Maneuvering,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.1 Summary Buffer Format
=========================

* Menu:

* Summary Buffer Lines::     You can specify how summary lines should look.
* Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
* Summary Highlighting::     Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.

   Gnus will use the value of the `gnus-extract-address-components'
variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
`From' header.  Two pre-defined function exist:
`gnus-extract-address-components', which is the default, quite fast,
and too simplistic solution; and `mail-extract-address-components',
which works very nicely, but is slower.  The default function will
return the wrong answer in 5% of the cases.  If this is unacceptable to
you, use the other function instead.

   `gnus-summary-same-subject' is a string indicating that the current
article has the same subject as the previous.  This string will be used
with those specs that require it.  The default is `'.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Buffer Lines,  Next: Summary Buffer Mode Line,  Up: Summary Buffer Format

3.1.1 Summary Buffer Lines
--------------------------

You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
the `gnus-summary-line-format' variable.  It works along the same lines
a a normal `format' string, with some extensions.

   The default string is `%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n'.

   The following format specification characters are understood:

`N'
     Article number.

`S'
     Subject string.

`s'
     Subject if the article is the root, `gnus-summary-same-subject'
     otherwise.

`F'
     Full `From' line.

`n'
     The name (from the `From' header).

`a'
     The name (from the `From' header).  This differs from the `n' spec
     in that it uses `gnus-extract-address-components', which is
     slower, but may be more thorough.

`A'
     The address (from the `From' header).  This works the same way as
     the `a' spec.

`L'
     Number of lines in the article.

`c'
     Number of characters in the article.

`I'
     Indentation based on thread level (*note Customizing Threading::).

`T'
     Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
     pushes everything after it off the screen).

`\['
     Opening bracket, which is normally `\[', but can also be `<' for
     adopted articles.

`\]'
     Closing bracket, which is normally `\]', but can also be `>' for
     adopted articles.

`>'
     One space for each thread level.

`<'
     Twenty minus thread level spaces.

`U'
     Unread.

`R'
     Replied.

`i'
     Score as a number.

`z'
     Zcore, `+' if above the default level and `-' if below the default
     level.  If the difference between `gnus-summary-default-level' and
     the score is less than `gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz', this spec will
     not be used.

`V'
     Total thread score.

`x'
     `Xref'.

`D'
     `Date'.

`M'
     `Message-ID'.

`r'
     `References'.

`t'
     Number of articles in the current sub-thread.  Using this spec
     will slow down summary buffer generation somewhat.

`e'
     A single character will be displayed if the article has any
     children.

`u'
     User defined specifier.  The next character in the format string
     should be a letter.  GNUS will call the function
     `gnus-user-format-function-'`X', where `X' is the letter following
     `%u'.  The function will be passed the current header as argument.
     The function should return a string, which will be inserted into
     the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.

   The `%U' (status), `%R' (replied) and `%z' (zcore) specs have to be
handled with care.  For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will compute what
column these characters will end up in, and "hard-code" that.  This
means that it is illegal to have these specs after a variable-length
spec.  Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary buffer will
look strange, which is bad enough.

   The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as
possible.  (Isn't that the case with everything, though?  But I
digress.)

   This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Buffer Mode Line,  Next: Summary Highlighting,  Prev: Summary Buffer Lines,  Up: Summary Buffer Format

3.1.2 Summary Buffer Mode Line
------------------------------

You can also change the format of the summary mode bar.  Set
`gnus-summary-mode-line-format' to whatever you like.  Here are the
elements you can play with:

`G'
     Group name.

`p'
     Unprefixed group name.

`A'
     Current article number.

`V'
     Gnus version.

`U'
     Number of unread articles in this group.

`e'
     Number of unselected articles in this group.

`Z'
     A string with the number of unread and unselected articles
     represented either as `<%U(+%u) more>' if there are both unread
     and unselected articles, and just as `<%U more>' if there are just
     unread articles and no unselected ones.

`g'
     Shortish group name.  For instance, `rec.arts.anime' will be
     shortened to `r.a.anime'.

`S'
     Subject of the current article.

`u'
     Used-defined spec.

`s'
     Name of the current score file.

`d'
     Number of dormant articles.

`t'
     Number of ticked articles.

`r'
     Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.

`E'
     Number of articles expunged by the score files.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Highlighting,  Prev: Summary Buffer Mode Line,  Up: Summary Buffer Format

3.1.3 Summary Highlighting
--------------------------

`gnus-visual-mark-article-hook'
     This hook is run after selecting an article.  It is meant to be
     used for highlighting the article in some way.  It is not run if
     `gnus-visual' is `nil'.

`gnus-summary-update-hook'
     This hook is called when a summary line is changed.  It is not run
     if `gnus-visual' is `nil'.

`gnus-summary-selected-face'
     This is the face (or "font" as some people call it) that is used to
     highlight the current article in the summary buffer.

`gnus-summary-highlight'
     Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is
     a list where the elements are on the format `(FORM . FACE)'.  If
     you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and
     high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable to
     something like
          (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
           ((> score default) . bold))
     As you may have guessed, if FORM returns a non-`nil' value, FACE
     will be applied to the line.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Maneuvering,  Next: Choosing Articles,  Prev: Summary Buffer Format,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.2 Summary Maneuvering
=======================

All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
behave pretty much as you'd expect.

   None of these commands select articles.

`G M-n'
`M-n'
     Go to the next summary line of an unread article
     (`gnus-summary-next-unread-subject').

`G M-p'
`M-p'
     Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
     (`gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject').

`G j'
`j'
     Ask for an article number and then go that article
     (`gnus-summary-goto-article').

`G g'
     Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that
     article (`gnus-summary-goto-subject').

   If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group,
you can use the `C-n' and `C-p' keys to move around the group buffer,
searching for the next group to read without actually returning to the
group buffer.

   Variables related to summary movement:

`gnus-auto-select-next'
     If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
     commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group.  If this
     variable is `t' and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit
     summary mode and return to the group buffer.  If this variable is
     neither `t' nor `nil', Gnus will select the next group, no matter
     whether it has any unread articles or not.  As a special case, if
     this variable is `quietly', Gnus will select the next group
     without asking for confirmation.  If this variable is
     `almost-quietly', the same will happen only if you are located on
     the last article in the group.  Finally, if this variable is
     `slightly-quietly', the `Z n' command will go to the next group
     without confirmation.  Also *note Group Levels::.

`gnus-auto-select-same'
     If non-`nil', all the movement commands will try to go to the next
     article with the same subject as the current.  This variable is not
     particularly useful if you use a threaded display.

`gnus-summary-check-current'
     If non-`nil', all the "unread" movement commands will not proceed
     to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
     Instead, they will choose the current article.

`gnus-auto-center-summary'
     If non-`nil', Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
     centered at all times.  This makes things quite tidy, but if you
     have a slow network connection, or simply do not like this
     un-Emacsism, you can set this variable to `nil' to get the normal
     Emacs scrolling action.  This will also inhibit horizontal
     re-centering of the summary buffer, which might make it more
     inconvenient to read extremely long threads.



File: gnus,  Node: Choosing Articles,  Next: Paging the Article,  Prev: Summary Maneuvering,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.3 Choosing Articles
=====================

None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
and they all select and display an article.

`SPACE'
     Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the
     next unread article (`gnus-summary-next-page').

`G n'
`n'
     Go to next unread article (`gnus-summary-next-unread-article').

`G p'
`p'
     Go to previous unread article (`gnus-summary-prev-unread-article').

`G N'
`N'
     Go to the next article (`gnus-summary-next-article').

`G P'
`P'
     Go to the previous article (`gnus-summary-prev-article').

`G C-n'
     Go to the next article with the same subject
     (`gnus-summary-next-same-subject').

`G C-p'
     Go to the previous article with the same subject
     (`gnus-summary-prev-same-subject').

`G f'
`.'
     Go to the first unread article
     (`gnus-summary-first-unread-article').

`G b'
`,'
     Go to the article with the highest score
     (`gnus-summary-best-unread-article').

`G l'
`l'
     Go to the previous article read (`gnus-summary-goto-last-article').

`G p'
     Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
     (`gnus-summary-pop-article').  This command differs from the
     command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
     history as you like.

   Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:

`gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup'
     All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
     article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary
     buffer if this variable is non-`nil'.  Gnus will then fetch the
     article from the server and display it in the article buffer.

`gnus-select-article-hook'
     This hook is called whenever an article is selected.  By default it
     exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.

`gnus-mark-article-hook'
     This hook is called whenever an article is selected.  It is
     intended to be used for marking articles as read.  The default
     value is `gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read', and will
     change the mark of almost any article you read to
     `gnus-unread-mark'.  The only articles not affected by this
     function are ticked, dormant, and expirable articles.  If you'd
     instead like to just have unread articles marked as read, you can
     use `gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read' instead.  It will leave
     marks like `gnus-low-score-mark', `gnus-del-mark' (and so on)
     alone.



File: gnus,  Node: Paging the Article,  Next: Reply Followup and Post,  Prev: Choosing Articles,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.4 Scrolling the Article
=========================

`SPACE'
     Pressing `SPACE' will scroll the current article forward one page,
     or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will
     choose the next article (`gnus-summary-next-page').

`DEL'
     Scroll the current article back one page
     (`gnus-summary-prev-page').

`RET'
     Scroll the current article one line forward
     (`gnus-summary-scroll-up').

`A g'
`g'
     (Re)fetch the current article (`gnus-summary-show-article').  If
     given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
     article treatment functions.  This will give you a "raw" article,
     just the way it came from the server.

`A <'
`<'
     Scroll to the beginning of the article
     (`gnus-summary-beginning-of-article').

`A >'
`>'
     Scroll to the end of the article (`gnus-summary-end-of-article').

`A s'
     Perform an isearch in the article buffer
     (`gnus-summary-isearch-article').



File: gnus,  Node: Reply Followup and Post,  Next: Canceling and Superseding,  Prev: Paging the Article,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.5 Reply, Followup and Post
============================

* Menu:

* Summary Mail Commands::            Sending mail.
* Summary Post Commands::            Sending news.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Mail Commands,  Next: Summary Post Commands,  Up: Reply Followup and Post

3.5.1 Summary Mail Commands
---------------------------

Commands for composing a mail message:

`S r'
`r'
     Mail a reply to the author of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-reply').

`S R'
`R'
     Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
     original message (`gnus-summary-reply-with-original').  This
     command uses the process/prefix convention.

`S o m'
     Forward the current article to some other person
     (`gnus-summary-mail-forward').

`S o p'
     Forward the current article to a newsgroup
     (`gnus-summary-post-forward').

`S m'
`m'
     Send a mail to some other person
     (`gnus-summary-mail-other-window').

`S D b'
     If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for
     some reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this
     command to resend that bounced mail
     (`gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail').  You will be popped into a
     mail buffer where you can edit the headers before sending the mail
     off again.  If you give a prefix to this command, and the bounced
     mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch that
     mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers.  This might
     very well fail, though.

`S D r'
     Not to be confused with the previous command,
     `gnus-summary-resend-message' will prompt you for an address to
     send the current message off to, and then send it to that place.
     The headers of the message won't be altered--but lots of headers
     that say `Resent-To', `Resent-From' and so on will be added.  This
     means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a `To'
     header that (probably) points to yourself.  This will confuse
     people.  So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.

     This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want
     to ship a mail to a different account of yours.  (If you're both
     `root' and `postmaster' and get a mail for `postmaster' to the
     `root' account, you may want to resend it to `postmaster'.
     Ordnung muss sein!

`S O m'
     Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
     (`gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward').  This command uses the
     process/prefix convention (*note Process/Prefix::).

`S O p'
     Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
     (`gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward').


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Post Commands,  Prev: Summary Mail Commands,  Up: Reply Followup and Post

3.5.2 Summary Post Commands
---------------------------

Commands for posting an article:

`S p'
`a'
     Post an article to the current group (`gnus-summary-post-news').

`S f'
`f'
     Post a followup to the current article (`gnus-summary-followup').

`S F'
`F'
     Post a followup to the current article and include the original
     message (`gnus-summary-followup-with-original').   This command
     uses the process/prefix convention.

`S u'
     Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
     (`gnus-uu-post-news'). (*note Uuencoding and Posting::).


File: gnus,  Node: Canceling and Superseding,  Next: Marking Articles,  Prev: Reply Followup and Post,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.6 Canceling Articles
======================

Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
really, really wish you hadn't posted that?

   Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.

   Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
articles, so don't try any funny stuff).  Then press `C' or `S c'
(`gnus-summary-cancel-article').  Your article will be
canceled--machines all over the world will be deleting your article.

   Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article
may live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
question.

   If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
corrections, you can post a "superseding" article that will replace
your original article.

   Go to the original article and press `S s'
(`gnus-summary-supersede-article').  You will be put in a buffer where
you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the usual
way.

   The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
sites do not honor superseding.  On those sites, it will appear that you
have posted almost the same article twice.

   If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
waiting for the article to appear on your site first.  You simply return
to the post buffer (which is called `*post-buf*').  There you will find
the article you just posted, with all the headers intact.  Change the
`Message-ID' header to a `Cancel' or `Supersedes' header by
substituting one of those words for `Message-ID'.  Then just press `C-c
C-c' to send the article as you would do normally.  The previous
article will be canceled/superseded.

   Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.


File: gnus,  Node: Marking Articles,  Next: Limiting,  Prev: Canceling and Superseding,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.7 Marking Articles
====================

There are several marks you can set on an article.

   You have marks that decide the "readedness" (whoo, neato-keano
neologism ohoy!) of the article.  Alphabetic marks generally mean
"read", while non-alphabetic characters generally mean "unread".

   In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.

* Menu:

* Unread Articles::      Marks for unread articles.
* Read Articles::        Marks for read articles.
* Other Marks::          Marks that do not affect readedness.

   There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:

* Menu:

* Setting Marks::           How to set and remove marks.
* Setting Process Marks::   How to mark articles for later processing.


File: gnus,  Node: Unread Articles,  Next: Read Articles,  Up: Marking Articles

3.7.1 Unread Articles
---------------------

The following marks mark articles as unread, in one form or other.

`!'
     "Ticked articles" are articles that will remain visible always.  If
     you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put
     off reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd
     typically tick it.  However, articles can be expired, so if you
     want to keep an article forever, you'll have to save it.  Ticked
     articles have a `!' (`gnus-ticked-mark') in the first column.

`?'
     A "dormant" article is marked with a `?' (`gnus-dormant-mark'),
     and will only appear in the summary buffer if there are followups
     to it.

`SPACE'
     An "unread" article is marked with a `SPACE' (`gnus-unread-mark').
     These are articles that haven't been read at all yet.


File: gnus,  Node: Read Articles,  Next: Other Marks,  Prev: Unread Articles,  Up: Marking Articles

3.7.2 Read Articles
-------------------

All the following marks mark articles as read.

`r'
     Articles that are marked as read.  They have a `r'
     (`gnus-del-mark') in the first column.  These are articles that the
     user has marked as read more or less manually.

`R'
     Articles that are actually read are marked with `R'
     (`gnus-read-mark').

`O'
     Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions are now
     "old" and marked with `O' (`gnus-ancient-mark').

`K'
     Marked as killed (`gnus-killed-mark').

`X'
     Marked as killed by kill files (`gnus-kill-file-mark').

`Y'
     Marked as read by having a too low score (`gnus-low-score-mark').

`C'
     Marked as read by a catchup (`gnus-catchup-mark').

`G'
     Canceled article (`gnus-canceled-mark')

`F'
     SOUPed article (`gnus-souped-mark').

`Q'
     Sparsely reffed article (`gnus-sparse-mark').

   All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
They are interpreted differently by the adaptive scoring scheme,
however.

   One more special mark, though:

`E'
     You can also mark articles as "expirable" (or have them marked as
     such automatically).  That doesn't make much sense in normal
     groups, because a user does not control the expiring of news
     articles, but in mail groups, for instance, articles that are
     marked as "expirable" can be deleted by Gnus at any time.
     Expirable articles are marked with `E' (`gnus-expirable-mark').


File: gnus,  Node: Other Marks,  Next: Setting Marks,  Prev: Read Articles,  Up: Marking Articles

3.7.3 Other Marks
-----------------

There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
read or not.

   * You can set a bookmark in the current article.  Say you are
     reading a long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home
     for dinner before you've finished reading the thesis.  You can
     then set a bookmark in the article, and Gnus will jump to this
     bookmark the next time it encounters the article.

   * All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e.,
     have answered) will be marked with an `A' in the second column
     (`gnus-replied-mark').

   * Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with
     an `*' in the second column (`gnus-cached-mark').

   * Articles that are "saved" (in some manner or other; not necessarily
     religiously) are marked with an `S' in the second column
     (`gnus-saved-mark'.

   * It the `%e' spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
     marked with `gnus-not-empty-thread-mark' and
     `gnus-empty-thread-mark' in the third column, respectively.

   * Finally we have the "process mark" (`gnus-process-mark'.  A
     variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark.  For
     instance, `X u' (`gnus-uu-decode-uu') will uudecode and view all
     articles that have been marked with the process mark.  Articles
     marked with the process mark have a `#' in the second column.


   You might have noticed that most of these "non-readedness" marks
appear in the second column by default.  So if you have a cached, saved,
replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?

   Nothing much.  The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache
-> replied -> saved.  So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.


File: gnus,  Node: Setting Marks,  Next: Setting Process Marks,  Prev: Other Marks,  Up: Marking Articles

3.7.4 Setting Marks
-------------------

All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.

`M t'
`!'
     Tick the current article (`gnus-summary-tick-article-forward').

`M ?'
`?'
     Mark the current article as dormant
     (`gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant').

`M d'
`d'
     Mark the current article as read
     (`gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward').

`M k'
`k'
     Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as
     read, and then select the next unread article
     (`gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select').

`M K'
`C-k'
     Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as
     read (`gnus-summary-kill-same-subject').

`M C'
     Mark all unread articles in the group as read
     (`gnus-summary-catchup').

`M C-c'
     Mark all articles in the group as read--even the ticked and dormant
     articles (`gnus-summary-catchup-all').

`M H'
     Catchup the current group to point
     (`gnus-summary-catchup-to-here').

`C-w'
     Mark all articles between point and mark as read
     (`gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read').

`M V k'
     Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
     numeric prefix) (`gnus-summary-kill-below').

`M c'
`M-u'
     Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
     (`gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward').

`M e'
`E'
     Mark the current article as expirable
     (`gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable').

`M b'
     Set a bookmark in the current article
     (`gnus-summary-set-bookmark').

`M B'
     Remove the bookmark from the current article
     (`gnus-summary-remove-bookmark').

`M V c'
     Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score
     (or over the numeric prefix) (`gnus-summary-clear-above').

`M V u'
     Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
     numeric prefix) (`gnus-summary-tick-above').

`M V m'
     Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the
     default score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
     (`gnus-summary-clear-above').

   The `gnus-summary-goto-unread' variable controls what action should
be taken after setting a mark.  If non-`nil', point will move to the
next/previous unread article.  If `nil', point will just move one line
up or down.  As a special case, if this variable is `never', all the
marking commands as well as other commands (like `SPACE') will move to
the next article, whether it is unread or not.  The default is `t'.


File: gnus,  Node: Setting Process Marks,  Prev: Setting Marks,  Up: Marking Articles

3.7.5 Setting Process Marks
---------------------------

`M P p'
`#'
     Mark the current article with the process mark
     (`gnus-summary-mark-as-processable').  

`M P u'
`M-#'
     Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
     (`gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable').

`M P U'
     Remove the process mark from all articles
     (`gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable').

`M P R'
     Mark articles by a regular expression (`gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp').

`M P r'
     Mark articles in region (`gnus-uu-mark-region').

