xref: /386bsd/usr/local/info/gnus-1 (revision a2142627)

This is Info file ../info/gnus, produced by Makeinfo-1.55 from the
input file gnus.texi.

   This file documents GNUS, the GNU Emacs newsreader.

   Copyright (C) 1989, 1990, 1993 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,  Prev: (DIR),  Up: (DIR)

The GNUS News Reader
********************

   You can read netnews within Emacs using the GNUS package.  GNUS uses
the NNTP protocol to communicate with a news server, which is a
repository of news articles.  This need not be the same computer you
are logged in on.

   While the author of GNUS recommends pronouncing it as "news", we
recommend pronouncing it as "gnoose", to avoid confusion.

* Menu:

* Starting Up::
* Buffers of GNUS::
* Newsgroup Commands::
* Summary Commands::
* Article Commands::
* Startup File::
* Kill File::
* Troubleshooting::
* Customization::
* Reporting Bugs::
* Index::


File: gnus,  Node: Starting Up,  Next: Buffers of GNUS,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

Starting GNUS
*************

   This chapter describes how to get started GNUS, how to use a local
news spool directly, and how to read private directory.

* Menu:

* Getting Started::     How to get started GNUS.
* Finding the News::    Configuring how GNUS gets access to the news.


File: gnus,  Node: Getting Started,  Next: Finding the News,  Up: Starting Up

Getting Started GNUS
====================

   To start GNUS, type `M-x gnus'.

`M-x gnus'
     Run GNUS using the default NNTP server.

`C-u M-x gnus'
     Run GNUS without using the default NNTP server.


File: gnus,  Node: Finding the News,  Prev: Getting Started,  Up: Starting Up

Telling GNUS Where To Find the News
===================================

   Somehow or other, GNUS has to know how to find the current netnews.
Usually this means it has to know the hostname of the NNTP server.

   There are several ways that GNUS can get this information.  Most
often, it comes from the environment variable `NNTPSERVER'.  You can
specify a default when you install Emacs by setting the variable
`gnus-nntp-server' in the `site-init.el' file.  If neither this default
nor the environment variable is defined, then GNUS reads the server
name using the minibuffer when you start it.

   You can override the default by specifying a prefix argument for the
`gnus' command.  Then it always reads the hostname to use.

   GNUS can also bypass NNTP and read the news directly from the file
system.  This reduces the overhead, but the features for retrieving by
their message IDs may fail to work (*note Spool Variables::.).  To do
this, specify `::' as the NNTP server "machine name".

   You can also specify a subdirectory of your home directory to use as
the current news spool.  To do this, specify a colon and the
subdirectory name as the NNTP server "machine name".  For example,
`:Mail' says to use the directory `~/Mail' as the news spool.  This
makes it possible to read mail stored in MH folders or articles saved
by GNUS.  The files in the directory with numeric names are considered
news articles, and the other files in the directory are ignored.

   A server specific startup file for each directory must exist before
you start GNUS.  For example, a startup file for the directory `~/Mail'
should be a file named `.newsrc-:Mail'.  *Note Startup File::, for more
information on the server specific startup file.

   Each news server has its own "active file" which lists the numbers
of the active articles in each newsgroup.  Reading this file from the
server is among the first things GNUS does when it starts.  Commands
such as `g' that report additional newly-arrived articles work by
rereading the active file.


File: gnus,  Node: Buffers of GNUS,  Next: Newsgroup Commands,  Prev: Starting Up,  Up: Top

Buffers Used by GNUS
********************

   GNUS uses three Emacs buffers: the Newsgroup buffer, the Summary
buffer, and the Article buffer.  Each has its own particular purpose
and its own major mode.  GNUS often displays all three buffers at the
same time, with a configuration you can customize by setting the
variable `gnus-window-configuration'.

   The "Article buffer" is where GNUS displays the text of an article.
Its major mode is always "Article Mode".  Users rarely select this
buffer because you can read the text while keeping the Summary buffer
selected.

* Menu:

* Newsgroup Buffer::  A buffer for listing newsgroups.
* Summary Buffer::    A buffer for listing subjects and other important
                        headers.