`M P t'
     Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
     (`gnus-uu-mark-thread').

`M P T'
     Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
     (`gnus-uu-unmark-thread').

`M P v'
     Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
     (`gnus-uu-mark-over').

`M P s'
     Mark all articles in the current series (`gnus-uu-mark-series').

`M P S'
     Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
     (`gnus-uu-mark-sparse').

`M P a'
     Mark all articles in series order (`gnus-uu-mark-series').

`M P b'
     Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
     (`gnus-uu-mark-buffer').


File: gnus,  Node: Limiting,  Next: Threading,  Prev: Marking Articles,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.8 Limiting
============

It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
subset of the articles currently in the group.  The effect most limit
commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
buffer.

`/ /'
`/ s'
     Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
     (`gnus-summary-limit-to-subject').

`/ a'
     Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
     (`gnus-summary-limit-to-author').

`/ u'
`x'
     Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
     (`gnus-summary-limit-to-unread').  If given a prefix, limit the
     buffer to articles that are strictly unread.  This means that
     ticked and dormant articles will also be excluded.

`/ m'
     Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been
     marked with that mark (`gnus-summary-limit-to-marks').

`/ n'
     Limit the summary buffer to the current article
     (`gnus-summary-limit-to-articles').  Uses the process/prefix
     convention (*note Process/Prefix::).

`/ w'
     Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
     (`gnus-summary-pop-limit').  If given a prefix, pop all limits off
     the stack.

`/ v'
     Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above
     some score (`gnus-summary-limit-to-score').

`/ E'
`M S'
     Display all expunged articles
     (`gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged').

`/ D'
     Display all dormant articles
     (`gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant').

`/ d'
     Hide all dormant articles (`gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant').

`/ c'
     Hide all dormant articles that have no children
     (`gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant').

`/ C'
     Mark all excluded unread articles as read
     (`gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read').   If given a prefix,
     also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.



File: gnus,  Node: Threading,  Next: Sorting,  Prev: Limiting,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.9 Threading
=============

Gnus threads articles by default.  "To thread" is to put replies to
articles directly after the articles they reply to--in a hierarchical
fashion.

* Menu:

* Customizing Threading::     Variables you can change to affect the threading.
* Thread Commands::           Thread based commands in the summary buffer.


File: gnus,  Node: Customizing Threading,  Next: Thread Commands,  Up: Threading

3.9.1 Customizing Threading
---------------------------

`gnus-show-threads'
     If this variable is `nil', no threading will be done, and all of
     the rest of the variables here will have no effect.  Turning
     threading off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure
     to make reading slower and more awkward.

`gnus-fetch-old-headers'
     If non-`nil', Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
     more old headers--headers to articles that are marked as read.  If
     you would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but
     still connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set
     this variable to `some' or a number.  If you set it to a number,
     no more than that number of extra old headers will be fetched.  In
     either case, fetching old headers only works if the backend you
     are using carries overview files--this would normally be `nntp',
     `nnspool' and `nnml'.  Also remember that if the root of the
     thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
     do about that.

`gnus-build-sparse-threads'
     Fetching old headers can be slow.  A low-rent similar effect can be
     gotten by setting this variable to `some'.  Gnus will then look at
     the complete `References' headers of all articles and try to string
     articles that belong in the same thread together.  This will leave
     "gaps" in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
     is missing from the thread.  (These gaps appear like normal summary
     lines.  If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
     question.)  If this variable is `t', Gnus will display all these
     "gaps" without regard for whether they are useful for completing
     the thread or not.  Finally, if this variable is `more', Gnus
     won't cut off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere.  This
     variable is `nil' by default.

`gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit'
     Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles.  If
     this variable is `nil', Gnus requires an exact match between the
     subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
     super-thread.  This might be too strict a requirement, what with
     the presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects
     lines.  If you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require
     that only the first 20 characters of the subjects have to match.
     If you set this variable to a really low number, you'll find that
     Gnus will gather everything in sight into one thread, which isn't
     very helpful.

     If you set this variable to the special value `fuzzy', Gnus will
     use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.

`gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp'
     This can either be a regular expression or list of regular
     expressions that match strings that will be removed from subjects
     if fuzzy subject simplification is used.

`gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes'
     If you set `gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit' to something as low
     as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something
     sensible:

          (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
                (concat
                 "\\`\\[?\\("
                 (mapconcat 'identity
                            '("looking"
                               "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
                               "help" "query" "problem" "question"
                               "answer" "reference" "announce"
                               "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
                               ;; ...
                               )
                            "\\|")
                            "\\)\\s *\\("
                            (mapconcat 'identity
                                       '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
                                       "\\|")
                            "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))

     All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing
     two subjects.

`gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject'
     Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might
     lead to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects
     like `' and `(none)'.  To make the situation slightly better, you
     can use the regexp `gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject' to say
     what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.  The
     default is `^ *$\\|^(none)$'.

`gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function'
     Gnus gathers threads by looking at `Subject' headers.  This means
     that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same "thread",
     which is confusing.  An alternate approach is to look at all the
     `Message-ID's in all the `References' headers to find matches.
     This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
     articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with
     broken newsreaders won't be gathered properly.  The choice is
     yours--plague or cholera:

    `gnus-gather-threads-by-subject'
          This function is the default gathering function and looks at
          `Subject's exclusively.

    `gnus-gather-threads-by-references'
          This function looks at `References' headers exclusively.

     If you want to test gathering by `References', you could say
     something like:

          (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
                'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)

`gnus-summary-make-false-root'
     If non-`nil', Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
     and create a dummy root at the top.  (Wait a minute.  Root at the
     top?  Yup.)  Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired,
     or you've read or killed the root in a previous session.

     When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
     something.  This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
     There are four possible values:

    `adopt'
          Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent.
          This parent will adopt all the other articles.  The adopted
          articles will be marked as such by pointy brackets (`<>')
          instead of the standard square brackets (`[]').  This is the
          default method.

    `dummy'
          Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be
          the parent.  This dummy line does not correspond to any real
          article, so selecting it will just select the first real
          article after the dummy article.
          `gnus-summary-dummy-line-format' is used to specify the
          format of the dummy roots.  It accepts only one format spec:
          `S', which is the subject of the article.  *Note Formatting
          Variables::.

    `empty'
          Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply
          leave the subject field of all orphans except the first
          empty.  (Actually, it will use `gnus-summary-same-subject' as
          the subject (*note Summary Buffer Format::).)

    `none'
          Don't make any article parent at all.  Just gather the
          threads and display them after one another.

    `nil'
          Don't gather loose threads.

`gnus-thread-hide-subtree'
     If non-`nil', all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
     generated.

`gnus-thread-hide-killed'
     if you kill a thread and this variable is non-`nil', the subtree
     will be hidden.

`gnus-thread-ignore-subject'
     Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread.
     If this variable is non-`nil', the subject change is ignored.  If
     it is `nil', which is the default, a change in the subject will
     result in a new thread.

`gnus-thread-indent-level'
     This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be
     indented.  The default is `4'.


File: gnus,  Node: Thread Commands,  Prev: Customizing Threading,  Up: Threading

3.9.2 Thread Commands
---------------------

`T k'
`M-C-k'
     Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
     (`gnus-summary-kill-thread').  If the prefix argument is positive,
     remove all marks instead.  If the prefix argument is negative, tick
     articles instead.

`T l'
`M-C-l'
     Lower the score of the current thread
     (`gnus-summary-lower-thread').

`T i'
     Increase the score of the current thread
     (`gnus-summary-raise-thread').

`T #'
     Set the process mark on the current thread (`gnus-uu-mark-thread').

`T M-#'
     Remove the process mark from the current thread
     (`gnus-uu-unmark-thread').

`T T'
     Toggle threading (`gnus-summary-toggle-threads').

`T s'
     Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
     (`gnus-summary-show-thread').

`T h'
     Hide the current (sub)thread (`gnus-summary-hide-thread').

`T S'
     Expose all hidden threads (`gnus-summary-show-all-threads').

`T H'
     Hide all threads (`gnus-summary-hide-all-threads').

`T t'
     Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
     (`gnus-summary-rethread-current').  This works even when the
     summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.

`T ^'
     Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous)
     article (`gnus-summary-reparent-thread'.


   The following commands are thread movement commands.  They all
understand the numeric prefix.

`T n'
     Go to the next thread (`gnus-summary-next-thread').

`T p'
     Go to the previous thread (`gnus-summary-prev-thread').

`T d'
     Descend the thread (`gnus-summary-down-thread').

`T u'
     Ascend the thread (`gnus-summary-up-thread').

`T o'
     Go to the top of the thread (`gnus-summary-top-thread').

   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' (`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 `gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject'.  If is is
non-`nil' (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored when doing
thread commands.  If this variable is `nil', articles in the same
thread with different subjects will not be included in the operation in
question.  If this variable is `fuzzy', only articles that have
subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.


File: gnus,  Node: Sorting,  Next: Asynchronous Fetching,  Prev: Threading,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.10 Sorting
============

If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
setting `gnus-thread-sort-functions', which is a list of functions.  By
default, sorting is done on article numbers.  Ready-made sorting
predicate functions include `gnus-thread-sort-by-number',
`gnus-thread-sort-by-author', `gnus-thread-sort-by-subject',
`gnus-thread-sort-by-date', `gnus-thread-sort-by-score', and
`gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score'.

   Each function takes two threads and return non-`nil' if the first
thread should be sorted before the other.  Note that sorting really is
normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.  If you use
more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
in the list.  You should probably always include
`gnus-thread-sort-by-number' in the list of sorting
functions--preferably first.  This will ensure that threads that are
equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
ascending article order.

   If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
number, you could do something like:

     (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
           '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
             gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
             gnus-thread-sort-by-score))

   The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
summary buffer.  When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
alphabetically.  The threads that have the same score and the same
subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
which the articles arrived.

   If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you
could say something like:

     (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
           '((lambda (t1 t2)
               (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
             gnus-thread-sort-by-score))

   The function in the `gnus-thread-score-function' variable (default
`+') is used for calculating the total score of a thread.  Useful
functions might be `max', `min', or squared means, or whatever tickles
your fancy.

   If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
other, you have to fiddle with the `gnus-article-sort-functions'
variable.  It is very similar to the `gnus-thread-sort-functions',
except that is uses slightly different functions for article
comparison.  Available sorting predicate functions are
`gnus-article-sort-by-number', `gnus-article-sort-by-author',
`gnus-article-sort-by-subject', `gnus-article-sort-by-date', and
`gnus-article-sort-by-score'.

   If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you
could say something like:

     (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
           '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
             gnus-article-sort-by-subject))


File: gnus,  Node: Asynchronous Fetching,  Next: Article Caching,  Prev: Sorting,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.11 Asynchronous Article Fetching
==================================

If you read your news from an NNTP server that's far away, the network
latencies may make reading articles a chore.  You have to wait for a
while after pressing `n' to go to the next article before the article
appears.  Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article while you
are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.

   First, some caveats.  There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.

   Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
quite long, and you are not interested in reading that.  Gnus does not
know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2.  You decide to read
article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
connection is blocked.

   To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
connections to the server.  Some people may think this isn't a very nice
thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives.  Setting up that
extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.

   Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read.  This will mean
that the link between your machine and the NNTP server will become more
loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch.  The server itself will
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 you really want to.

   Here's how:  Set `gnus-asynchronous' to `t'.  The rest should happen
automatically.

   You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by
setting `nntp-async-number'.  This is five by default, which means that
when you read an article in the group, `nntp' will pre-fetch the next
five articles.  If this variable is `t', `nntp' will pre-fetch all the
articles that it can without bound.  If it is `nil', no pre-fetching
will be made.

   You may wish to create some sort of scheme for choosing which
articles that `nntp' should consider as candidates for pre-fetching.
For instance, you may wish to pre-fetch all articles with high scores,
and not pre-fetch low-scored articles.  You can do that by setting the
`gnus-asynchronous-article-function', which will be called with an
alist where the keys are the article numbers.  Your function should
return an alist where the articles you are not interested in have been
removed.  You could also do sorting on article score and the like.


File: gnus,  Node: Article Caching,  Next: Persistent Articles,  Prev: Asynchronous Fetching,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.12 Article Caching
====================

If you have an _extremely_ slow NNTP connection, you may consider
turning article caching on.  Each article will then be stored locally
under your home directory.  As you may surmise, this could potentially
use _huge_ amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all your inodes so
fast it will make your head swim.  In vodka.

   Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save
articles.

   To turn caching on, set `gnus-use-cache' to `t'.  By default, all
articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied over
to your local cache (`gnus-cache-directory').  Whether this cache is
flat or hierarchal is controlled by the `gnus-use-long-file-name'
variable, as usual.

   When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from
the cache instead of from the server.  As articles in your cache will
never expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while
still keeping them where they belong.  Just mark all articles you want
to save as dormant, and don't worry.

   When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.

   The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
`gnus-cache-enter-articles' and `gnus-cache-remove-articles' variables.
Both are lists of symbols.  The first is `(ticked dormant)' by
default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be put in the
cache.  The latter is `(read)' by default, meaning that articles that
are marked as read are removed from the cache.  Possibly symbols in
these two lists are `ticked', `dormant', `unread' and `read'.

   So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
picture?  The `gnus-jog-cache' command will go through all subscribed
newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in the cache.
You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1) your
connection to the NNTP server is really, really, really slow and 2) you
have a really, really, really huge disk.  Seriously.

   It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups.  For
instance, if your `nnml' mail is located under your home directory, it
makes no sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory.
Unless you feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.  To limit
the caching, you could set the `gnus-uncacheable-groups' regexp to
`^nnml', for instance.  This variable is `nil' by default.

   The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its
active file (`gnus-cache-active-file').  If this file (or any other
parts of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
offers two functions that will try to set things right.  `M-x
gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases' will (re)build all the NOV files,
and `gnus-cache-generate-active' will (re)generate the active file.


File: gnus,  Node: Persistent Articles,  Next: Article Backlog,  Prev: Article Caching,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.13 Persistent Articles
========================

Closely related to article caching, we have "persistent articles".  In
fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
useful in my opinion.

   Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable
gem that you want to keep and treasure forever.  You'd normally just
save it (using one of the many saving commands) in some file.  The
problem with that is that it's just, well, yucky.  Ideally you'd prefer
just having the article remain in the group where you found it forever;
untouched by the expiry going on at the news server.

   This is what a "persistent article" is--an article that just won't
be deleted.  It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but you
use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:

`*'
     Make the current article persistent (`gnus-cache-enter-article').

`M-*'
     Remove the current article from the persistent articles
     (`gnus-cache-remove-article').  This will normally delete the
     article.

   Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.

   To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the
cache, you should set `gnus-use-cache' to `passive' if you're just
interested in persistent articles:

     (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)


File: gnus,  Node: Article Backlog,  Next: Saving Articles,  Prev: Persistent Articles,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.14 Article Backlog
====================

If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
by switching on the "backlog".  This is where Gnus will buffer already
read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles you've
already read.  This only helps if you are in the habit of re-selecting
articles you've recently read, of course.  If you never do that,
turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and increase
memory usage some.

   If you set `gnus-keep-backlog' to a number N, Gnus will store at
most N old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching.  If this
variable is non-`nil' and is not a number, Gnus will store _all_ read
articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without bound before
exploding and taking your machine down with you.  I put that in there
just to keep y'all on your toes.

   This variable is `nil' by default.


File: gnus,  Node: Saving Articles,  Next: Decoding Articles,  Prev: Article Backlog,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.15 Saving Articles
====================

Gnus can save articles in a number of ways.  Below is the documentation
for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
processing of the article is done before it is saved).  For a different
approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use `gnus-uu' (*note
Decoding Articles::).

   If `gnus-save-all-headers' is non-`nil', Gnus will not delete
unwanted headers before saving the article.

   If the preceding variable is `nil', all headers that match the
`gnus-saved-headers' regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
deleted before saving.

`O o'
`o'
     Save the current article using the default article saver
     (`gnus-summary-save-article').

`O m'
     Save the current article in mail format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-mail').

`O r'
     Save the current article in rmail format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-rmail').

`O f'
     Save the current article in plain file format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-file').

`O b'
     Save the current article body in plain file format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-body-file').

`O h'
     Save the current article in mh folder format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-folder').

`O v'
     Save the current article in a VM folder
     (`gnus-summary-save-article-vm').

`O p'
     Save the current article in a pipe.  Uhm, like, what I mean
     is--Pipe the current article to a process
     (`gnus-summary-pipe-output').

   All these commands use the process/prefix convention (*note
Process/Prefix::).  If you save bunches of articles using these
functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
and every article in.  The prompting action is controlled by the
`gnus-prompt-before-saving' variable, which is `always' by default,
giving you that excessive prompting action you know and loathe.  If you
set this variable to `t' instead, you'll be prompted just once for each
series of articles you save.  If you like to really have Gnus do all
your thinking for you, you can even set this variable to `nil', which
means that you will never be prompted for files to save articles in.
Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default files.

   You can customize the `gnus-default-article-saver' variable to make
Gnus do what you want it to.  You can use any of the four ready-made
functions below, or you can create your own.

`gnus-summary-save-in-rmail'
     This is the default format, "babyl".  Uses the function in the
     `gnus-rmail-save-name' variable to get a file name to save the
     article in.  The default is `gnus-plain-save-name'.

`gnus-summary-save-in-mail'
     Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file.  Uses the function in the
     `gnus-mail-save-name' variable to get a file name to save the
     article in.  The default is `gnus-plain-save-name'.

`gnus-summary-save-in-file'
     Append the article straight to an ordinary file.  Uses the
     function in the `gnus-file-save-name' variable to get a file name
     to save the article in.  The default is `gnus-numeric-save-name'.

`gnus-summary-save-body-in-file'
     Append the article body to an ordinary file.  Uses the function in
     the `gnus-file-save-name' variable to get a file name to save the
     article in.  The default is `gnus-numeric-save-name'.

`gnus-summary-save-in-folder'
     Save the article to an MH folder using `rcvstore' from the MH
     library.  Uses the function in the `gnus-folder-save-name' variable
     to get a file name to save the article in.  The default is
     `gnus-folder-save-name', but you can also use
     `gnus-Folder-save-name'.  The former creates capitalized names, and
     the latter does not.

`gnus-summary-save-in-vm'
     Save the article in a VM folder.  You have to have the VM mail
     reader to use this setting.

   All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the
article in the `gnus-article-save-directory', which is initialized from
the `SAVEDIR' environment variable.  This is `~/News/' by default.

   As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
suitable name of a file to save the article in.  Below is a list of
available functions that generate names:

`gnus-Numeric-save-name'
     Generates file names that look like `~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45'.

`gnus-numeric-save-name'
     Generates file names that look like `~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45'.

`gnus-Plain-save-name'
     Generates file names that look like `~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin'.

`gnus-plain-save-name'
     Generates file names that look like `~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin'.

   You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a
regexp into the `gnus-split-methods' alist.  For instance, if you would
like to save articles related to Gnus in the file `gnus-stuff', and
articles related to VM in `vm-stuff', you could set this variable to
something like:

     (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
      ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
      (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
      ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))

   We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
elements--the "match" and the "file".  The match can either be a string
(in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article head); it
can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the group name
as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be `eval'ed).  If any
of these actions have a non-`nil' result, the "file" will be used as a
default prompt.  In addition, the result of the operation itself will
be used if the function or form called returns a string or a list of
strings.

   You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used
when saving the current article.  (All "matches" will be used.)  You
will then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with
file name completion over the results from applying this variable.

   This variable is `((gnus-article-archive-name))' by default, which
means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
`Archive-name' line and use that as a suggestion for the file name.