File: gnus,  Node: Newsgroup Buffer,  Next: Summary Buffer,  Up: Buffers of GNUS

Newsgroup Buffer
================

   "Newsgroup buffer" contains a list of newsgroups.  Its major mode is
"Group Mode".  This is the first buffer that GNUS displays when it
starts up.

   Normally the list contains only the newsgroups which you subscribe to
and which contain unread articles.  It is normally empty if there is no
such newsgroups.  When you start GNUS, it displays the message `No news
is good news.' in the echo area.

   The format of the Newsgroup buffer looks like this:

     SM  NUMBER: NEWSGROUP

S
     A character indicating whether the newsgroup is subscribed to.  `U'
     means you subscribe to the newsgroup; ` ' means that you don't.
     You can change your subscriptions using commands available in Group
     mode.

M
     A character indicating whether there are newly arrived and unread
     articles in the newsgroup.  `*' means there are no newly arrived
     articles in the newsgroup.  ` ' means there are newly arrived
     articles.

NUMBER
     The number of unread articles in the newsgroup.

NEWSGROUP
     The name of the newsgroup.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Buffer,  Prev: Newsgroup Buffer,  Up: Buffers of GNUS

Summary Buffer
==============

   The "Summary buffer" displays a summary of articles in a single
newsgroup, including their subjects, their numbers, and who posted
them.  Its major mode is Summary mode.  GNUS creates a Summary buffer
for a newsgroup when you select the group in the Newsgroup buffer.

   A Summary buffer contains a line for each article.  Each line looks
like this:

     S NUMBER:C[LINES:AUTHOR] SUBJECT

   Here is what the fields mean:

S
     The status code for this article.  ` ' means the article is newly
     arrived and never read.  `D' means you read the article already.
     `-' means you read it but marked it as saved.

NUMBER
     The number assigned to the article.

C
     A character indicating which article is currently selected.  `+' is
     placed on the current article.

LINES
     The number of lines of the article body.

AUTHOR
     The mail address of the author of the article.

SUBJECT
     The subject of the article.

   You can customize the format by setting the variable
`gnus-optional-headers'.


File: gnus,  Node: Newsgroup Commands,  Next: Summary Commands,  Prev: Buffers of GNUS,  Up: Top

Newsgroup Commands
******************

   The Newsgroup buffer normally lists the newsgroups which you
subscribe to and which contain unread articles.  But not always--some
of the things you can do display additional newsgroups.  The commands
available in this buffer are mostly concerned with subscribing and
unsubscribing.

* Menu:

* Browsing Newsgroups::         Moving around in the Newsgroup buffer.
* Selecting a Newsgroup::       Selecting a newsgroup to read articles.
* Maintaining Subscriptions::   Subscribing and unsubscribing, etc.
* Exiting GNUS::                How to exit GNUS.
* Other Newsgroup Commands::    Other miscellaneous commands.


File: gnus,  Node: Browsing Newsgroups,  Next: Selecting a Newsgroup,  Up: Newsgroup Commands

Browsing Newsgroups
===================

   Most of the newsgroup commands operate on the group described by the
current line.  To use them, you need to move the cursor to the group you
want to act on.  You can use ordinary Emacs motion commands, or these
special commands:

`n'
     Move point to the next newsgroup containing unread articles
     (`gnus-group-next-unread-group').

`p'
`DEL'
     Move point to the previous newsgroup containing unread articles
     (`gnus-group-prev-unread-group').

`C-n'
     Move point to the next newsgroup (`gnus-group-next-group').

`C-p'
     Move point to the previous newsgroup (`gnus-group-prev-group').

`j NEWSGROUP RET'
     Move point to the NEWSGROUP specified by name
     (`gnus-group-jump-to-group').

`<'
     Move point to the beginning of the buffer (`beginning-of-buffer').

`>'
     Move point to the end of the buffer (`end-of-buffer').

`r'
     Restrict visible newsgroups to the current region specified by
     point and the mark (`gnus-group-restrict-groups').

   The command `j' (`gnus-group-jump-to-group') reads a newsgroup name
interactively, and moves point to it.  If there is no such newsgroup in
the buffer, a line for the newsgroup is inserted at the beginning of
the buffer.

   The command `r' (`gnus-group-restrict-groups') restricts visibility
in the Newsgroup buffer to the region specified by point and mark.  It
is not quite the same as `C-x n'; it includes all of the line that the
region starts in, and all of the line that the region ends in.  Type
`C-x w' (`widen') to widen visibility to the whole buffer.


File: gnus,  Node: Selecting a Newsgroup,  Next: Maintaining Subscriptions,  Prev: Browsing Newsgroups,  Up: Newsgroup Commands

Selecting a Newsgroup
=====================

   To start reading the articles in a newsgroup, move to that newsgroup
in the Newsgroup buffer and type `SPC' (`gnus-group-read-group') or `='
(`gnus-group-select-group').

`SPC'
     Select the newsgroup at point, and then select the first unread
     article automatically (`gnus-group-read-group').

`='
     Select the newsgroup at point (`gnus-group-select-group').

   Normally, when you select a newsgroup, GNUS prepares to read only the
unread articles (including saved articles).  If the newsgroup has no
unread articles and you select it anyway, GNUS prepares to read all the
articles.  You can force GNUS to include all the articles by giving a
prefix argument to the commands `SPC' and `=' (`gnus-group-read-group'
and `gnus-group-select-group').

   If the number of articles being selected is larger than the variable
`gnus-large-newsgroup', GNUS prompts for the number of articles to
prepare.  If your answer N is positive, GNUS prepares the last N
articles.  If N is negative, GNUS prepares the first -N articles.  If
you answer with the empty string, GNUS prepares all articles.


File: gnus,  Node: Maintaining Subscriptions,  Next: Exiting GNUS,  Prev: Selecting a Newsgroup,  Up: Newsgroup Commands

Maintaining Subscriptions
=========================

   This section explains how to subscribe and unsubscribe, as well as
other related activities.  Most of the commands operate on the newsgroup
listed on the current line.

`c'
     Mark all newly arrived articles in the newsgroup as read, but don't
     alter articles explicitly marked as saved (`gnus-group-catchup').

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

`l'
     Show only the newsgroups which you now subscribe to and which now
     contain unread and saved articles (`gnus-group-list-groups').

`L'
     Show all newsgroups available on your news server
     (`gnus-group-list-all-groups').

`u'
     Unsubscribe from (or subscribe to) the newsgroup
     (`gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group').

`U NEWSGROUP RET'
     Unsubscribe from (or subscribe to) the newsgroup named NEWSGROUP
     (`gnus-group-unsubscribe-group').

`C-k'
     Kill the newsgroup line that point is in (`gnus-group-kill-group').

`C-w'
     Kill newsgroups in current region (excluding current line)
     (`gnus-group-kill-region').

`C-y'
     Yank the last newsgroup killed (`gnus-group-yank-group').  It is
     inserted just before the current line.  Successive uses of `C-y'
     yank earlier kills, in last-in first-out order.

`C-x C-t'
     Exchange current newsgroup and previous newsgroup.
     (`gnus-group-transpose-groups').

`M-x gnus-list-killed-groups'
`C-c C-l'
     Display a list of the newsgroups you have killed.  This is so you
     can copy them back into the startup file.

`b'
     Delete bogus newsgroups (`gnus-group-check-bogus-groups').

`g'
     Get newly arrived articles for all groups
     (`gnus-group-get-new-news').

   The commands `c' and `C' (`gnus-group-catchup' and
`gnus-group-catchup-all') mark all or most of the articles in a
newsgroup as read.  They are useful if you have been away from news
reading for a while, and you don't want to slog through the backlog of
old postings.  These commands do not take account of the cross-reference
information in the `Xref:' field, while the `c' command in Summary Mode
does.

   Only subscribed newsgroups containing unread and saved articles are
usually displayed in the Newsgroup buffer.  Type `L'
(`gnus-group-list-all-groups') to show all newsgroups which are
currently active.  Use `l' (`gnus-group-list-groups') to go back to the
usual contents--only groups which have news for you to read.