   Finally, you have the `gnus-use-long-file-name' variable.  If it is
`nil', all the preceding functions will replace all periods (`.') in
the group names with slashes (`/')--which means that the functions will
generate hierarchies of directories instead of having all the files in
the toplevel directory (`~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin' instead of
`~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin'.)  This variable is `t' by default on most
systems.  However, for historical reasons, this is `nil' on Xenix and
usg-unix-v machines by default.

   This function also affects kill and score file names.  If this
variable is a list, and the list contains the element `not-score', long
file names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
`not-save', long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
contains the element `not-kill', long file names will not be used for
kill files.

   If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something
like a spool, you could

     (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
     (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding

   Then just save with `o'.  You'd then read this hierarchy with
ephemeral `nneething' groups--`G D' in the group buffer, and the
toplevel directory as the argument (`~/News/').  Then just walk around
to the groups/directories with `nneething'.


File: gnus,  Node: Decoding Articles,  Next: Article Treatment,  Prev: Saving Articles,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.16 Decoding Articles
======================

Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
encoded in some way or other.  Gnus can decode them for you.

* Menu:

* Uuencoded Articles::    Uudecode articles.
* Shared Articles::       Unshar articles.
* PostScript Files::      Split PostScript.
* Decoding Variables::    Variables for a happy decoding.
* Viewing Files::         You want to look at the result of the decoding?

   All these functions use the process/prefix convention (*note
Process/Prefix::) for finding out what articles to work on, with the
extension that a "single article" means "a single series".  Gnus can
find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).

   Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the
following simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical,
except for the last two numbers of the line.  (Spaces are largely
ignored, however.)

   For example: If you choose a subject called `cat.gif (2/3)', Gnus
will find all the articles that match the regexp `^cat.gif
([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$'.

   Subjects that are nonstandard, like `cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
series', will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with `#'.


File: gnus,  Node: Uuencoded Articles,  Next: Shared Articles,  Up: Decoding Articles

3.16.1 Uuencoded Articles
-------------------------

`X u'
     Uudecodes the current series (`gnus-uu-decode-uu').

`X U'
     Uudecodes and saves the current series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save').

`X v u'
     Uudecodes and views the current series (`gnus-uu-decode-uu-view').

`X v U'
     Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view').

   Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
the process mark.  If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
entire newsgroup, you'd typically do `M P a' (`gnus-uu-mark-all') and
then `X U' (`gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save').

   All this is very much different from how `gnus-uu' worked with GNUS
4.1, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under the sun.
This version of `gnus-uu' generally assumes that you mark articles in
some way (*note Setting Process Marks::) and then press `X u'.

   Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
`gnus-uu-notify-files', which is hard-coded to
`[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)', `gnus-uu' will
automatically post an article on `comp.unix.wizards' saying that you
have just viewed the file in question.  This feature can't be turned
off.


File: gnus,  Node: Shared Articles,  Next: PostScript Files,  Prev: Uuencoded Articles,  Up: Decoding Articles

3.16.2 Shared Articles
----------------------

`X s'
     Unshars the current series (`gnus-uu-decode-unshar').

`X S'
     Unshars and saves the current series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save').

`X v s'
     Unshars and views the current series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view').

`X v S'
     Unshars, views and saves the current series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view').


File: gnus,  Node: PostScript Files,  Next: Decoding Variables,  Prev: Shared Articles,  Up: Decoding Articles

3.16.3 PostScript Files
-----------------------

`X p'
     Unpack the current PostScript series (`gnus-uu-decode-postscript').

`X P'
     Unpack and save the current PostScript series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save').

`X v p'
     View the current PostScript series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view').

`X v P'
     View and save the current PostScript series
     (`gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view').


File: gnus,  Node: Decoding Variables,  Next: Viewing Files,  Prev: PostScript Files,  Up: Decoding Articles

3.16.4 Decoding Variables
-------------------------

Adjective, not verb.

* Menu:

* Rule Variables::          Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
* Other Decode Variables::  Other decode variables.
* Uuencoding and Posting::  Variables for customizing uuencoding.


File: gnus,  Node: Rule Variables,  Next: Other Decode Variables,  Up: Decoding Variables

3.16.4.1 Rule Variables
.......................

Gnus uses "rule variables" to decide how to view a file.  All these
variables are on the form

           (list '(regexp1 command2)
                 '(regexp2 command2)
                 ...)

`gnus-uu-user-view-rules'
     This variable is consulted first when viewing files.  If you wish
     to use, for instance, `sox' to convert an `.au' sound file, you
     could say something like:
                 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
                   (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))

`gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end'
     This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from
     the user and default view rules.

`gnus-uu-user-archive-rules'
     This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to
     unpack archives.


File: gnus,  Node: Other Decode Variables,  Next: Uuencoding and Posting,  Prev: Rule Variables,  Up: Decoding Variables

3.16.4.2 Other Decode Variables
...............................

`gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions'
     All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
     successfully decoded--so that you can move or view files right
     away, and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before
     you can do anything.  Ready-made functions you can put in this
     list are:

    `gnus-uu-grab-view'
          View the file.

    `gnus-uu-grab-move'
          Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)

`gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name'
     Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.

`gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type'
     Files with a MIME type matching this variable won't be viewed.
     Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the
     name.  `gnus-uu' is not a MIME package (yet), so this is slightly
     kludgey.

`gnus-uu-tmp-dir'
     Where `gnus-uu' does its work.

`gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' won't peek inside archives looking
     for files to display.

`gnus-uu-view-and-save'
     Non-`nil' means that the user will always be asked to save a file
     after viewing it.

`gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will ignore the default viewing
     rules.

`gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will ignore the default archive
     unpacking commands.

`gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will strip all carriage returns
     from articles.

`gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will mark articles that were
     unsuccessfully decoded as unread.

`gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will _try_ to fix uuencoded files
     that have had trailing spaces deleted.

`gnus-uu-view-with-metamail'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will ignore the viewing commands
     defined by the rule variables and just fudge a MIME content type
     based on the file name.  The result will be fed to `metamail' for
     viewing.

`gnus-uu-save-in-digest'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu', when asked to save without
     decoding, will save in digests.  If this variable is `nil',
     `gnus-uu' will just save everything in a file without any
     embellishments.  The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153--no easy
     way to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found,
     so I simply dropped them.



File: gnus,  Node: Uuencoding and Posting,  Prev: Other Decode Variables,  Up: Decoding Variables

3.16.4.3 Uuencoding and Posting
...............................

`gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will ask for a file to encode
     before you compose the article.  If this variable is `t', you can
     either include an encoded file with `C-c C-i' or have one included
     for you when you post the article.

`gnus-uu-post-length'
     Maximum length of an article.  The encoded file will be split into
     how many articles it takes to post the entire file.

`gnus-uu-post-threaded'
     Non-`nil' means that `gnus-uu' will post the encoded file in a
     thread.  This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen
     are able to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles.
     (Well, I have seen one package that does that--`gnus-uu', but
     somehow, I don't think that counts...) Default is `nil'.

`gnus-uu-post-separate-description'
     Non-`nil' means that the description will be posted in a separate
     article.  The first article will typically be numbered (0/x).  If
     this variable is `nil', the description the user enters will be
     included at the beginning of the first article, which will be
     numbered (1/x).  Default is `t'.



File: gnus,  Node: Viewing Files,  Prev: Decoding Variables,  Up: Decoding Articles

3.16.5 Viewing Files
--------------------

After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
viewed.  For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file `pics.tar.gz'
containing the files `pic1.jpg' and `pic2.gif', Gnus will uncompress
and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.  This
unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives of
archives, it'll all be unpacked.

   Finally, Gnus will normally insert a "pseudo-article" for each
extracted file into the summary buffer.  If you go to these "articles",
you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus will make a
suggestion), and then the command will be run.

   If `gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously' is `nil', Emacs will wait until
the viewing is done before proceeding.

   If `gnus-view-pseudos' is `automatic', Gnus will not insert the
pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them immediately.  If
this variable is `not-confirm', the user won't even be asked for a
confirmation before viewing is done.

   If `gnus-view-pseudos-separately' is non-`nil', one pseudo-article
will be created for each file to be viewed.  If `nil', all files that
use the same viewing command will be given as a list of parameters to
that command.

   If `gnus-insert-pseudo-articles' is non-`nil', insert
pseudo-articles when decoding.  It is `t' by default.

   So; there you are, reading your _pseudo-articles_ in your _virtual
newsgroup_ from the _virtual server_; and you think: Why isn't anything
real anymore? How did we get here?


File: gnus,  Node: Article Treatment,  Next: Summary Sorting,  Prev: Decoding Articles,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.17 Article Treatment
======================

Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
written.  Reading articles.  Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
these articles easier.

* Menu:

* Article Highlighting::    You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
* Article Hiding::          You also want to make certain info go away.
* Article Washing::         Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
* Article Buttons::         Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
* Article Date::            Grumble, UT!


File: gnus,  Node: Article Highlighting,  Next: Article Hiding,  Up: Article Treatment

3.17.1 Article Highlighting
---------------------------

Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.

`W H a'
     Highlight the current article (`gnus-article-highlight').

`W H h'
     Highlight the headers (`gnus-article-highlight-headers').  The
     highlighting will be done according to the `gnus-header-face-alist'
     variable, which is a list where each element has the form (REGEXP
     NAME CONTENT).  REGEXP is a regular expression for matching the
     header, NAME is the face used for highlighting the header name and
     CONTENT is the face for highlighting the header value.  The first
     match made will be used.  Note that REGEXP shouldn't have `^'
     prepended--Gnus will add one.

`W H c'
     Highlight cited text (`gnus-article-highlight-citation').

     Some variables to customize the citation highlights:

    `gnus-cite-parse-max-size'
          If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is
          25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.

    `gnus-cite-prefix-regexp'
          Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a
          line.

    `gnus-cite-max-prefix'
          Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).

    `gnus-cite-face-list'
          List of faces used for highlighting citations.  When there
          are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
          Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own
          face.  This should make it easier to see who wrote what.

    `gnus-supercite-regexp'
          Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.

    `gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp'
          Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.

    `gnus-cite-minimum-match-count'
          Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we
          believe that it's a citation.

    `gnus-cite-attribution-prefix'
          Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.

    `gnus-cite-attribution-suffix'
          Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.

    `gnus-cite-attribution-face'
          Face used for attribution lines.  It is merged with the face
          for the cited text belonging to the attribution.


`W H s'
     Highlight the signature (`gnus-article-highlight-signature').
     Everything after `gnus-signature-separator' in an article will be
     considered a signature and will be highlighted with
     `gnus-signature-face', which is `italic' by default.



File: gnus,  Node: Article Hiding,  Next: Article Washing,  Prev: Article Highlighting,  Up: Article Treatment

3.17.2 Article Hiding
---------------------

Or rather, hiding certain things in each article.  There usually is much
too much cruft in most articles.

`W W a'
     Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (`gnus-article-hide').

`W W h'
     Hide headers (`gnus-article-hide-headers').  *Note Hiding
     Headers::.

`W W b'
     Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
     (`gnus-article-hide-boring-headers').  *Note Hiding Headers::.

`W W s'
     Hide signature (`gnus-article-hide-signature').

`W W p'
     Hide PGP signatures (`gnus-article-hide-pgp').

`W W c'
     Hide citation (`gnus-article-hide-citation').  Some variables for
     customizing the hiding:

    `gnus-cite-hide-percentage'
          If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this
          variable (default 50), hide the cited text.

    `gnus-cite-hide-absolute'
          The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10)
          before it is hidden.

    `gnus-cited-text-button-line-format'
          Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden,
          and to allow toggle hiding the text.  The format of the
          variable is specified by this format-like variable.  These
          specs are legal:

         `b'
               Start point of the hidden text.

         `e'
               End point of the hidden text.

         `l'
               Length of the hidden text.

    `gnus-cited-lines-visible'
          The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to
          leave shown.


`W W C'
     Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
     (`gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups').  This isn't very
     useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to
     stick in `gnus-article-display-hook' (*note Customizing
     Articles::).


   All these "hiding" commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
hidden.  If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.

   Also *note Article Highlighting:: for further variables for citation
customization.

   `gnus-signature-limit' provides a limit to what is considered a
signature.  If it is a number, no signature may not be longer (in
characters) than that number.  If it is a function, the function will be
called without any parameters, and if it returns `nil', there is no
signature in the buffer.  If it is a string, it will be used as a
regexp.  If it matches, the text in question is not a signature.


File: gnus,  Node: Article Washing,  Next: Article Buttons,  Prev: Article Hiding,  Up: Article Treatment

3.17.3 Article Washing
----------------------

We call this "article washing" for a really good reason.  Namely, the
`A' key was taken, so we had to use the `W' key instead.

   "Washing" is defined by us as "changing something from something to
something else", but normally results in something looking better.
Cleaner, perhaps.

`W l'
     Remove page breaks from the current article
     (`gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking').

`W r'
     Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
     (`gnus-summary-caesar-message').

`W t'
     Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
     (`gnus-summary-toggle-header').

`W v'
     Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
     permanently (`gnus-summary-verbose-header').

`W m'
     Toggle whether to run the article through MIME before displaying
     (`gnus-summary-toggle-mime').

`W o'
     Treat overstrike (`gnus-article-treat-overstrike').

`W w'
     Do word wrap (`gnus-article-fill-cited-article').

`W c'
     Remove CR (`gnus-article-remove-cr').

`W L'
     Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
     (`gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines').

`W q'
     Treat quoted-printable (`gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable').

`W f'
     Look for and display any X-Face headers
     (`gnus-article-display-x-face').  The command executed by this
     function is given by the `gnus-article-x-face-command' variable.
     If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
     sub-shell.  If it is a function, this function will be called with
     the face as the argument.  If the `gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly'
     (which is a regexp) matches the `From' header, the face will not
     be shown.  The default action under Emacs is to fork off an `xv'
     to view the face; under XEmacs the default action is to display
     the face before the `From' header.  (It's nicer if XEmacs has been
     compiled with X-Face support - that will make display somewhat
     faster.  If there's no native X-Face support, Gnus will try to
     convert the `X-Face' header using external programs from the
     `pbmplus' package and friends.)  If you want to have this function
     in the display hook, it should probably come last.

`W b'
     Add clickable buttons to the article (`gnus-article-add-buttons').

`W B'
     Add clickable buttons to the article headers
     (`gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head').



File: gnus,  Node: Article Buttons,  Next: Article Date,  Prev: Article Washing,  Up: Article Treatment

3.17.4 Article Buttons
----------------------

People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
with the minimum of fuzz.

   Gnus adds "buttons" to certain standard references by default:
Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs.  This is controlled by
two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
article heads:

`gnus-button-alist'
     This is an alist where each entry has this form:

          (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)

    REGEXP
          All text that match this regular expression will be
          considered an external reference.  Here's a typical regexp
          that match embedded URLs: `<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>'.

    BUTTON-PAR
          Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be
          highlighted.  This is a number that says what sub-expression
          of the regexp that is to be highlighted.  If you want it all
          highlighted, you use `0' here.

    USE-P
          This form will be `eval'ed, and if the result is non-`nil',
          this is considered a match.  This is useful if you want extra
          sifting to avoid false matches.

    FUNCTION
          This function will be called when you click on this button.

    DATA-PAR
          As with BUTTON-PAR, this is a sub-expression number, but this
          one says which part of the match is to be sent as data to
          FUNCTION.


     So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then

          ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)

`gnus-header-button-alist'
     This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
     article head only, and that each entry has an additional element
     that is used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:

          (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)

     HEADER is a regular expression.

`gnus-button-url-regexp'
     A regular expression that matches embedded URLs.  It is used in the
     default values of the variables above.

`gnus-article-button-face'
     Face used on bottons.

`gnus-article-mouse-face'
     Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.



File: gnus,  Node: Article Date,  Prev: Article Buttons,  Up: Article Treatment

3.17.5 Article Date
-------------------

The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
when the article was sent.

`W T u'
     Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
     (`gnus-article-date-ut').

`W T l'
     Display the date in the local timezone (`gnus-article-date-local').

`W T e'
     Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and
     now (`gnus-article-date-lapsed').

`W T o'
     Display the original date (`gnus-article-date-original').  This can
     be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
     worried that it might be doing something totally wrong.  Say,
     claiming that the article was posted in 1854.  Although something
     like that is _totally_ impossible.  Don't you trust me? *titter*



File: gnus,  Node: Summary Sorting,  Next: Finding the Parent,  Prev: Article Treatment,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.18 Summary Sorting
====================

You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
can't really see why you'd want that.

`C-c C-s C-n'
     Sort by article number (`gnus-summary-sort-by-number').

`C-c C-s C-a'
     Sort by author (`gnus-summary-sort-by-author').

`C-c C-s C-s'
     Sort by subject (`gnus-summary-sort-by-subject').

`C-c C-s C-d'
     Sort by date (`gnus-summary-sort-by-date').

`C-c C-s C-i'
     Sort by score (`gnus-summary-sort-by-score').

   These functions will work both when you use threading and when you
don't use threading.  In the latter case, all summary lines will be
sorted, line by line.  In the former case, sorting will be done on a
root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for.  To
toggle whether to use threading, type `T T' (*note Thread Commands::).


File: gnus,  Node: Finding the Parent,  Next: Alternative Approaches,  Prev: Summary Sorting,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.19 Finding the Parent
=======================

If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to.  That is,
if the current group is fetched by NNTP, the parent hasn't expired and
the `References' in the current article are not mangled, you can just
press `^' or `A r' (`gnus-summary-refer-parent-article').  If
everything goes well, you'll get the parent.  If the parent is already
displayed in the summary buffer, point will just move to this article.

   You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the `References'
header of the article by pushing `A R'
(`gnus-summary-refer-references').

   You can also ask the NNTP server for an arbitrary article, no matter
what group it belongs to.  `M-^' (`gnus-summary-refer-article') will
ask you for a `Message-ID', which is one of those long thingies that
look something like `<38o6up$6f2@hymir.ifi.uio.no>'.  You have to get
it all exactly right.  No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.

   If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
support fetching by `Message-ID' very well (like `nnspool'), you can
set `gnus-refer-article-method' to an NNTP method.  It would, perhaps,
be best if the NNTP server you consult is the same as the one that
keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's not really
necessary.

   Most of the mail backends support fetching by `Message-ID', but do
not do a particularly excellent job of it.  That is, `nnmbox' and
`nnbabyl' are able to locate articles from any groups, while `nnml' and
`nnfolder' are only able to locate articles that have been posted to
the current group.  (Anything else would be too time consuming.)
`nnmh' does not support this at all.


File: gnus,  Node: Alternative Approaches,  Next: Tree Display,  Prev: Finding the Parent,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.20 Alternative Approaches
===========================

Different people like to read news using different methods.  This being
Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.

* Menu:

* Pick and Read::               First mark articles and then read them.
* Binary Groups::               Auto-decode all articles.


File: gnus,  Node: Pick and Read,  Next: Binary Groups,  Up: Alternative Approaches

3.20.1 Pick and Read
--------------------

Some newsreaders (like `nn' and, uhm, `nn') use a two-phased reading
interface.  The user first marks the articles she wants to read from a
summary buffer.  Then she starts reading the articles with just an
article buffer displayed.

   Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
this--`gnus-pick-mode'.  This basically means that a few process mark
commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and it
makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
available.

   Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:

`SPACE'
     Pick the article (`gnus-summary-mark-as-processable').

`u'
     Unpick the article (`gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable').

`U'
     Unpick all articles (`gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable').

`t'
     Pick the thread (`gnus-uu-mark-thread').

`T'
     Unpick the thread (`gnus-uu-unmark-thread').

`r'
     Pick the region (`gnus-uu-mark-region').

`R'
     Unpick the region (`gnus-uu-unmark-region').

`e'
     Pick articles that match a regexp (`gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp').

`E'
     Unpick articles that match a regexp (`gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp').

`b'
     Pick the buffer (`gnus-uu-mark-buffer').

`B'
     Unpick the buffer (`gnus-uu-unmark-buffer').

`RET'
     Start reading the picked articles (`gnus-pick-start-reading').  If
     given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first.  If
     `gnus-pick-display-summary' is non-`nil', the summary buffer will
     still be visible when you are reading.


   If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:

     (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)

   `gnus-pick-mode-hook' is run in pick minor mode buffers.


File: gnus,  Node: Binary Groups,  Prev: Pick and Read,  Up: Alternative Approaches

3.20.2 Binary Groups
--------------------

If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
`X u', `n', `RET' all the time.  `M-x gnus-binary-mode' is a minor mode
for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article selection
functions uudecode series of articles and display the result instead of
just displaying the articles the normal way.

   In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned
this mode on is the `g' command (`gnus-binary-show-article').

   `gnus-binary-mode-hook' is called in binary minor mode buffers.


File: gnus,  Node: Tree Display,  Next: Mail Group Commands,  Prev: Alternative Approaches,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.21 Tree Display
=================

If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
`gnus-use-trees' to `t'.  This will create (by default) an additional
"tree buffer".  You can execute all summary mode commands in the tree
buffer.

   There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:

`gnus-tree-mode-hook'
     A hook called in all tree mode buffers.

`gnus-tree-mode-line-format'
     A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers.  The
     default is `Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z'.  For a list of legal specs, *note
     Summary Buffer Mode Line::.

`gnus-selected-tree-face'
     Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree
     buffer.  The default is `modeline'.

`gnus-tree-line-format'
     A format string for the tree nodes.  The name is a bit of a
     misnomer, though--it doesn't define a line, but just the node.
     The default value is `%(%[%3,3n%]%)', which displays the first
     three characters of the name of the poster.  It is vital that all
     nodes are of the same length, so you _must_ use `%4,4n'-like
     specifiers.

     Legal specs are:

    `n'
          The name of the poster.

    `f'
          The `From' header.

    `N'
          The number of the article.

    `['
          The opening bracket.

    `]'
          The closing bracket.

    `s'
          The subject.

     *Note Formatting Variables::.

     Variables related to the display are:

    `gnus-tree-brackets'
          This is used for differentiating between "real" articles and
          "sparse" articles.  The format is ((REAL-OPEN . REAL-CLOSE)
          (SPARSE-OPEN . SPARSE-CLOSE) (DUMMY-OPEN . DUMMY-CLOSE)), and
          the default is `((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?{ . ?}))'.

    `gnus-tree-parent-child-edges'
          This is a list that contains the characters used for
          connecting parent nodes to their children.  The default is
          `(?- ?\\ ?|)'.


`gnus-tree-minimize-window'
     If this variable is non-`nil', Gnus will try to keep the tree
     buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
     windows.  If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never
     be higher than that number.  The default is `t'.

`gnus-generate-tree-function'
     The function that actually generates the thread tree.  Two
     predefined functions are available:
     `gnus-generate-horizontal-tree' and `gnus-generate-vertical-tree'
     (which is the default).


   Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:

     {***}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
          |     \[Jan]
          |     \[odd]-[Eri]
          |     \(***)-[Eri]
          |           \[odd]-[Paa]
          \[Bjo]
          \[Gun]
          \[Gun]-[Jor]

   Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:

     {***}
       |--------------------------\-----\-----\
     (***)                         [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
       |--\-----\-----\                          |
     [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***)                   [Jor]
       |           |     |--\
     [Gun]       [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
                               |
                             [Paa]


File: gnus,  Node: Mail Group Commands,  Next: Various Summary Stuff,  Prev: Tree Display,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.22 Mail Group Commands
========================

Some commands only make sense in mail groups.  If these commands are
illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.

   All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
process/prefix convention (*note Process/Prefix::).

`B e'
     Expire all expirable articles in the group
     (`gnus-summary-expire-articles').

`B M-C-e'
     Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
     (`gnus-summary-expire-articles-now').  This means that *all*
     articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
     disappear forever into that big `/dev/null' in the sky.

`B DEL'
     Delete the mail article.  This is "delete" as in "delete it from
     your disk forever and ever, never to return again." Use with
     caution.  (`gnus-summary-delete-article').

`B m'
     Move the article from one mail group to another
     (`gnus-summary-move-article').

`B c'
     Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
     (`gnus-summary-copy-article').

`B C'
     Crosspost the current article to some other group
     (`gnus-summary-crosspost-article').  This will create a new copy of
     the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the
     article will be properly updated.

`B i'
     Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
     (`gnus-summary-import-article').  You will be prompted for a file
     name, a `From' header and a `Subject' header.

`B r'
     Respool the mail article (`gnus-summary-move-article').

`B w'
`e'
     Edit the current article (`gnus-summary-edit-article').  To finish
     editing and make the changes permanent, type `C-c C-c'
     (`gnus-summary-edit-article-done').

`B q'
     If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to
     what group the article will end up in before you do the
     re-spooling.  This command will tell you
     (`gnus-summary-respool-query').

   If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
suggest where to put the articles.  `gnus-move-split-methods' is a
variable that uses the same syntax as `gnus-split-methods' (*note
Saving Articles::).  You may customize that variable to create
suggestions you find reasonable.


File: gnus,  Node: Various Summary Stuff,  Next: Exiting the Summary Buffer,  Prev: Mail Group Commands,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.23 Various Summary Stuff
==========================

* Menu:

* Summary Group Information::         Information oriented commands.
* Searching for Articles::            Multiple article commands.
* Really Various Summary Commands::   Those pesky non-conformant commands.

`gnus-summary-mode-hook'
     This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.

`gnus-summary-generate-hook'
     This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
     generation of the summary buffer.  It's quite convenient for
     customizing the threading variables based on what data the
     newsgroup has.  This hook is called from the summary buffer after
     most summary buffer variables has been set.

`gnus-summary-prepare-hook'
     Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated.  You
     might use it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look
     of the buffer in some other ungodly manner.  I don't care.



File: gnus,  Node: Summary Group Information,  Next: Searching for Articles,  Up: Various Summary Stuff

3.23.1 Summary Group Information
--------------------------------

`H f'
     Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
     current group (`gnus-summary-fetch-faq').  Gnus will try to get the
     FAQ from `gnus-group-faq-directory', which is usually a directory
     on a remote machine.  This variable can also be a list of
     directories.  In that case, giving a prefix to this command will
     allow you to choose between the various sites.  `ange-ftp'
     probably will be used for fetching the file.

`H d'
     Give a brief description of the current group
     (`gnus-summary-describe-group').  If given a prefix, force
     rereading the description from the server.

`H h'
     Give a very brief description of the most important summary
     keystrokes (`gnus-summary-describe-briefly').

`H i'
     Go to the Gnus info node (`gnus-info-find-node').


File: gnus,  Node: Searching for Articles,  Next: Really Various Summary Commands,  Prev: Summary Group Information,  Up: Various Summary Stuff

3.23.2 Searching for Articles
-----------------------------

`M-s'
     Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
     (`gnus-summary-search-article-forward').

`M-r'
     Search through all previous articles for a regexp
     (`gnus-summary-search-article-backward').

`&'
     This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular
     expression to match on this field, and a command to be executed if
     the match is made (`gnus-summary-execute-command').

`M-&'
     Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
     the process mark (`gnus-summary-universal-argument').


File: gnus,  Node: Really Various Summary Commands,  Prev: Searching for Articles,  Up: Various Summary Stuff

3.23.3 Really Various Summary Commands
--------------------------------------

`A D'
     If the current article is a collection of other articles (for
     instance, a digest), you might use this command to enter a group
     based on the that article (`gnus-summary-enter-digest-group').
     Gnus will try to guess what article type is currently displayed
     unless you give a prefix to this command, which forces a "digest"
     interpretation.  Basically, whenever you see a message that is a
     collection of other messages on some format, you `A D' and read
     these messages in a more convenient fashion.

`C-t'
     Toggle truncation of summary lines
     (`gnus-summary-toggle-truncation').

`='
     Expand the summary buffer window (`gnus-summary-expand-window').
     If given a prefix, force an `article' window configuration.


File: gnus,  Node: Exiting the Summary Buffer,  Prev: Various Summary Stuff,  Up: The Summary Buffer

3.24 Exiting the Summary Buffer
===============================

Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
group and return you to the group buffer.

`Z Z'
`q'
     Exit the current group and update all information on the group
     (`gnus-summary-exit'). `gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook' is called
     before doing much of the exiting, and calls
     `gnus-summary-expire-articles' by default.
     `gnus-summary-exit-hook' is called after finishing the exiting
     process.

`Z E'
`Q'
     Exit the current group without updating any information on the
     group (`gnus-summary-exit-no-update').

`Z c'
`c'
     Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
     (`gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit').

`Z C'
     Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
     (`gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit').

`Z n'
     Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
     (`gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group').

`Z R'
     Exit this group, and then enter it again
     (`gnus-summary-reselect-current-group').  If given a prefix, select
     all articles, both read and unread.

`Z G'
`M-g'
     Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
     group (`gnus-summary-rescan-group').  If given a prefix, select all
     articles, both read and unread.

`Z N'
     Exit the group and go to the next group
     (`gnus-summary-next-group').

`Z P'
     Exit the group and go to the previous group
     (`gnus-summary-prev-group').

   `gnus-exit-group-hook' is called when you exit the current group.

   If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
about it, you might set `gnus-kill-summary-on-exit' to `nil'.  If you
do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.  (Quelle
surprise!)  Instead it will change the name of the buffer to something
like `*Dead Summary ... *' and install a minor mode called
`gnus-dead-summary-mode'.  Now, if you switch back to this buffer,
you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
`gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead'.  So tapping any keys in a dead summary
buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.

   There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one
time.

   The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you
have read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
summary buffer.  If the `gnus-use-cross-reference' variable is `t'
(which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to this
group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the other
subscribed groups they were cross-posted to.  If this variable is
neither `nil' nor `t', the article will be marked as read in both
subscribed and unsubscribed groups.

   Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have
to read the same article more than once.  Unless, of course, somebody
has posted it to several groups separately.  Posting the same article to
several groups (not cross-posting) is called "spamming", and you are by
law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
heinous crime.

   Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
separately to several groups is not.  Massive cross-posting (aka.
"velveeta") is to be avoided.

   One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
correctly is if you use an NNTP server that supports XOVER (which is
very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which does not
include the `Xref' header in its NOV lines.  This is Evil, but all too
common, alas, alack.  Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing even with XOVER
by registering the `Xref' lines of all articles you actually read, but
if you kill the articles, or just mark them as read without reading
them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop the `Xref' lines out of these
articles, and will be unable to use the cross reference mechanism.

   To check whether your NNTP server includes the `Xref' header in its
overview files, try `telnet your.nntp.server nntp', `MODE READER' on
`inn' servers, and then say `LIST overview.fmt'.  This may not work,
but if it does, and the last line you get does not read `Xref:full',
then you should shout and whine at your news admin until she includes
the `Xref' header in the overview files.

   If you want Gnus to get the `Xref's right all the time, you have to
set `gnus-nov-is-evil' to `t', which slows things down considerably.

   C'est la vie.


File: gnus,  Node: The Article Buffer,  Next: Composing Messages,  Prev: The Summary Buffer,  Up: Top

4 The Article Buffer
********************

The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
one.  All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
tell Gnus otherwise.

* Menu:

* Hiding Headers::        Deciding what headers should be displayed.
* Using MIME::            Pushing articles through MIME before reading them.
* Customizing Articles::  Tailoring the look of the articles.
* Article Keymap::        Keystrokes available in the article buffer
* Misc Article::          Other stuff.


File: gnus,  Node: Hiding Headers,  Next: Using MIME,  Up: The Article Buffer

4.1 Hiding Headers
==================

The top section of each article is the "head".  (The rest is the
"body", but you may have guessed that already.)

   There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the
person who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject
of the article.  That's well and nice, but there's also lots of
information most people do not want to see--what systems the article
has passed through before reaching you, the `Message-ID', the
`References', etc. ad nauseum--and you'll probably want to get rid of
some of those lines.  If you want to keep all those lines in the
article buffer, you can set `gnus-show-all-headers' to `t'.

   Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:

`gnus-visible-headers'
     If this variable is non-`nil', it should be a regular expression
     that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer.  All
     headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.

     For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who
     wrote the article and the subject, you'd say:

          (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")

     This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that
     are to remain visible.

`gnus-ignored-headers'
     This variable is the reverse of `gnus-visible-headers'.  If this
     variable is set (and `gnus-visible-headers' is `nil'), it should
     be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
     hide.  All lines that do not match this variable will remain
     visible.

     For instance, if you just want to get rid of the `References' line
     and the `Xref' line, you might say:

          (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")

     This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that
     are to be removed.

     Note that if `gnus-visible-headers' is non-`nil', this variable
     will have no effect.


   Gnus can also sort the headers for you.  (It does this by default.)
You can control the sorting by setting the `gnus-sorted-header-list'
variable.  It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
the headers are to be displayed.

   For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article
first, and then the subject, you might say something like:

     (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))

   Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
are listed in this variable.

   You can hide further boring headers by entering
`gnus-article-hide-boring-headers' into `gnus-article-display-hook'.
What this function does depends on the `gnus-boring-article-headers'
variable.  It's a list, but this list doesn't actually contain header
names.  Instead is lists various "boring conditions" that Gnus can
check and remove from sight.

   These conditions are:
`empty'
     Remove all empty headers.

`newsgroups'
     Remove the `Newsgroups' header if it only contains the current
     group name.

`followup-to'
     Remove the `Followup-To' header if it is identical to the
     `Newsgroups' header.

`reply-to'
     Remove the `Reply-To' header if it lists the same address as the
     `From' header.

`date'
     Remove the `Date' header if the article is less than three days
     old.

   To include the four first elements, you could say something like;

     (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
           '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))

   This is also the default value for this variable.


File: gnus,  Node: Using MIME,  Next: Customizing Articles,  Prev: Hiding Headers,  Up: The Article Buffer

4.2 Using MIME
==============

Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
while people stand around yawning.

   MIME, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
while all newsreaders die of fear.

   MIME may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.

   Gnus handles MIME by shoving the articles through
`gnus-show-mime-method', which is `metamail-buffer' by default.  Set
`gnus-show-mime' to `t' if you want to use MIME all the time.  However,
if `gnus-strict-mime' is non-`nil', the MIME method will only be used
if there are MIME headers in the article.

   It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
group `alt.sing-a-long' and, before you know it, MIME has decoded the
sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song comes
streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and
you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)

   Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental.
Ahem.


File: gnus,  Node: Customizing Articles,  Next: Article Keymap,  Prev: Using MIME,  Up: The Article Buffer

4.3 Customizing Articles
========================

The `gnus-article-display-hook' is called after the article has been
inserted into the article buffer.  It is meant to handle all treatment
of the article before it is displayed.

   By default it contains `gnus-article-hide-headers',
`gnus-article-treat-overstrike', and `gnus-article-maybe-highlight',
but there are thousands, nay millions, of functions you can put in this
hook.  For an overview of functions *note Article Highlighting::, *note
Article Hiding::, *note Article Washing::, *note Article Buttons:: and
*note Article Date::.

   You can, of course, write your own functions.  The functions are
called from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like,
pretty much.  There is no information that you have to keep in the
buffer--you can change everything.  However, you shouldn't delete any
headers.  Instead make them invisible if you want to make them go away.


File: gnus,  Node: Article Keymap,  Next: Misc Article,  Prev: Customizing Articles,  Up: The Article Buffer

4.4 Article Keymap
==================

Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
article buffer.  They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
buffer displayed while reading.  You can do it all from the article
buffer.

   A few additional keystrokes are available:

`SPACE'
     Scroll forwards one page (`gnus-article-next-page').

`DEL'
     Scroll backwards one page (`gnus-article-prev-page').

`C-c ^'
     If point is in the neighborhood of a `Message-ID' and you press
     `r', Gnus will try to get that article from the server
     (`gnus-article-refer-article').

`C-c C-m'
     Send a reply to the address near point (`gnus-article-mail').  If
     given a prefix, include the mail.

`s'
     Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
     (`gnus-article-show-summary').

`?'
     Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
     (`gnus-article-describe-briefly').

`TAB'
     Go to the next button, if any (`gnus-article-next-button'.  This
     only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.

`M-TAB'
     Go to the previous button, if any (`gnus-article-prev-button'.



File: gnus,  Node: Misc Article,  Prev: Article Keymap,  Up: The Article Buffer

4.5 Misc Article
================

`gnus-single-article-buffer'
     If non-`nil', use the same article buffer for all the groups.
     (This is the default.)  If `nil', each group will have its own
     article buffer.

`gnus-article-prepare-hook'
     This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into
     the article buffer.  It is mainly intended for functions that do
     something depending on the contents; it should probably not be
     used for changing the contents of the article buffer.

`gnus-article-display-hook'
     This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article,
     and is intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing
     highlights, hiding headers, and the like.

`gnus-article-mode-hook'
     Hook called in article mode buffers.

`gnus-article-mode-line-format'
     This variable is a format string along the same lines as
     `gnus-summary-mode-line-format'.  It accepts exactly the same
     format specifications as that variable.  

`gnus-break-pages'
     Controls whether "page breaking" is to take place.  If this
     variable is non-`nil', the articles will be divided into pages
     whenever a page delimiter appears in the article.  If this
     variable is `nil', paging will not be done.

`gnus-page-delimiter'
     This is the delimiter mentioned above.  By default, it is `^L'
     (form linefeed).


File: gnus,  Node: Composing Messages,  Next: Select Methods,  Prev: The Article Buffer,  Up: Top

5 Composing Messages
********************

All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
by pressing `C-c C-c'.  *Note Top: (message)Top.  If you are in a
foreign news group, and you wish to post the article using the foreign
server, you can give a prefix to `C-c C-c' to make Gnus try to post
using the foreign server.

* Menu:

* Mail::                 Mailing and replying.
* Post::                 Posting and following up.
* Posting Server::       What server should you post via?
* Mail and Post::        Mailing and posting at the same time.
* Archived Messages::    Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.

   Also see *note Canceling and Superseding:: for information on how to
remove articles you shouldn't have posted.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail,  Next: Post,  Up: Composing Messages

5.1 Mail
========

Variables for customizing outgoing mail:

`gnus-uu-digest-headers'
     List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages.
     The headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.



File: gnus,  Node: Post,  Next: Posting Server,  Prev: Mail,  Up: Composing Messages

5.2 Post
========

Variables for composing news articles:

`gnus-sent-message-ids-file'
     Gnus will keep a `Message-ID' history file of all the mails it has
     sent.  If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will
     ask the user whether to re-send the mail.  (This is primarily
     useful when dealing with SOUP packets and the like where one is
     apt to sent the same packet multiple times.)  This variable says
     what the name of this history file is.  It is
     `~/News/Sent-Message-IDs' by default.  Set this variable to `nil'
     if you don't want Gnus to keep a history file.

`gnus-sent-message-ids-length'
     This variable says how many `Message-ID's to keep in the history
     file.  It is 1000 by default.



File: gnus,  Node: Posting Server,  Next: Mail and Post,  Prev: Post,  Up: Composing Messages

5.3 Posting Server
==================

When you press those magical `C-c C-c' keys to ship off your latest
(extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?

   Thank you for asking.  I hate you.

   It can be quite complicated.  Normally, Gnus will use the same native
server.  However.  If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
(extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles.  You can
then set the `gnus-post-method' to some other method:

     (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))

   Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article,
or this server is down, what do you do then?  To override this variable
you can use a non-zero prefix to the `C-c C-c' command to force using
the "current" server for posting.