   The command `U' (`gnus-group-unsubscribe-group') reads a newsgroup
name interactively, and toggles its subscription flag.  This is the
usual way to subscribe to new groups.  (You can also type `L' and then
use `u' on the groups you want to read.)  You can also arrange to
subscribe automatically to some or all newly created newsgroups using
the options line in your startup file, `~/.newsrc'.  *Note Startup
File::, for more information.

   The command `C-k' (`gnus-group-kill-group') kills a newsgroup from
both the Newsgroup buffer and the raw startup file.  If you change your
mind, type `C-y' (`gnus-group-yank-group'); this yanks the last
newsgroup killed with the `C-k' command.

   The command `C-c C-l' (`gnus-list-killed-groups') pops up a buffer
listing the newsgroups you have killed.  You can yank any of these
newsgroups by moving point to the entry for the newsgroup you want, and
then typing `y' or `C-y' (`gnus-browse-killed-yank').  So a convenient
way to change the order of newsgroups is to kill some of them, then go
to the list of killed groups and yank them in the order you want.

   You are not limited to yanking only the groups that you killed in the
current GNUS session.  All the groups you have ever killed are
remembered in the quick startup file, and you can restore them any time
unless you lose the file.

   A "bogus newsgroup" is one not in the list of active newsgroups in
the active file.  Type `b' (`gnus-group-check-bogus-groups') to delete
all the bogus newsgroups that you subscribe to.  Bogus newsgroups that
you have unsubscribed or killed are deleted also.

   The `g' command rereads the active file to get updated lists of
articles available to be read.


File: gnus,  Node: Exiting GNUS,  Next: Other Newsgroup Commands,  Prev: Maintaining Subscriptions,  Up: Newsgroup Commands

Exiting GNUS
============

`z'
     Suspend the current GNUS session (`gnus-group-suspend').

`q'
     Update the startup file `.newsrc', and then exit GNUS
     (`gnus-group-exit').

`Q'
     Exit GNUS without updating the startup file `.newsrc'
     (`gnus-group-quit').

   Suspending GNUS with `z' (`gnus-group-suspend') kills all GNUS
buffers except for the Newsgroup buffer.  To resume again, switch to
the Newsgroup buffer and type `g' (`gnus-group-get-new-news') to get
newly arrived articles.  It is a good idea to update the startup file
(*note Startup File::.) before suspending GNUS.

   If you want to forget what you read this GNUS session, exit GNUS by
the command `Q' (`gnus-group-quit').  Otherwise, exit by the command
`q' (`gnus-group-exit') to update the startup file.

   The hook `gnus-exit-gnus-hook' is called when exiting GNUS, and the
hook `gnus-suspend-gnus-hook' is called when suspending GNUS.


File: gnus,  Node: Other Newsgroup Commands,  Prev: Exiting GNUS,  Up: Newsgroup Commands

Miscellaneous Commands
======================

   Other miscellaneous Group mode commands are described here.

`a'
     Compose a new article (`gnus-group-post-news').  *Note Posting
     Articles::, for more information.

`M-k'
     Edit a local kill file (`gnus-group-edit-local-kill').  *Note Kill
     File::, for more information.

`M-K'
     Edit your global kill file (`gnus-group-edit-global-kill').  *Note
     Kill File::, for more information.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Commands,  Next: Article Commands,  Prev: Newsgroup Commands,  Up: Top

Summary Commands
****************

   The Summary buffer shows you a summary of the contents of a single
newsgroup, with one line for each article.  You can move around in the
Summary buffer, giving commands to view articles, save them, reply to
them, and so on.  When you view an article, its text appears in a
separate buffer, but the Summary buffer remains current.  In fact,
there is hardly ever a reason to select the Article buffer; you can do
almost all news reading tasks while staying in the Summary buffer.

* Menu:

* Reading Articles::            How to read articles.
* Searching Articles::          Searching for articles.
* Referencing Articles::        Referencing parent articles.
* Saving Articles::             Saving articles in your favorite format.
* Sorting Headers::             Sorting the Summary buffer.
* Posting Articles::            How to post a new article or followup article.
* Forward and Reply::           How to mail a reply to a message,
                                  or forward the message by mail.
* Exiting Newsgroup::           How to exit the current newsgroup.