   If you give a zero prefix (i. e., `C-u 0 C-c C-c') to that command,
Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.

   You can also set `gnus-post-method' to a list of select methods.  If
that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use for
posting.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail and Post,  Next: Archived Messages,  Prev: Posting Server,  Up: Composing Messages

5.4 Mail and Post
=================

Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
posting:

`gnus-mailing-list-groups'
     If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
     that are gatewayed to the NNTP server, you can read those groups
     without problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some
     difficulty.  One solution is to add a `to-address' to the group
     parameters (*note Group Parameters::).  An easier thing to do is
     set the `gnus-mailing-list-groups' to a regexp that match the
     groups that really are mailing lists.  Then, at least, followups
     to the mailing lists will work most of the time.  Posting to these
     groups (`a') is still a pain, though.


   You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out.
Or, if you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
spell-checking via the `ispell' package:

     (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)


File: gnus,  Node: Archived Messages,  Prev: Mail and Post,  Up: Composing Messages

5.5 Archived Messages
=====================

Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
The default method is to use the "archive virtual server" to store the
mail.  If you want to disable this completely, you should set
`gnus-message-archive-group' to `nil'.

   `gnus-message-archive-method' says what virtual server Gnus is to
use to store sent messages.  It is `(nnfolder "archive"
(nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))' by default, but you can use any
mail select method (`nnml', `nnmbox', etc.).  However, `nnfolder' is a
quite likeable select method for doing this sort of thing.  If you
don't like the default directory chosen, you could say something like:

     (setq gnus-message-archive-method
           '(nnfolder "archive"
                      (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
                      (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
                      (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))

   Gnus will insert `Gcc' headers in all outgoing messages that point
to one or more group(s) on that server.  Which group to use is
determined by the `gnus-message-archive-group' variable.

   This variable can be:

   * a string Messages will be saved in that group.

   * a list of strings Messages will be saved in all those groups.

   * an alist of regexps, functions and forms When a key "matches", the
     result is used.

   Let's illustrate:

   Just saving to a single group called `MisK':
     (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")

   Saving to two groups, `MisK' and `safe':
     (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))

   Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
     (setq gnus-message-archive-group
           '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
             ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
             (".*" "sent-to-misc")))

   More complex stuff:
     (setq gnus-message-archive-group
           '((if (message-news-p)
                 "misc-news"
               "misc-mail")))

   This is the default.

   How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
messages in one file per month:

     (setq gnus-message-archive-group
           '((if (message-news-p)
                 "misc-news"
               (concat "mail." (format-time-string
                                "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))

   Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the
appropriate group.  (If you want to disable storing for just one
particular message, you can just remove the `Gcc' header that has been
inserted.)  The archive group will appear in the group buffer the next
time you start Gnus, or the next time you press `F' in the group
buffer.  You can enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd
read any other group.  If the group gets really big and annoying, you
can simply rename if (using `G r' in the group buffer) to something
nice - `misc-mail-september-1995', or whatever.  New messages will
continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.

   That's the default method of archiving sent mail.  Gnus also offers
two other variables for the people who don't like the default method.
In that case you should set `gnus-message-archive-group' to `nil'; this
will disable archiving.

   XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have `format-time-string', so you'll have to
use a different value for `gnus-message-archive-group' there.

`gnus-outgoing-message-group'
     All outgoing messages will be put in this group.  If you want to
     store all your outgoing mail and articles in the group
     `nnml:archive', you set this variable to that value.  This
     variable can also be a list of group names.

     If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
     message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
     current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or
     list of names).


File: gnus,  Node: Select Methods,  Next: Scoring,  Prev: Composing Messages,  Up: Top

6 Select Methods
****************

A "foreign group" is a group that is not read by the usual (or default)
means.  It could be, for instance, a group from a different NNTP
server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own personal
mail group.

   A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a "name" and
a "select method".  To take the latter first, a select method is a list
where the first element says what backend to use (eg. `nntp',
`nnspool', `nnml') and the second element is the "server name".  There
may be additional elements in the select method, where the value may
have special meaning for the backend in question.

   One could say that a select method defines a "virtual server"--so we
do just that (*note The Server Buffer::).

   The "name" of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
group as.

   For instance, the group `soc.motss' on the NNTP server
`some.where.edu' will have the name `soc.motss' and select method
`(nntp "some.where.edu")'.  Gnus will call this group, in all
circumstances, `nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss', even though the `nntp'
backend just knows this group as `soc.motss'.

   The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.

* Menu:

* The Server Buffer::     Making and editing virtual servers.
* Getting News::          Reading USENET news with Gnus.
* Getting Mail::          Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
* Other Sources::         Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
* Combined Groups::       Combining groups into one group.


File: gnus,  Node: The Server Buffer,  Next: Getting News,  Up: Select Methods

6.1 The Server Buffer
=====================

Traditionally, a "server" is a machine or a piece of software that one
connects to, and then requests information from.  Gnus does not connect
directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through one
backend or other.  But that's just putting one layer more between the
actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each backend
represents a virtual server.

   For instance, the `nntp' backend may be used to connect to several
different actual NNTP servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports on
the same actual NNTP server.  You tell Gnus which backend to use, and
what parameters to set by specifying a "select method".

   These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
complicated--say, for instance, that you want to read from the NNTP
server `news.funet.fi' on port number `13', which hangs if queried for
NOV headers and has a buggy select.  Ahem.  Anyways, if you had to
specify that for each group that used this server, that would be too
much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming select methods, which is what
you do in the server buffer.

   To enter the server buffer, user the `^'
(`gnus-group-enter-server-mode') command in the group buffer.

* Menu:

* Server Buffer Format::      You can customize the look of this buffer.
* Server Commands::           Commands to manipulate servers.
* Example Methods::           Examples server specifications.
* Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
* Servers and Methods::       You can use server names as select methods.
* Unavailable Servers::       Some servers you try to contact may be down.

   `gnus-server-mode-hook' is run when creating the server buffer.


File: gnus,  Node: Server Buffer Format,  Next: Server Commands,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.1 Server Buffer Format
--------------------------

You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
`gnus-server-line-format' variable.  This is a `format'-like variable,
with some simple extensions:

`h'
     How the news is fetched--the backend name.

`n'
     The name of this server.

`w'
     Where the news is to be fetched from--the address.

`s'
     The opened/closed/denied status of the server.

   The mode line can also be customized by using the
`gnus-server-mode-line-format' variable.  The following specs are
understood:

`S'
     Server name.

`M'
     Server method.

   Also *note Formatting Variables::.


File: gnus,  Node: Server Commands,  Next: Example Methods,  Prev: Server Buffer Format,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.2 Server Commands
---------------------

`a'
     Add a new server (`gnus-server-add-server').

`e'
     Edit a server (`gnus-server-edit-server').

`SPACE'
     Browse the current server (`gnus-server-read-server').

`q'
     Return to the group buffer (`gnus-server-exit').

`k'
     Kill the current server (`gnus-server-kill-server').

`y'
     Yank the previously killed server (`gnus-server-yank-server').

`c'
     Copy the current server (`gnus-server-copy-server').

`l'
     List all servers (`gnus-server-list-servers').



File: gnus,  Node: Example Methods,  Next: Creating a Virtual Server,  Prev: Server Commands,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.3 Example Methods
---------------------

Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:

     (nntp "news.funet.fi")

   Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:

     (nnspool "")

   As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of
the backend, and the second is the "address", or "name", if you will.

   After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
(VARIABLE FORM) pairs.

   To go back to the first example--imagine that you want to read from
port `15' from that machine.  This is what the select method should
look like then:

     (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))

   You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
variables are relevant, but here's an `nnmh' example.

   `nnmh' is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure.  Say you
have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private mail
spool, and the other is a public one.  Here's the possible spec for you
private mail:

     (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))

   (This server is then called `private', but you may have guessed
that.)

   Here's the method for a public spool:

     (nnmh "public"
           (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
           (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))


File: gnus,  Node: Creating a Virtual Server,  Next: Servers and Methods,  Prev: Example Methods,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.4 Creating a Virtual Server
-------------------------------

If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.

   First you need to add a new server.  The `a' command does that.  It
would probably be best to use `nnspool' to read the cache.  You could
also use `nnml' or `nnmh', though.

   Type `a nnspool RET cache RET'.

   You should now have a brand new `nnspool' virtual server called
`cache'.  You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.  Type
`e' to edit the server.  You'll be entered into a buffer that will
contain the following:

     (nnspool "cache")

   Change that to:

     (nnspool "cache"
     	 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
     	 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
     	 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))

   Type `C-c C-c' to return to the server buffer.  If you now press
`RET' over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.


File: gnus,  Node: Servers and Methods,  Next: Unavailable Servers,  Prev: Creating a Virtual Server,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.5 Servers and Methods
-------------------------

Wherever you would normally use a select method (eg.
`gnus-secondary-select-method', in the group select method, when
browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name instead.
This could potentially save lots of typing.  And it's nice all over.


File: gnus,  Node: Unavailable Servers,  Prev: Servers and Methods,  Up: The Server Buffer

6.1.6 Unavailable Servers
-------------------------

If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
`denied'.  That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact with
that server will just be ignored.  "It can't be opened," Gnus will tell
you, without making the least effort to see whether that is actually
the case or not.

   That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the
time.  Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
`nepholococcygia.com'.  This server is located somewhere quite far away
from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find out
that it refuses connection from you today.  If Gnus were to attempt to
do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
that.  Once it has gotten a single "connection refused", it will regard
that server as "down".

   So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?

   You jump to the server buffer (*note The Server Buffer::) and poke it
with the following commands:

`O'
     Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
     (`gnus-server-open-server').

`C'
     Close the connection (if any) to the server
     (`gnus-server-close-server').

`D'
     Mark the current server as unreachable (`gnus-server-deny-server').

`R'
     Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all
     servers (`gnus-server-remove-denials').



File: gnus,  Node: Getting News,  Next: Getting Mail,  Prev: The Server Buffer,  Up: Select Methods

6.2 Getting News
================

A newsreader is normally used for reading news.  Gnus currently provides
only two methods of getting news - it can read from an NNTP server, or
it can read from a local spool.

* Menu:

* NNTP::               Reading news from an NNTP server.
* News Spool::         Reading news from the local spool.


File: gnus,  Node: NNTP,  Next: News Spool,  Up: Getting News

6.2.1 NNTP
----------

Subscribing to a foreign group from an NNTP server is rather easy.  You
just specify `nntp' as method and the address of the NNTP server as
the, uhm, address.

   If the NNTP server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
to connect to the right port.  You'll have to edit the group info for
that (*note Foreign Groups::).

   The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group.  In
fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
you feel like.  There will be no name collisions.

   The following variables can be used to create a virtual `nntp'
server:

`nntp-server-opened-hook'
     `nntp-server-opened-hook' is run after a connection has been made.
     It can be used to send commands to the NNTP server after it has
     been contacted.  By default is sends the command `MODE READER' to
     the server with the `nntp-send-mode-reader' function.  Another
     popular function is `nntp-send-authinfo', which will prompt you for
     an NNTP password and stuff.

`nntp-server-action-alist'
     This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to
     be taken when matches are made.  For instance, if you want Gnus to
     beep every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:

          (setq nntp-server-action-alist
                '(("innd" (ding))))

     You probably don't want to do that, though.

     The default value is

            '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
               (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))

     This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the `MODE READER' command to
     nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been
     told.

`nntp-maximum-request'
     If the NNTP server doesn't support NOV headers, this backend will
     collect headers by sending a series of `head' commands.  To speed
     things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
     waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies.  This is
     controlled by the `nntp-maximum-request' variable, and is 400 by
     default.  If your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.

`nntp-connection-timeout'
     If you have lots of foreign `nntp' groups that you connect to
     regularly, you're sure to have problems with NNTP servers not
     responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
     time.  This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
     somewhat by setting `nntp-connection-timeout'.  This is an integer
     that says how many seconds the `nntp' backend should wait for a
     connection before giving up.  If it is `nil', which is the default,
     no timeouts are done.

`nntp-command-timeout'
     If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
     address, Gnus may become confused.  If the address of your machine
     changes after connecting to the NNTP server, Gnus will simply sit
     waiting forever for replies from the server.  To help with this
     unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number.  Gnus
     will then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds
     for a reply from the server, shut down the connection, start a new
     one, and resend the command.  This should hopefully be transparent
     to the user.  A likely number is 30 seconds.

`nntp-retry-on-break'
     If this variable is non-`nil', you can also `C-g' if Gnus hangs.
     This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
     described above.

`nntp-server-hook'
     This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an NNTP
     server.

`nntp-open-server-function'
     This function is used to connect to the remote system.  Two
     pre-made functions are `nntp-open-network-stream', which is the
     default, and simply connects to some port or other on the remote
     system.  The other is `nntp-open-rlogin', which does an rlogin on
     the remote system, and then does a telnet to the NNTP server
     available there.

`nntp-rlogin-parameters'
     If you use `nntp-open-rlogin' as the `nntp-open-server-function',
     this list will be used as the parameter list given to `rsh'.

`nntp-end-of-line'
     String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the NNTP
     server.  This is `\r\n' by default, but should be `\n' when using
     `rlogin' to talk to the server.

`nntp-rlogin-user-name'
     User name on the remote system when using the `rlogin' connect
     function.

`nntp-address'
     The address of the remote system running the NNTP server.

`nntp-port-number'
     Port number to connect to when using the `nntp-open-network-stream'
     connect function.

`nntp-buggy-select'
     Set this to non-`nil' if your select routine is buggy.

`nntp-nov-is-evil'
     If the NNTP server does not support NOV, you could set this
     variable to `t', but `nntp' usually checks whether NOV can be used
     automatically.

`nntp-xover-commands'
     List of strings that are used as commands to fetch NOV lines from a
     server.  The default value of this variable is `("XOVER"
     "XOVERVIEW")'.

`nntp-nov-gap'
     `nntp' normally sends just one big request for NOV lines to the
     server.  The server responds with one huge list of lines.  However,
     if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to
     read article 1 and 5001, that means that `nntp' will fetch 4999 NOV
     lines that you do not want, and will not use.  This variable says
     how big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be
     before the `XOVER' request is split into several request.  Note
     that if your network is fast, setting this variable to a really
     small number means that fetching will probably be slower.  If this
     variable is `nil', `nntp' will never split requests.

`nntp-prepare-server-hook'
     A hook run before attempting to connect to an NNTP server.

`nntp-async-number'
     How many articles should be pre-fetched when in asynchronous mode.
     If this variable is `t', `nntp' will pre-fetch all the articles
     that it can without bound.  If it is `nil', no pre-fetching will be
     made.

`nntp-warn-about-losing-connection'
     If this variable is non-`nil', some noise will be made when a
     server closes connection.



File: gnus,  Node: News Spool,  Prev: NNTP,  Up: Getting News

6.2.2 News Spool
----------------

Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups like
`alt.binaries.pictures.furniture'.

   Anyways, you just specify `nnspool' as the method and `' (or
anything else) as the address.

   If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as
the native select method (*note Finding the News::).  It is normally
faster than using an `nntp' select method, but might not be.  It
depends.  You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.

`nnspool-inews-program'
     Program used to post an article.

`nnspool-inews-switches'
     Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.

`nnspool-spool-directory'
     Where `nnspool' looks for the articles.  This is normally
     `/usr/spool/news/'.

`nnspool-nov-directory'
     Where `nnspool' will look for NOV files.  This is normally
     `/usr/spool/news/over.view/'.

`nnspool-lib-dir'
     Where the news lib dir is (`/usr/lib/news/' by default).

`nnspool-active-file'
     The path of the active file.

`nnspool-newsgroups-file'
     The path of the group descriptions file.

`nnspool-history-file'
     The path of the news history file.

`nnspool-active-times-file'
     The path of the active date file.

`nnspool-nov-is-evil'
     If non-`nil', `nnspool' won't try to use any NOV files that it
     finds.

`nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed'
     If non-`nil', which is the default, use `sed' to get the relevant
     portion from the overview file.  If nil, `nnspool' will load the
     entire file into a buffer and process it there.



File: gnus,  Node: Getting Mail,  Next: Other Sources,  Prev: Getting News,  Up: Select Methods

6.3 Getting Mail
================

Reading mail with a newsreader--isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
course.

* Menu:

* Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
* Splitting Mail::               How to create mail groups.
* Mail Backend Variables::       Variables for customizing mail handling.
* Fancy Mail Splitting::         Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
* Mail and Procmail::            Reading mail groups that procmail create.
* Incorporating Old Mail::       What about the old mail you have?
* Expiring Mail::                Getting rid of unwanted mail.
* Duplicates::                   Dealing with duplicated mail.
* Not Reading Mail::             Using mail backends for reading other files.
* Choosing a Mail Backend::      Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.


File: gnus,  Node: Getting Started Reading Mail,  Next: Splitting Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.1 Getting Started Reading Mail
----------------------------------

It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail.  You just plonk the
mail backend of your choice into `gnus-secondary-select-methods', and
things will happen automatically.

   For instance, if you want to use `nnml' (which is a one file per
mail backend), you could put the following in your `.gnus' file:

     (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
           '((nnml "private")))

   Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for
new articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to
its directory, which is `~/Mail/' by default.  The new group that will
be created (`mail.misc') will be subscribed, and you can read it like
any other group.

   You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:

     (setq nnmail-split-methods
       '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
         ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
         ("other" "")))

   This will result in three new mail groups being created:
`nnml:junk', `nnml:crazy', and `nnml:other'.  All the mail that doesn't
fit into the first two groups will be placed in the latter group.

   This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus.  You might
want to give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal,
though, especially *note Choosing a Mail Backend:: and *note Expiring
Mail::.


File: gnus,  Node: Splitting Mail,  Next: Mail Backend Variables,  Prev: Getting Started Reading Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.2 Splitting Mail
--------------------

The `nnmail-split-methods' variable says how the incoming mail is to be
split into groups.

     (setq nnmail-split-methods
       '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
         ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
         ("mail.other" "")))

   This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
something beginning with `mail', by the way), and the second element is
a regular expression used on the header of each mail to determine if it
belongs in this mail group.

   The second element can also be a function.  In that case, it will be
called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
argument.  It should return a non-`nil' value if it thinks that the
mail belongs in that group.

   The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the
regular expression should _always_ be `' so that it matches any mails
that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.

   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
arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
message.  The function should return a list of groups names that it
thinks should carry this mail message.

   Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
incoming headers all they want to.  They all add `Lines' headers; some
add `X-Gnus-Group' headers; most rename the Unix mbox `From<SPACE>'
line to something else.

   The mail backends all support cross-posting.  If several regexps
match, the mail will be "cross-posted" to all those groups.
`nnmail-crosspost' says whether to use this mechanism or not.  Note
that no articles are crossposted to the general (`') group.

   `nnmh' and `nnml' makes crossposts by creating hard links to the
crossposted articles.  However, not all files systems support hard
links.  If that's the case for you, set
`nnmail-crosspost-link-function' to `copy-file'.  (This variable is
`add-name-to-file' by default.)

   Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for
shooting yourself in the foot.  Let's say you create a group that will
contain all the mail you get from your boss.  And then you accidentally
unsubscribe from the group.  Gnus will still put all the mail from your
boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you "Have
that report ready by Monday or you're fired!", you'll never see it and,
come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
month's rent money.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail Backend Variables,  Next: Fancy Mail Splitting,  Prev: Splitting Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.3 Mail Backend Variables
----------------------------

These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
mail backends.

`nnmail-read-incoming-hook'
     The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail.  You
     can use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want
     to.

`nnmail-spool-file'
     The backends will look for new mail in this file.  If this
     variable is `nil', the mail backends will never attempt to fetch
     mail by themselves.  If you are using a POP mail server and your
     name is `larsi', you should set this variable to `po:larsi'.  If
     your name is not `larsi', you should probably modify that
     slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart &
     handsome devil!  You can also set this variable to `pop', and Gnus
     will try to figure out the POP mail string by itself.  In any
     case, Gnus will call `movemail' which will contact the POP server
     named in the `MAILHOST' environment variable.  If the POP server
     needs a password, you can either set
     `nnmail-pop-password-required' to `t' and be prompted for the
     password, or set `nnmail-pop-password' to the password itself.

     When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from
     your inbox and plonk it down in your home directory.  Gnus doesn't
     move any mail if you're not using a mail backend--you have to do a
     lot of magic invocations first.  At the time when you have
     finished drawing the pentagram, lightened the candles, and
     sacrificed the goat, you really shouldn't be too surprised when
     Gnus moves your mail.

`nnmail-use-procmail'
     If non-`nil', the mail backends will look in
     `nnmail-procmail-directory' for incoming mail.  All the files in
     that directory that have names ending in `nnmail-procmail-suffix'
     will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
     mail.

`nnmail-crash-box'
     When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
     file, which is `~/.gnus-crash-box' by default.  If this file
     already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before
     any other spool files.

`nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook'
     This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and
     can be used for, well, anything, really.

`nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook'
`nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook'
     These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
     mail--`nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook' (is called just before
     starting to handle the new mail) and
     `nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook' (is called when the mail handling
     is done).  Here's and example of using these two hooks to change
     the default file modes the new mail files get:

          (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
                    (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))

          (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
                    (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))

`nnmail-tmp-directory'
     This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while
     processing it.  This is usually done in the same directory that
     the mail backend inhabits (i.e., `~/Mail/'), but if this variable
     is non-`nil', it will be used instead.

`nnmail-movemail-program'
     This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her
     home directory.  The default is `movemail'.

`nnmail-delete-incoming'
     If non-`nil', the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
     file after splitting mail into the proper groups.  This is `nil' by
     default for reasons of security.

`nnmail-use-long-file-names'
     If non-`nil', the mail backends will use long file and directory
     names.  Groups like `mail.misc' will end up in directories like
     `mail.misc/'.  If it is `nil', the same group will end up in
     `mail/misc/'.

`nnmail-delete-file-function'
     Function called to delete files.  It is `delete-file' by default.



File: gnus,  Node: Fancy Mail Splitting,  Next: Mail and Procmail,  Prev: Mail Backend Variables,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.4 Fancy Mail Splitting
--------------------------

If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
`nnmail-split-methods' to `nnmail-split-fancy'.  Then you can play with
the `nnmail-split-fancy' variable.

   Let's look at an example value of this variable first:

     ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
     ;; the ordinary groups.  Warnings are put in a separate group
     ;; from real errors.
     (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
                        "mail.misc"))
        ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
        ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
        ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
        (& (| (any "ding@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
              ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
           ;; Other mailing lists...
           (any "procmail@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
           (any "SmartList@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
           ;; People...
           (any "larsi@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
        ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
        "misc.misc"))")

   This variable has the format of a "split".  A split is a (possibly)
recursive structure where each split may contain other splits.  Here are
the four possible split syntaxes:

"GROUP"
     If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.

"(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)"
     If the split is a list, and the first element is a string, then
     that means that if header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a
     regexp), then store the message as specified by SPLIT.

"(| SPLIT...)"
     If the split is a list, and the first element is `|' (vertical
     bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them matches.  A SPLIT
     is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be stored in
     one or more groups.

"(& SPLIT...)"
     If the split is a list, and the first element is `&', then process
     all SPLITs in the list.

   In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name.  VALUE must
match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
You can use `.*' in the regexps to match partial field names or words.

   FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are
expanded as specified by the variable `nnmail-split-abbrev-alist'.
This is an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the
key, and the cdr contains a string.

   `nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table' is the syntax table in effect when
all this splitting is performed.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail and Procmail,  Next: Incorporating Old Mail,  Prev: Fancy Mail Splitting,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.5 Mail and Procmail
-----------------------

Many people use `procmail' (or some other mail filter program or
external delivery agent--`slocal', `elm', etc) to split incoming mail
into groups.  If you do that, you should set `nnmail-spool-file' to
`procmail' to ensure that the mail backends never ever try to fetch
mail by themselves.

   This also means that you probably don't want to set
`nnmail-split-methods' either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected side
effects.

   When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
out that it carries by other means.  None of the backends (except
`nnmh') actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
exist.  (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)

   This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
exist by hand.

   Let's take the `nnmh' backend as an example.

   The folders are located in `nnmh-directory', say, `~/Mail/'.  There
are three folders, `foo', `bar' and `mail.baz'.

   Go to the group buffer and type `G m'.  When prompted, answer `foo'
for the name and `nnmh' for the method.  Repeat twice for the two other
groups, `bar' and `mail.baz'.  Be sure to include all your mail groups.

   That's it.  You are now set to read your mail.  An active file for
this method will be created automatically.

   If you use `nnfolder' or any other backend that store more than a
single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
the file that Gnus sees.  Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
in `nnmail-procmail-directory'.  To arrive at the file name to put the
incoming mail in, append `nnmail-procmail-suffix' to the group name.
The mail backends will read the mail from these files.

   When Gnus reads a file called `mail.misc.spool', this mail will be
put in the `mail.misc', as one would expect.  However, if you want Gnus
to split the mail the normal way, you could set
`nnmail-resplit-incoming' to `t'.

   If you use `procmail' to split things directory into an `nnmh'
directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
`nnmail-keep-last-article' to non-`nil' to prevent Gnus from ever
expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup.  This is quite, quite
important.


File: gnus,  Node: Incorporating Old Mail,  Next: Expiring Mail,  Prev: Mail and Procmail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.6 Incorporating Old Mail
----------------------------

Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats.  If
you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
your mail groups.

   Doing so can be quite easy.

   To take an example: You're reading mail using `nnml' (*note Mail
Spool::), and have set `nnmail-split-methods' to a satisfactory value
(*note Splitting Mail::).  You have an old Unix mbox file filled with
important, but old, mail.  You want to move it into your `nnml' groups.

   Here's how:

  1. Go to the group buffer.

  2. Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to
     create an `nndoc' group from the mbox file (*note Foreign
     Groups::).

  3. Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.

  4. Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (*note
     Setting Process Marks::).

  5. Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
     `nnml' when prompted (*note Mail Group Commands::).

   All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out
over all your `nnml' groups.  Try entering them and check whether things
have gone without a glitch.  If things look ok, you may consider
deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.

   Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one
mail backend to another.  Just respool all the mail in the old mail
groups using the new mail backend.


File: gnus,  Node: Expiring Mail,  Next: Duplicates,  Prev: Incorporating Old Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.7 Expiring Mail
-------------------

Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
you mark them as read, in some way.  Gnus takes a fundamentally
different approach to mail reading.

   Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received
in a rather peculiar manner.  It does not think that it has the power to
actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages.  If you enter a
mail group, and mark articles as "read", or kill them in some other
fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system.  I repeat:
Gnus will not delete your old, read mail.  Unless you ask it to, of
course.

   To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
articles as "expirable".  This does not mean that the articles will
disappear right away, however.  In general, a mail article will be
deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
more than one week old.  If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
will remain on your system until hell freezes over.  This bears
repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.

   You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand.  Groups that
match the regular expression `gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups' will have
all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically.  All
articles that are marked as expirable have an `E' in the first column
in the summary buffer.

   Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want
the articles you have read to disappear after a while:

     (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
           "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")

   Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
`auto-expire' in the group parameters of the group.

   The `nnmail-expiry-wait' variable supplies the default time an
expirable article has to live.  The default is seven days.

   Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long
articles are to live, based on what group they are in.  Let's say you
want to have one month expiry period in the `mail.private' group, a one
day expiry period in the `mail.junk' group, and a six day expiry period
everywhere else:

     (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
           (lambda (group)
            (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
                    31)
                  ((string= group "mail.junk")
                    1)
                  ((string= group "important")
                    'never)
                  (t
                    6))))

   The group names that this function is fed are "unadorned" group
names--no `nnml:' prefixes and the like.

   The `nnmail-expiry-wait' variable and `nnmail-expiry-wait-function'
function can be either a number (not necessarily an integer) or the
symbols `immediate' or `never'.

   You can also use the `expiry-wait' group parameter to selectively
change the expiry period (*note Group Parameters::).

   If `nnmail-keep-last-article' is non-`nil', Gnus will never expire
the final article in a mail newsgroup.  This is to make life easier for
procmail users.

   By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring
non-expirable articles is a lie.  If you put `total-expire' in the group
parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
articles will be put through the expiry process.  Use with extreme
caution.  Even more dangerous is the `gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups'
variable.  All groups that match this regexp will have all read
articles put through the expiry process, which means that _all_ old
mail articles in the groups in question will be deleted after a while.
Use with extreme caution, and don't come crying to me when you discover
that the regexp you used matched the wrong group and all your important
mail has disappeared.  Be a _man_!  Or a _woman_!  Whatever you feel
more comfortable with!  So there!


File: gnus,  Node: Duplicates,  Next: Not Reading Mail,  Prev: Expiring Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.8 Duplicates
----------------

If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
receive two copies of the same mail.  This can be quite annoying, so
`nnmail' checks for and treats any duplicates it might find.  To do
this, it keeps a cache of old `Message-ID's -
`nnmail-message-id-cache-file', which is `~/.nnmail-cache' by default.
The approximate maximum number of `Message-ID's stored there is
controlled by the `nnmail-message-id-cache-length' variable, which is
1000 by default. (So 1000 `Message-ID's will be stored.) If all this
sounds scary to you, you can set `nnmail-treat-duplicates' to `warn'
(which is what it is by default), and `nnmail' won't delete duplicate
mails.  Instead it will generate a brand new `Message-ID' for the mail
and insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
that this is a duplicate of a different message.

   This variable can also be a function.  If that's the case, the
function will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in
question with the `Message-ID' as a parameter.  The function must
return either `nil', `warn', or `delete'.

   You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
`nil'.

   If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
"duplicates" group, you could do that using the normal mail split
methods:

     (setq nnmail-split-fancy
           '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
               ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
               ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
               (any mail "mail.misc")
               ;; Other rules.
               [ ... ] ))

   Or something like:
     (setq nnmail-split-methods
           '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
             ;; Other rules.
             [...]))

   Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
with Gnus, and that she has `nnmail-treat-duplicates' set to `delete',
you can send her as many insults as you like, just by using a
`Message-ID' of a mail that you know that she's already received.
Think of all the fun!  She'll never see any of it!  Whee!


File: gnus,  Node: Not Reading Mail,  Next: Choosing a Mail Backend,  Prev: Duplicates,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.9 Not Reading Mail
----------------------

If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them.  This might not
be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.

   If you set `nnmail-spool-file' to `nil', none of the backends will
ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.

   This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
happily with `nnml' and just want to peek at some old RMAIL file you
have stashed away with `nnbabyl'.  All backends have variables called
backend-`get-new-mail'.  If you want to disable the `nnbabyl' mail
reading, you edit the virtual server for the group to have a setting
where `nnbabyl-get-new-mail' to `nil'.

   All the mail backends will call `nn'*`-prepare-save-mail-hook'
narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
incoming mail.


File: gnus,  Node: Choosing a Mail Backend,  Prev: Not Reading Mail,  Up: Getting Mail

6.3.10 Choosing a Mail Backend
------------------------------

Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group.  The mail
file is first copied to your home directory.  What happens after that
depends on what format you want to store your mail in.

* 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 backend.
* Mail Folders::                Having one file for each group.


File: gnus,  Node: Unix Mail Box,  Next: Rmail Babyl,  Up: Choosing a Mail Backend

6.3.10.1 Unix Mail Box
......................

The "nnmbox" backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
mail.  `nnmbox' will add extra headers to each mail article to say
which group it belongs in.

   Virtual server settings:

`nnmbox-mbox-file'
     The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.

`nnmbox-active-file'
     The name of the active file for the mail box.

`nnmbox-get-new-mail'
     If non-`nil', `nnmbox' will read incoming mail and split it into
     groups.


File: gnus,  Node: Rmail Babyl,  Next: Mail Spool,  Prev: Unix Mail Box,  Up: Choosing a Mail Backend

6.3.10.2 Rmail Babyl
....................

The "nnbabyl" backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. "rmail mbox") to
store mail. `nnbabyl' will add extra headers to each mail article to
say which group it belongs in.

   Virtual server settings:

`nnbabyl-mbox-file'
     The name of the rmail mbox file.

`nnbabyl-active-file'
     The name of the active file for the rmail box.

`nnbabyl-get-new-mail'
     If non-`nil', `nnbabyl' will read incoming mail.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail Spool,  Next: MH Spool,  Prev: Rmail Babyl,  Up: Choosing a Mail Backend

6.3.10.3 Mail Spool
...................

The "nnml" spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
format.  It should be used with some caution.

   If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into
files; one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
directories under the directory specified by the `nnml-directory'
variable.  The default value is `~/Mail/'.

   You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
care of all that.

   If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to
store in your account, you should not use this backend.  As each mail
gets its own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes
within a few weeks.  If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a
problem for you having your friendly systems administrator walking
around, madly, shouting "Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!",
then you should know that this is probably the fastest format to use.
You do not have to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new
mail.

   `nnml' is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
splitting.  It has to create lots of files, and it also generates NOV
databases for the incoming mails.  This makes is the fastest backend
when it comes to reading mail.

   Virtual server settings:

`nnml-directory'
     All `nnml' directories will be placed under this directory.

`nnml-active-file'
     The active file for the `nnml' server.

`nnml-newsgroups-file'
     The `nnml' group descriptions file.  *Note Newsgroups File
     Format::.

`nnml-get-new-mail'
     If non-`nil', `nnml' will read incoming mail.

`nnml-nov-is-evil'
     If non-`nil', this backend will ignore any NOV files.

`nnml-nov-file-name'
     The name of the NOV files.  The default is `.overview'.

`nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook'
     Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.


   If your `nnml' groups and NOV files get totally out of whack, you
can do a complete update by typing `M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases'.
This command will trawl through the entire `nnml' hierarchy, looking at
each and every article, so it might take a while to complete.


File: gnus,  Node: MH Spool,  Next: Mail Folders,  Prev: Mail Spool,  Up: Choosing a Mail Backend

6.3.10.4 MH Spool
.................

`nnmh' is just like `nnml', except that is doesn't generate NOV
databases and it doesn't keep an active file.  This makes `nnmh' a
_much_ slower backend than `nnml', but it also makes it easier to write
procmail scripts for.

   Virtual server settings:

`nnmh-directory'
     All `nnmh' directories will be located under this directory.

`nnmh-get-new-mail'
     If non-`nil', `nnmh' will read incoming mail.

`nnmh-be-safe'
     If non-`nil', `nnmh' will go to ridiculous lengths to make sure
     that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
     are.  It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
     setting this to `t' will mean a serious slow-down.  If you never
     use anything but Gnus to read the `nnmh' articles, you do not have
     to set this variable to `t'.


File: gnus,  Node: Mail Folders,  Prev: MH Spool,  Up: Choosing a Mail Backend

6.3.10.5 Mail Folders
.....................

`nnfolder' is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate file.
Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.  `nnfolder' will add
extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival dates.

   Virtual server settings:

`nnfolder-directory'
     All the `nnfolder' mail boxes will be stored under this directory.

`nnfolder-active-file'
     The name of the active file.

`nnfolder-newsgroups-file'
     The name of the group descriptions file.  *Note Newsgroups File
     Format::.

`nnfolder-get-new-mail'
     If non-`nil', `nnfolder' will read incoming mail.

   If you have lots of `nnfolder'-like files you'd like to read with
`nnfolder', you can use the `M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file' command
to make `nnfolder' aware of all likely files in `nnfolder-directory'.


File: gnus,  Node: Other Sources,  Next: Combined Groups,  Prev: Getting Mail,  Up: Select Methods

6.4 Other Sources
=================

Gnus can do more than just read news or mail.  The methods described
below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
newsgroups.

* Menu:

* Directory Groups::   You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
* Anything Groups::    Dired?  Who needs dired?
* Document Groups::    Single files can be the basis of a group.
* SOUP::               Reading SOUP packets ``offline''.


File: gnus,  Node: Directory Groups,  Next: Anything Groups,  Up: Other Sources

6.4.1 Directory Groups
----------------------

If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
it, you might treat it as a newsgroup.  The files have to have numerical
names, of course.

   This might be an opportune moment to mention `ange-ftp', that most
wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages.  When I wrote `nndir', I
didn't think much about it--a backend to read directories.  Big deal.

   `ange-ftp' changes that picture dramatically.  For instance, if you
enter `"/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/"' as the the directory
name, ange-ftp will actually allow you to read this directory over at
`sina' as a newsgroup.  Distributed news ahoy!

   `nndir' will use NOV files if they are present.

   `nndir' is a "read-only" backend--you can't delete or expire
articles with this method.  You can use `nnmh' or `nnml' for whatever
you use `nndir' for, so you could switch to any of those methods if you
feel the need to have a non-read-only `nndir'.


File: gnus,  Node: Anything Groups,  Next: Document Groups,  Prev: Directory Groups,  Up: Other Sources

6.4.2 Anything Groups
---------------------

From the `nndir' backend (which reads a single spool-like directory),
it's just a hop and a skip to `nneething', which pretends that any
arbitrary directory is a newsgroup.  Strange, but true.

   When `nneething' is presented with a directory, it will scan this
directory and assign article numbers to each file.  When you enter such
a group, `nneething' must create "headers" that Gnus can use.  After
all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting. `nneething' does
this in a two-step process.  First, it snoops each file in question.
If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first few lines look like
headers), it will use this as the head.  If this is just some arbitrary
file without a head (eg. a C source file), `nneething' will cobble up a
header out of thin air.  It will use file ownership, name and date and
do whatever it can with these elements.

   All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be
presented with something that looks very much like a newsgroup.
Totally like a newsgroup, to be precise.  If you select an article, it
will be displayed in the article buffer, just as usual.

   If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you
into a new summary buffer for this `nneething' group.  And so on.  You
can traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember
that Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.

   There are two overall modes to this action--ephemeral or solid.  When
doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., `G D' from the group buffer), Gnus
will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
are new, and so on.  If you create a solid `nneething' group the normal
way with `G m', Gnus will store a mapping table between article numbers
and file names, and you can treat this group like any other groups.
When you activate a solid `nneething' group, you will be told how many
unread articles it contains, etc., etc.

   Some variables:

`nneething-map-file-directory'
     All the mapping files for solid `nneething' groups will be stored
     in this directory, which defaults to `~/.nneething/'.

`nneething-exclude-files'
     All files that match this regexp will be ignored.  Nice to use to
     exclude auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by
     default.

`nneething-map-file'
     Name of the map files.


File: gnus,  Node: Document Groups,  Next: SOUP,  Prev: Anything Groups,  Up: Other Sources

6.4.3 Document Groups
---------------------

`nndoc' is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file as
a newsgroup.  Several files types are supported:

`babyl'
     The babyl (rmail) mail box.  

`mbox'
     The standard Unix mbox file.

`mmdf'
     The MMDF mail box format.

`news'
     Several news articles appended into a file.

`rnews'
     The rnews batch transport format.  

`forward'
     Forwarded articles.

`mime-digest'
     MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.

`standard-digest'
     The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.

`slack-digest'
     Non-standard digest format--matches most things, but does it badly.

   You can also use the special "file type" `guess', which means that
`nndoc' will try to guess what file type it is looking at.  `digest'
means that `nndoc' should guess what digest type the file is.

   `nndoc' will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers
into it--it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
group.  And that's it.

   If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into
your new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, `nndoc' can probably help you with
that.  Say you have an old `RMAIL' file with mail that you now want to
split into your new `nnml' groups.  You look at that file using
`nndoc', set the process mark on all the articles in the buffer (`M P
b', for instance), and then re-spool (`B r') using `nnml'.  If all goes
well, all the mail in the `RMAIL' file is now also stored in lots of
`nnml' directories, and you can delete that pesky `RMAIL' file.  If you
have the guts!

   Virtual server variables:

`nndoc-article-type'
     This should be one of `mbox', `babyl', `digest', `mmdf',
     `forward', `news', `rnews', `mime-digest', `clari-briefs', or
     `guess'.

`nndoc-post-type'
     This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news
     group or a mail group.  There are two legal values:  `mail' (the
     default) and `news'.


File: gnus,  Node: SOUP,  Prev: Document Groups,  Up: Other Sources

6.4.4 SOUP
----------

In the PC world people often talk about "offline" newsreaders.  These
are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
With built-in modem programs.  Yecchh!

   Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
`uucp' and, like, `nntpd' and set up proper news and mail transport
things like Ghod intended.  And then we just use normal newsreaders.

   However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a
bit easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not
really that interested in doing things properly.

   A file format called SOUP has been developed for transporting news
and mail from servers to home machines and back again.  It can be a bit
fiddly.

  1. You log in on the server and create a SOUP packet.  You can either
     use a dedicated SOUP thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
     packet with the `O s' command.

  2. You transfer the packet home.  Rail, boat, car or modem will do
     fine.

  3. You put the packet in your home directory.

  4. You fire up Gnus using the `nnsoup' backend as the native server.

  5. You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things
     you want.

  6. You do the `G s r' command to pack these replies into a SOUP
     packet.

  7. You transfer this packet to the server.

  8. You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the `G s s' command.

  9. You then repeat until you die.


   So you basically have a bipartite system--you use `nnsoup' for
reading and Gnus for packing/sending these SOUP packets.

* Menu:

* SOUP Commands::     Commands for creating and sending SOUP packets
* SOUP Groups::       A backend for reading SOUP packets.
* SOUP Replies::      How to enable `nnsoup' to take over mail and news.


File: gnus,  Node: SOUP Commands,  Next: SOUP Groups,  Up: SOUP

6.4.4.1 SOUP Commands
.....................

`G s b'
     Pack all unread articles in the current group
     (`gnus-group-brew-soup').  This command understands the
     process/prefix convention.

`G s w'
     Save all data files (`gnus-soup-save-areas').

`G s s'
     Send all replies from the replies packet
     (`gnus-soup-send-replies').

`G s p'
     Pack all files into a SOUP packet (`gnus-soup-pack-packet').

`G s r'
     Pack all replies into a replies packet (`nnsoup-pack-replies').

`O s'
     This summary-mode command adds the current article to a SOUP packet
     (`gnus-soup-add-article').  It understands the process/prefix
     convention.


   There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
thingies:

`gnus-soup-directory'
     Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
     SOUP packets.  The default is `~/SoupBrew/'.

`gnus-soup-replies-directory'
     This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending
     our reply packets.  The default is `~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/'.

`gnus-soup-prefix-file'
     Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix.  The
     default is `gnus-prefix'.

`gnus-soup-packer'
     A format string command for packing a SOUP packet.  The default is
     `tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz'.

`gnus-soup-unpacker'
     Format string command for unpacking a SOUP packet.  The default is
     `gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -'.

`gnus-soup-packet-directory'
     Where Gnus will look for reply packets.  The default is `~/'.

`gnus-soup-packet-regexp'
     Regular expression matching SOUP reply packets in
     `gnus-soup-packet-directory'.



File: gnus,  Node: SOUP Groups,  Next: SOUP Replies,  Prev: SOUP Commands,  Up: SOUP

6.4.4.2 SOUP Groups
...................

`nnsoup' is the backend for reading SOUP packets.  It will read
incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where you
can read them at leisure.

   These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:

`nnsoup-tmp-directory'
     When `nnsoup' unpacks a SOUP packet, it does it in this directory.
     (`/tmp/' by default.)

`nnsoup-directory'
     `nnsoup' then moves each message and index file to this directory.
     The default is `~/SOUP/'.

`nnsoup-replies-directory'
     All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into
     a reply packet.  The default is `~/SOUP/replies/"'.

`nnsoup-replies-format-type'
     The SOUP format of the replies packets.  The default is `?n'
     (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable.  I
     probably shouldn't even have documented it.  Drats!  Too late!

`nnsoup-replies-index-type'
     The index type of the replies packet.  The is `?n', which means
     "none".  Don't fiddle with this one either!

`nnsoup-active-file'
     Where `nnsoup' stores lots of information.  This is not an "active
     file" in the `nntp' sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file.  If you lose
     this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead.  The default is
     `~/SOUP/active'.

`nnsoup-packer'
     Format string command for packing a reply SOUP packet.  The default
     is `tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz'.

`nnsoup-unpacker'
     Format string command for unpacking incoming SOUP packets.  The
     default is `gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -'.

`nnsoup-packet-directory'
     Where `nnsoup' will look for incoming packets.  The default is
     `~/'.

`nnsoup-packet-regexp'
     Regular expression matching incoming SOUP packets.  The default is
     `Soupout'.



File: gnus,  Node: SOUP Replies,  Prev: SOUP Groups,  Up: SOUP

6.4.4.3 SOUP Replies
....................

Just using `nnsoup' won't mean that your postings and mailings end up
in SOUP reply packets automagically.  You have to work a bit more for
that to happen.

   The `nnsoup-set-variables' command will set the appropriate
variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
SOUP system.

   In specific, this is what it does:

     (setq gnus-inews-article-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
     (setq send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)

   And that's it, really.  If you only want news to go into the SOUP
system you just use the first line.  If you only want mail to be SOUPed
you use the second.


File: gnus,  Node: Combined Groups,  Prev: Other Sources,  Up: Select Methods

6.5 Combined Groups
===================

Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
groups.

* Menu:

* Virtual Groups::     Combining articles from many groups.
* Kibozed Groups::     Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.


File: gnus,  Node: Virtual Groups,  Next: Kibozed Groups,  Up: Combined Groups

6.5.1 Virtual Groups
--------------------

An "nnvirtual group" is really nothing more than a collection of other
groups.

   For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one big,
unwieldy group.  The joys of computing!

   You specify `nnvirtual' as the method.  The address should be a
regexp to match component groups.

   All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
component groups.  So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
(And vice versa--marks from the component groups will also be shown in
the virtual group.)

   Here's an example `nnvirtual' method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:

     (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")

   The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.

   Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a
good idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit
distribution.  If you would like to read `soc.motss' both from a server
in Japan and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the
group regexp:

     "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"

   This should work kinda smoothly--all articles from both groups should
end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates.  Threading (and
the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
sequence of articles.  Sorting on date might be an option here (*note
Selecting a Group::.

   One limitation, however--all groups that are included in a virtual
group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed).  Killed or
zombie groups can't be component groups for `nnvirtual' groups.

   If the `nnvirtual-always-rescan' is non-`nil', `nnvirtual' will
always scan groups for unread articles when entering a virtual group.
If this variable is `nil' (which is the default) and you read articles
in a component group after the virtual group has been activated, the
read articles from the component group will show up when you enter the
virtual group.  You'll also see this effect if you have two virtual
groups that contain the same component group.  If that's the case, you
should set this variable to `t'.  Or you can just tap `M-g' on the
virtual group every time before you enter it--it'll have much the same
effect.


File: gnus,  Node: Kibozed Groups,  Prev: Virtual Groups,  Up: Combined Groups

6.5.2 Kibozed Groups
--------------------

"Kibozing" is defined by OED as "grepping through (parts of) the news
feed".  `nnkiboze' is a backend that will do this for you.  Oh joy!
Now you can grind any NNTP server down to a halt with useless requests!
Oh happiness!

   To create a kibozed group, use the `G k' command in the group buffer.

   The address field of the `nnkiboze' method is, as with `nnvirtual',
a regexp to match groups to be "included" in the `nnkiboze' group.
There most similarities between `nnkiboze' and `nnvirtual' ends.

   In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an `nnkiboze'
group must have a score file to say what articles that are to be
included in the group (*note Scoring::).

   You must run `M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups' after creating the
`nnkiboze' groups you want to have.  This command will take time.  Lots
of time.  Oodles and oodles of time.  Gnus has to fetch the headers from
all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
that are to be part of the `nnkiboze' groups.

   Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
regexps.  Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
NNTP site may throw you off and never let you back in again.  Stranger
things have happened.

   `nnkiboze' component groups do not have to be alive--they can be
dead, and they can be foreign.  No restrictions.

   The generation of an `nnkiboze' group means writing two files in
`nnkiboze-directory', which is `~/News/' by default.  One contains the
NOV header lines for all the articles in the group, and the other is an
additional `.newsrc' file to store information on what groups that have
been searched through to find component articles.

   Articles that are marked as read in the `nnkiboze' group will have
their NOV lines removed from the NOV file.


File: gnus,  Node: Scoring,  Next: Various,  Prev: Select Methods,  Up: Top

7 Scoring
*********

Other people use "kill files", but we here at Gnus Towers like scoring
better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight.  They do
something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
attention!

   All articles have a default score (`gnus-summary-default-score'),
which is 0 by default.  This score may be raised or lowered either
interactively or by score files.  Articles that have a score lower than
`gnus-summary-mark-below' are marked as read.

   Gnus will read any "score files" that apply to the current group
before generating the summary buffer.

   There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
entries based on the current article.  You can, for instance, ask Gnus
to lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.

   There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries.  Any entries that are
temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.

* Menu:

* Summary Score Commands::   Adding score entries for the current group.
* Group Score Commands::     General score commands.
* Score Variables::          Customize your scoring.  (My, what terminology).
* Score File Format::        What a score file may contain.
* Score File Editing::       You can edit score files by hand as well.
* Adaptive Scoring::         Big Sister Gnus *knows* what you read.
* Followups To Yourself::    Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
* Scoring Tips::             How to score effectively.
* Reverse Scoring::          That problem child of old is not problem.
* Global Score Files::       Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
* Kill Files::               They are still here, but they can be ignored.
* GroupLens::                Getting predictions on what you like to read.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Score Commands,  Next: Group Score Commands,  Up: Scoring

7.1 Summary Score Commands
==========================

The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
score files.  That would be too inefficient.  Gnus maintains a cache of
previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the "current
score file alist".  The score commands simply insert entries into this
list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.

   The current score file is by default the group's local score file,
even if no such score file actually exists.  To insert score commands
into some other score file (eg. `all.SCORE'), you must first make this
score file the current one.

   General score commands that don't actually change the score file:

`V s'
     Set the score of the current article (`gnus-summary-set-score').

`V S'
     Display the score of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-current-score').

`V t'
     Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
     (`gnus-score-find-trace').

`V R'
     Run the current summary through the scoring process
     (`gnus-summary-rescore').  This might be useful if you're playing
     around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
     effect you're having.

`V a'
     Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
     (`gnus-summary-score-entry').

`V c'
     Make a different score file the current
     (`gnus-score-change-score-file').

`V e'
     Edit the current score file (`gnus-score-edit-current-scores').
     You will be popped into a `gnus-score-mode' buffer (*note Score
     File Editing::).

`V f'
     Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
     (`gnus-score-edit-file').

`V F'
     Flush the score cahe (`gnus-score-flush-cache').  This is useful
     after editing score files.

`V C'
     Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
     (`gnus-score-customize').

`I C-i'
     Increase the score of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-raise-score').

`L C-l'
     Lower the score of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-lower-score').

   The rest of these commands modify the local score file.

`V m'
     Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this
     as read (`gnus-score-set-mark-below').

`V E'
     Expunge all articles with a score below the default score (or the
     numeric prefix) (`gnus-score-set-expunge-below').

   The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very
regular pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands.
(Hundreds of them.)

  1. The first key is either `I' (upper case i) for increasing the score
     or `L' for lowering the score.

  2. The second key says what header you want to score on.  The
     following keys are available:
    `a'
          Score on the author name.

    `s'
          Score on the subject line.

    `x'
          Score on the Xref line--i.e., the cross-posting line.

    `t'
          Score on thread--the References line.

    `d'
          Score on the date.

    `l'
          Score on the number of lines.

    `i'
          Score on the Message-ID.

    `f'
          Score on followups.

    `b'
          Score on the body.

    `h'
          Score on the head.

  3. The third key is the match type.  Which match types are legal
     depends on what headers you are scoring on.

    `strings'

         `e'
               Exact matching.

         `s'
               Substring matching.

         `f'
               Fuzzy matching.

         `r'
               Regexp matching

    `date'

         `b'
               Before date.

         `a'
               At date.

         `n'
               This date.

    `number'

         `<'
               Less than number.

         `='
               Equal to number.

         `>'
               Greater than number.

  4. The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
     expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score
     entry, or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to
     the score file.
    `t'
          Temporary score entry.

    `p'
          Permanent score entry.

    `i'
          Immediately scoring.


   So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author
with exact matching permanently: `I a e p'.  If you want to lower the
score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
temporary score entry: `L s s t'.  Pretty easy.

   To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts.  If you
use a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes.  The defaults are
"substring" and "temporary".  So `I A' is the same as `I a s t', and `I
a R' is the same as `I a r t'.

   The `gnus-score-mimic-keymap' says whether these commands will
pretend they are keymaps or not.


File: gnus,  Node: Group Score Commands,  Next: Score Variables,  Prev: Summary Score Commands,  Up: Scoring

7.2 Group Score Commands
========================

There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.

`W f'
     Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload
     them all the time.  This command will flush the cache
     (`gnus-score-flush-cache').



File: gnus,  Node: Score Variables,  Next: Score File Format,  Prev: Group Score Commands,  Up: Scoring

7.3 Score Variables
===================

`gnus-use-scoring'
     If `nil', Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
     general, do any score-related work.  This is `t' by default.

`gnus-kill-killed'
     If this variable is `nil', Gnus will never apply score files to
     articles that have already been through the kill process.  While
     this may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a
     kill file to a group, and then change the kill file and want to
     run it over you group again to kill more articles, it won't work.
     You have to set this variable to `t' to do that.  (It is `t' by
     default.)

`gnus-kill-files-directory'
     All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
     initialized from the `SAVEDIR' environment variable by default.
     This is `~/News/' by default.

`gnus-score-file-suffix'
     Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
     (`SCORE' by default.)

`gnus-score-uncacheable-files'
     All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading
     of score files.  However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
     bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that
     are unlikely to be needed again.  It would be a bad idea to deny
     caching of `all.SCORE', while it might be a good idea to not cache
     `comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT'.  In fact, this
     variable is `ADAPT$' by default, so no adaptive score files will
     be cached.

`gnus-save-score'
     If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
     scoring, then you might set this variable to `t'.  This will make
     Gnus save the scores into the `.newsrc.eld' file.

`gnus-score-interactive-default-score'
     Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to
     raise/lower score with.  Default is 1000, which may seem
     excessive, but this is to ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme
     gets enough room to play with.  We don't want the small changes
     from the adaptive scoring to overwrite manually entered data.

`gnus-summary-default-score'
     Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.

`gnus-score-over-mark'
     Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
     default.  Default is `+'.

`gnus-score-below-mark'
     Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
     default.  Default is `-'.

`gnus-score-find-score-files-function'
     Function used to find score files for the current group.  This
     function is called with the name of the group as the argument.

     Predefined functions available are:
    `gnus-score-find-single'
          Only apply the group's own score file.

    `gnus-score-find-bnews'
          Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax.  This
          is the default.  For instance, if the current group is
          `gnu.emacs.gnus', `all.emacs.all.SCORE', `not.alt.all.SCORE'
          and `gnu.all.SCORE' would all apply.  In short, the instances
          of `all' in the score file names are translated into `.*', and
          then a regexp match is done.

          This means that if you have some score entries that you want
          to apply to all groups, then you put those entries in the
          `all.SCORE' file.

    `gnus-score-find-hierarchical'
          Apply all score files from all the parent groups.  This means
          that you can't have score files like `all.SCORE' or
          `all.emacs.SCORE', but you can have `SCORE',  `comp.SCORE' and
          `comp.emacs.SCORE'.

     This variable can also be a list of functions.  In that case, all
     these functions will be called, and all the returned lists of
     score files will be applied.  These functions can also return
     lists of score alists directly.  In that case, the functions that
     return these non-file score alists should probably be placed
     before the "real" score file functions, to ensure that the last
     score file returned is the local score file.  Phu.

`gnus-score-expiry-days'
     This variable says how many days should pass before an unused
     score file entry is expired.  If this variable is `nil', no score
     file entries are expired.  It's 7 by default.

`gnus-update-score-entry-dates'
     If this variable is non-`nil', matching score entries will have
     their dates updated.  (This is how Gnus controls expiry--all
     non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries
     will stay fresh and young.)  However, if you set this variable to
     `nil', even matching entries will grow old and will have to face
     that oh-so grim reaper.

`gnus-score-after-write-file-function'
     Function called with the name of the score file just written.



File: gnus,  Node: Score File Format,  Next: Score File Editing,  Prev: Score Variables,  Up: Scoring

7.4 Score File Format
=====================

A score file is an `emacs-lisp' file that normally contains just a
single form.  Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
everything can be changed from the summary buffer.

   Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:

     (("from"
       ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
       ("Per Abrahamsen")
       ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
      ("subject"
       ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
      ("xref"
       ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
      ("lines"
       (2 -100 nil <))
      (mark 0)
      (expunge -1000)
      (mark-and-expunge -10)
      (read-only nil)
      (orphan -10)
      (adapt t)
      (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
      (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
      (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
             (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
      (eval (ding)))

   This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.

   Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
`eval'ed.  The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it has
to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.

   Six keys are supported by this alist:

`STRING'
     If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
     match on.  Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
     `From', `Subject', `References', `Message-ID', `Xref', `Lines',
     `Chars' and `Date'.  In addition to these headers, there are three
     strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire article and do the match
     on larger parts of the article: `Body' will perform the match on
     the body of the article, `Head' will perform the match on the head
     of the article, and `All' will perform the match on the entire
     article.  Note that using any of these last three keys will slow
     down group entry _considerably_.  The final "header" you can score
     on is `Followup'.  These score entries will result in new score
     entries being added for all follow-ups to articles that matches
     these score entries.

     Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where
     each score entry has one to four elements.
       1. The first element is the "match element".  On most headers
          this will be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers,
          this must be an integer.

       2. If the second element is present, it should be a number--the
          "score element".  This number should be an integer in the
          neginf to posinf interval.  This number is added to the score
          of the article if the match is successful.  If this element
          is not present, the `gnus-score-interactive-default-score'
          number will be used instead.  This is 1000 by default.

       3. If the third element is present, it should be a number--the
          "date element".  This date says when the last time this score
          entry matched, which provides a mechanism for expiring the
          score entries.  It this element is not present, the score
          entry is permanent.  The date is represented by the number of
          days since December 31, 1 ce.

       4. If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol--the
          "type element".  This element specifies what function should
          be used to see whether this score entry matches the article.
          What match types that can be used depends on what header you
          wish to perform the match on.
         "From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID"
               For most header types, there are the `r' and `R'
               (regexp) as well as `s' and `S' (substring) types and
               `e' and `E' (exact match) types.  If this element is not
               present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
               be used.  `R' and `S' differ from the other two in that
               the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner.
               All these one-letter types are really just abbreviations
               for the `regexp', `string' and `exact' types, which you
               can use instead, if you feel like.

         "Lines, Chars"
               These two headers use different match types: `<', `>',
               `=', `>=' and `<='.

         "Date"
               For the Date header we have three match types: `before',
               `at' and `after'.  I can't really imagine this ever
               being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not
               to provide this function.  Just in case.  You never
               know.  Better safe than sorry.  Once burnt, twice shy.
               Don't judge a book by its cover.  Never not have sex on
               a first date.

         "Head, Body, All"
               These three match keys use the same match types as the
               `From' (etc) header uses.

         "Followup"
               This match key will add a score entry on all articles
               that followup to some author.  Uses the same match types
               as the `From' header uses.

         "Thread"
               This match key will add a score entry on all articles
               that are part of a thread.  Uses the same match types as
               the `References' header uses.

`mark'
     The value of this entry should be a number.  Any articles with a
     score lower than this number will be marked as read.

`expunge'
     The value of this entry should be a number.  Any articles with a
     score lower than this number will be removed from the summary
     buffer.

`mark-and-expunge'
     The value of this entry should be a number.  Any articles with a
     score lower than this number will be marked as read and removed
     from the summary buffer.

`thread-mark-and-expunge'
     The value of this entry should be a number.  All articles that
     belong to a thread that has a total score below this number will
     be marked as read and removed from the summary buffer.
     `gnus-thread-score-function' says how to compute the total score
     for a thread.

`files'
     The value of this entry should be any number of file names.  These
     files are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded
     the same way this one was.

`exclude-files'
     The clue of this entry should be any number of files.  This files
     will not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for
     some reason or other.

`eval'
     The value of this entry will be `eval'el.  This element will be
     ignored when handling global score files.

`read-only'
     Read-only score files will not be updated or saved.  Global score
     files should feature this atom (*note Global Score Files::).

`orphan'
     The value of this entry should be a number.  Articles that do not
     have parents will get this number added to their scores.  Imagine
     you follow some high-volume newsgroup, like `comp.lang.c'.  Most
     likely you will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see
     any new threads.

     You can do this with the following two score file entries:

          	(orphan -500)
          	(mark-and-expunge -100)

     When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
     threads.  You then raise the score of the threads that you find
     interesting (with `I T' or `I S'), and ignore (`C y') the rest.
     Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
     interesting threads, plus any new threads.

     I.e. - the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
     exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically
     by ordinary scoring rules.

`adapt'
     This entry controls the adaptive scoring.  If it is `t', the
     default adaptive scoring rules will be used.  If it is `ignore', no
     adaptive scoring will be performed on this group.  If it is a
     list, this list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules.  If it
     isn't present, or is something other than `t' or `ignore', the
     default adaptive scoring rules will be used.  If you want to use
     adaptive scoring on most groups, you'd set
     `gnus-use-adaptive-scoring' to `t', and insert an `(adapt ignore)'
     in the groups where you do not want adaptive scoring.  If you only
     want adaptive scoring in a few groups, you'd set
     `gnus-use-adaptive-scoring' to `nil', and insert `(adapt t)' in
     the score files of the groups where you want it.

`adapt-file'
     All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this
     entry.  It will also be applied when entering the group.  This
     atom might be handy if you want to adapt on several groups at
     once, using the same adaptive file for a number of groups.

`local'
     The value of this entry should be a list of `(VAR VALUE)' pairs.
     Each 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.


File: gnus,  Node: Score File Editing,  Next: Adaptive Scoring,  Prev: Score File Format,  Up: Scoring

7.5 Score File Editing
======================

You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
with a mode for that.

   It's simply a slightly customized `emacs-lisp' mode, with these
additional commands:

`C-c C-c'
     Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
     (`gnus-score-edit-done').

`C-c C-d'
     Insert the current date in numerical format
     (`gnus-score-edit-insert-date').  This is really the day number, if
     you were wondering.

`C-c C-p'
     The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion.  If
     you intend to read one of these files, you want to "pretty print"
     it first.  This command (`gnus-score-pretty-print') does that for
     you.


   Type `M-x gnus-score-mode' to use this mode.

   `gnus-score-menu-hook' is run in score mode buffers.

   In the summary buffer you can use commands like `V f' and `V e' to
begin editing score files.


File: gnus,  Node: Adaptive Scoring,  Next: Followups To Yourself,  Prev: Score File Editing,  Up: Scoring

7.6 Adaptive Scoring
====================

If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
happen automatically--as if by magic.  Or rather, as if by artificial
stupidity, to be precise.

   When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
article, you leave marks behind.  On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
You turn on this ability by setting `gnus-use-adaptive-scoring' to `t'.

   To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can
customize the `gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist' variable.  For
instance, it might look something like this:

     (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
       '((gnus-unread-mark)
         (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
         (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
         (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
         (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
         (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
         (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
         (gnus-kill-file-mark)
         (gnus-ancient-mark)
         (gnus-low-score-mark)
         (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))

   As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
variable name or a "real" mark--a character).  Following this key is a
arbitrary number of header/score pairs.  If there are no header/score
pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
that have that key as the article mark.  For instance, articles with
`gnus-unread-mark' in the example above will not get adaptive score
entries.

   Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
will be applied to each article.

   To take `gnus-del-mark' as an example--this alist says that all
articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with `D') will have a
score entry added to lower based on the `From' header by -4, and
lowered by `Subject' by -1.  Change this to fit your prejudices.

   If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
`gnus-del-mark', the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.

   The headers you can score on are `from', `subject', `message-id',
`references', `xref', `lines', `chars' and `date'.  In addition, you
can score on `followup', which will create an adaptive score entry that
matches on the `References' header using the `Message-ID' of the
current article, thereby matching the following thread.

   You can also score on `thread', which will try to score all articles
that appear in a thread.  `thread' matches uses a `Message-ID' to match
on the `References' header of the article.  If the match is made, the
`Message-ID' of the article is added to the `thread' rule.  (Think
about it.  I'd recommend two aspirins afterwards.)

   If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom `mark' to
something small--like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
changes result in articles getting marked as read.

   After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.

   You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed
on by using the score files (*note Score File Format::).  This will also
let you use different rules in different groups.

   The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is
the group name with `gnus-adaptive-file-suffix' appended.  The default
is `ADAPT'.

   When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would
probably give you the best results in most cases.  However, if the
header one matches is short, the possibility for false positives is
great, so if the length of the match is less than
`gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit', exact matching will be used.  If this
variable is `nil', exact matching will always be used to avoid this
problem.


File: gnus,  Node: Followups To Yourself,  Next: Scoring Tips,  Prev: Adaptive Scoring,  Up: Scoring

7.7 Followups To Yourself
=========================

Gnus offers two commands for picking out the `Message-ID' header in the
current buffer.  Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using this
`Message-ID' on the `References' header of other articles.  This will,
in effect, increase the score of all articles that respond to the
article in the current buffer.  Quite useful if you want to easily note
when people answer what you've said.

`gnus-score-followup-article'
     This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
     article.

`gnus-score-followup-thread'
     This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread
     "below" your own article.

   These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
`gnus-inews-article-hook'.


File: gnus,  Node: Scoring Tips,  Next: Reverse Scoring,  Prev: Followups To Yourself,  Up: Scoring

7.8 Scoring Tips
================

"Crossposts"
     If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on
     is the `Xref' header.
          ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))

"Multiple crossposts"
     If you want to lower the score of articles that have been
     crossposted to more than, say, 3 groups:
          ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))

"Matching on the body"
     This is generally not a very good idea--it takes a very long time.
     Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the
     server.  But you might want to anyway, I guess.  Even though there
     are three match keys (`Head', `Body' and `All'), you should choose
     one and stick with it in each score file.  If you use any two,
     each article will be fetched _twice_.  If you want to match a bit
     on the `Head' and a bit on the `Body', just use `All' for all the
     matches.

"Marking as read"
     You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a
     certain number as read.  This is most easily achieved by putting
     the following in your `all.SCORE' file:
          ((mark -100))
     You may also consider doing something similar with `expunge'.

"Negated character classes"
     If you say stuff like `[^abcd]*', you may get unexpected results.
     That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown.
     Say `[^abcd\n]*' instead.


File: gnus,  Node: Reverse Scoring,  Next: Global Score Files,  Prev: Scoring Tips,  Up: Scoring

7.9 Reverse Scoring
===================

If you want to keep just articles that have `Sex with Emacs' in the
subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
like this in your score file:

     (("subject"
       ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
      (mark 1)
      (expunge 1))

   So, you raise all articles that match `Sex with Emacs' and mark the
rest as read, and expunge them to boot.


File: gnus,  Node: Global Score Files,  Next: Kill Files,  Prev: Reverse Scoring,  Up: Scoring

7.10 Global Score Files
=======================

Sure, other newsreaders have "global kill files".  These are usually
nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
in the user's home directory.  Bah!  Puny, weak newsreaders!

   What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files.  Score files from
all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
big, happy score file union!  Ange-score!  New and untested!

   All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
`gnus-global-score-files' variable.  One entry for each score file, or
each score file directory.  Gnus will decide by itself what score files
are applicable to which group.

   Say you want to use all score files in the
`/ftp@ftp.some-where:/pub/score' directory and the single score file
`/ftp@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE':

     (setq gnus-global-score-files
           '("/ftp@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
             "/ftp@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))

   Simple, eh?  Directory names must end with a `/'.  These directories
are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.  If you feel
the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can use the
`gnus-score-search-global-directories' command.

   Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
somewhat.  (That is--a lot.)

   If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
world.  Become a retro-moderator!  Participate in the retro-moderator
wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
premises!  Yay!  The net is saved!

   Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of
my head:

   * Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.

   * To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by `Message-ID'.

   * Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.

   * Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely
     be lowered out of existence.

   * Set the `mark' and `expunge' atoms to obliterate the nastiest
     articles completely.

   * Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down.  You
     should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites
     keep old articles for a long time.

   ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score
files in the future.  _Snicker_.  Yup, any day now, newsreaders like
Blue Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring.  Should we
start holding our breath yet?


File: gnus,  Node: Kill Files,  Next: GroupLens,  Prev: Global Score Files,  Up: Scoring

7.11 Kill Files
===============

Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files.  In fact, the kill file
entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.

   In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean _a lot_)
than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
files into score files.

   Anyway, a kill file is a normal `emacs-lisp' file.  You can put any
forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
that isn't a very good idea.

   XCNormal kill files look like this:

     (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
     (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
     (gnus-expunge "X")

   This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them
from the summary buffer.  Very useful, you'll agree.

   Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax.  If Gnus
encounters what looks like a `rn' kill file, it will take a stab at
interpreting it.

   Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:

`M-k'
     Edit this group's kill file (`gnus-summary-edit-local-kill').

`M-K'
     Edit the general kill file (`gnus-summary-edit-global-kill').

   Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:

`M-k'
     Edit this group's kill file (`gnus-group-edit-local-kill').

`M-K'
     Edit the general kill file (`gnus-group-edit-global-kill').

   Kill file variables:

`gnus-kill-file-name'
     A kill file for the group `soc.motss' is normally called
     `soc.motss.KILL'.  The suffix appended to the group name to get
     this file name is detailed by the `gnus-kill-file-name' variable.
     The "global" kill file (not in the score file sense of "global", of
     course) is called just `KILL'.

`gnus-kill-save-kill-file'
     If this variable is non-`nil', Gnus will save the kill file after
     processing, which is necessary if you use expiring kills.

`gnus-apply-kill-hook'
     A hook called to apply kill files to a group.  It is
     `(gnus-apply-kill-file)' by default.  If you want to ignore the
     kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set
     this hook to `(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)'.  If you don't
     want kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to
     `nil'.

`gnus-kill-file-mode-hook'
     A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.



File: gnus,  Node: GroupLens,  Prev: Kill Files,  Up: Scoring

7.12 GroupLens
==============

GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
huge volume of news articles generated every day.

   To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
article.  Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker.  GroupLens watches how you
rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article.  You can use
this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
article.

* Menu:

* Using GroupLens::          How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
* Rating Articles::          Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
* Displaying Predictions::   Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
* GroupLens Variables::      Customizing GroupLens.


File: gnus,  Node: Using GroupLens,  Next: Rating Articles,  Up: GroupLens

7.12.1 Using GroupLens
----------------------

To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
Bit Bureau (BBB).  At the moment the only better bit in town is at
`http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html'.

   Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.

`gnus-use-grouplens'
     Setting this variable to a non-`nil' value will make Gnus hook into
     all the relevant GroupLens functions.

`grouplens-pseudonym'
     This variable should be set to the pseudonum you got when
     registering with the Better Bit Bureau.

`grouplens-newsgroups'
     A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.


   Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with
GroupLens.  Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you
scores for articles based on the average of what other people think.
But, to get the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating
articles yourself.  Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be
personalized for you, based on how the people you usually agree with
have already rated.


File: gnus,  Node: Rating Articles,  Next: Displaying Predictions,  Prev: Using GroupLens,  Up: GroupLens

7.12.2 Rating Articles
----------------------

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?"

   There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.

`r'
     This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to
     five.

`k'
     This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the
     articles in the thread.  This is really useful for some of those
     long running giant threads in rec.humor.


   The next two commands, `n' and `,' take a numerical prefix to be the
score of the article you're reading.

`1-5 n'
     Rate the article and go to the next unread article.

`1-5 ,'
     Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the
     highest score.


   If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to
the next article, just type `4 n'.


File: gnus,  Node: Displaying Predictions,  Next: GroupLens Variables,  Prev: Rating Articles,  Up: GroupLens

7.12.3 Displaying Predictions
-----------------------------

GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
news article.  The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best.  You can use the predictions
from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
`gnus-grouplens-override-scoring'.

   There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens.  You may
choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores.  To get
the separate scoring behavior you need to set
`gnus-grouplens-override-scoring' to `'separate'.  To have the
GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
`'override' and to combine the scores set
`gnus-grouplens-override-scoring' to `'combine'.  When you use the
combine option you will also want to set the values for
`grouplens-prediction-offset' and `grouplens-score-scale-factor'.

   In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would
like to see your predictions displayed.  The display of predictions is
controlled by the `grouplens-prediction-display' variable.

   The following are legal values for that variable.

`prediction-spot'
     The higher the prediction, the further to the right an `*' is
     displayed.

`confidence-interval'
     A numeric confidence interval.

`prediction-bar'
     The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.

`confidence-bar'
     Numerical confidence.

`confidence-spot'
     The spot gets bigger with more confidence.

`prediction-num'
     Plain-old numeric value.

`confidence-plus-minus'
     Prediction +/i confidence.



File: gnus,  Node: GroupLens Variables,  Prev: Displaying Predictions,  Up: GroupLens

7.12.4 GroupLens Variables
--------------------------

`gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format'
     The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
     enhanced.  It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line
     format (*note Summary Buffer Lines::).  The default is
     `%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n'.

`grouplens-bbb-host'
     Host running the bbbd server.  The default is
     `grouplens.cs.umn.edu'.

`grouplens-bbb-port'
     Port of the host running the bbbd server.  The default is 9000.

`grouplens-score-offset'
     Offset the prediction by this value.  In other words, subtract the
     prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score.
     The default is 0.

`grouplens-score-scale-factor'
     This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens
     scores.  The scale factor is applied after the offset.  The
     default is 1.



File: gnus,  Node: Various,  Next: The End,  Prev: Scoring,  Up: Top

8 Various
*********

* Menu:

* Process/Prefix::             A convention used by many treatment commands.
* Interactive::                Making Gnus ask you many questions.
* Formatting Variables::       You can specify what buffers should look like.
* Windows Configuration::      Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
* Compilation::                How to speed Gnus up.
* Mode Lines::                 Displaying information in the mode lines.
* Highlighting and Menus::     Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
* Buttons::                    Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
* Daemons::                    Gnus can do things behind your back.
* NoCeM::                      How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
* Picons::                     How to display pictures of what your reading.
* Various Various::            Things that are really various.


File: gnus,  Node: Process/Prefix,  Next: Interactive,  Up: Various

8.1 Process/Prefix
==================

Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
articles, use what is known as the "Process/Prefix convention".

   This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants
the command to be performed on.

   It goes like this:

   If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
articles, starting with the current one.  If the numeric prefix is
negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
with the current one.

   If `transient-mark-mode' in non-`nil' and the region is active, all
articles in the region will be worked upon.

   If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
the process mark.

   If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.

   Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
are avoided.

   One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
instance, `3 d' does exactly the same as `d' `d' `d'.  Since each `d'
(which marks the current article as read) by default goes to the next
unread article after marking, this means that `3 d' will mark the next
three unread articles as read, no matter what the summary buffer looks
like.  Set `gnus-summary-goto-unread' to `nil' for a more
straightforward action.


File: gnus,  Node: Interactive,  Next: Formatting Variables,  Prev: Process/Prefix,  Up: Various

8.2 Interactive
===============

`gnus-novice-user'
     If this variable is non-`nil', you are either a newcomer to the
     World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing
     to be, really.  You will be given questions of the type "Are you
     sure you want to do this?" before doing anything dangerous.  This
     is `t' by default.

`gnus-expert-user'
     If this variable is non-`nil', you will never ever be asked any
     questions by Gnus.  It will simply assume you know what you're
     doing, no matter how strange.

`gnus-interactive-catchup'
     Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-`nil'.  It
     is `t' by default.

`gnus-interactive-exit'
     Require confirmation before exiting Gnus.  This variable is `t' by
     default.


File: gnus,  Node: Formatting Variables,  Next: Windows Configuration,  Prev: Interactive,  Up: Various

8.3 Formatting Variables
========================

Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
are called things like `gnus-group-line-format' and
`gnus-summary-mode-line-format'.  These control how Gnus is to output
lines in the various buffers.  There's quite a lot of them.
Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
be annoyed by.

   Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): `%M%S%5y:
%(%g%)\n'.  We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
lots of percentages everywhere.

   Each `%' element will be replaced by some string or other when the
buffer in question is generated.  `%5y' means "insert the `y' spec, and
pad with spaces to get a 5-character field".  Just like a normal format
spec, almost.

   You can also say `%6,4y', which means that the field will never be
more than 6 characters wide and never less than 4 characters wide.

   There are also specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all
the format variables.  Text inside the `%(' and `%)' specifiers will
get the special `mouse-face' property set, which means that it will be
highlighted (with `gnus-mouse-face') when you put the mouse pointer
over it.

   Text inside the `%[' and `%]' specifiers will have their normal
faces set using `gnus-face-0', which is `bold' by default.  If you say
`%1[' instead, you'll get `gnus-face-1' instead, and so on.  Create as
many faces as you wish.  The same goes for the `mouse-face' specs--you
can say `%3(hello%)' to have `hello' mouse-highlighted with
`gnus-mouse-face-3'.

   Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:

     ;; Create three face types.
     (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
     (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)

     ;; We want the article count to be in
     ;; a bold and green face.  So we create
     ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
     (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
     ;; Set the color.
     (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
     (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)

     ;; Set the new & fancy format.
     (setq gnus-group-line-format
           "%M%S%3{%5y%}%2[:%] %(%1{%g%}%)\n")

   I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally
unreadable and extremely vulgar displays.  Have fun!

   Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
`gnus-group-line-format', `gnus-summary-line-format',
`gnus-server-line-format', `gnus-topic-line-format',
`gnus-group-mode-line-format', `gnus-summary-mode-line-format',
`gnus-article-mode-line-format', `gnus-server-mode-line-format'.

   Note that the `%(' specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
mode-line variables.

   All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms.  In
that case, they will be `eval'ed to insert the required lines.

   Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
specs.  `M-x gnus-update-format' will `eval' the current form, update
the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can examine the
resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.