File: gnus,  Node: Reading Articles,  Next: Searching Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Reading Articles
================

   The most basic command for reading articles is SPC
(`gnus-summary-next-page').  When you are viewing the middle of a
article, SPC scrolls the article forward.  When you get to the end of
an article, SPC advances to the next article.  You can read all the
unread articles straight through using just SPC.

   Naturally, though, there are plenty of more advanced features
available.

* Menu:

* Summary Motion::              Special cursor motion commands for Summary.
* Reading an Article::          Commands for viewing an article differently.
* Scrolling::                   Browsing through a message.
* Moving Among Articles::       Selecting articles.
* Marking Articles::            Marking articles as (un)read.

* Thread-based Reading::        Reading articles based on conversation threads.
* Digest Articles::             How to read digest articles.


File: gnus,  Node: Summary Motion,  Next: Reading an Article,  Up: Reading Articles

Cursor Motion in the Summary Buffer
-----------------------------------

   For moving around in the Summary buffer, you can use these special
commands as well as the usual cursor motion commands.

`C-n'
     Move point to the next header (`gnus-summary-next-subject').

`C-p'
     Move point to the previous header (`gnus-summary-prev-subject').

`M-n'
     Move point to the next header, skipping marked articles
     (`gnus-summary-next-unread-subject').

`M-p'
     Move point to the previous header, skipping marked articles
     (`gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject').

`j NUMBER RET'
     Move point to the line describing an article specified by number
     with a prefix argument (`gnus-summary-goto-subject').


File: gnus,  Node: Reading an Article,  Next: Scrolling,  Prev: Summary Motion,  Up: Reading Articles

Commands to Read Articles
-------------------------

`SPC'
     SPC in the Summary buffer scrolls the Article buffer to the next
     screenful or to the next article (`gnus-summary-next-page')

`g'
     Select the article on the current line
     (`gnus-summary-show-article').  This command always rereads the
     article text from the server even if the same article is already
     selected.

`='
     Expand the Summary buffer's window to occupy all the screen space
     that GNUS is now using (`gnus-summary-expand-window').

`C-t'
     Toggle truncation of lines in the Summary buffer
     (`gnus-summary-toggle-truncation').

`w'
     Stop page breaking of article buffer
     (`gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking').

`t'
     Show all headers of the current article if pruned header currently
     shown, or vice versa (`gnus-summary-toggle-header').

`M-t'
     Toggle MIME processing (`gnus-summary-toggle-mime').

`C-c C-r'
     Caesar rotate letters by 13 places and Japanese characters by 47
     places (`gnus-summary-caesar-message').

   The command `=' (`gnus-summary-expand-window') expands the Summary
window by deleting the Article window.  Use it when you want to
concentrate on the Summary buffer.  This command is different from `C-x
1' when more than two windows exist.

   The command `C-c C-r' (`gnus-summary-caesar-message') rotates all
letters in the body of the current article by 13/47 places.  (This
encoding is often called "rot 13".)  To undo this operation, run it a
second time.

   If an article contains multiple pages, GNUS normally displays just
one page at a time.  To advance to the next page of an article, simply
type SPC.  It advances to the next page whenever the end of a page is
on the screen.

   The command `w' (`gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking') temporarily
suspends page breaking; it makes the entire current article visible.
You can turn off page breaking all the time by setting the variable
`gnus-break-pages' to `nil'.

   Page boundaries are defined by the variable `gnus-page-delimiter',
whose value is a regular expression.  The default is to match a
formfeed character at the beginning of a line.

   GNUS normally hides many uninteresting header fields when it displays
an article.  (The variable `gnus-ignored-headers' controls which fields
are ignored.)  If you want to see the whole header, type `t'
(`gnus-summary-toggle-header').  Use `t' a second time to hide the
uninteresting header fields again.


File: gnus,  Node: Scrolling,  Next: Moving Among Articles,  Prev: Reading an Article,  Up: Reading Articles

Scrolling Within an Article
---------------------------

   This section describes the commands you can type in the Summary
buffer to scroll the Article buffer.  (If you want to scroll the
Summary buffer, you can use the usual Emacs scrolling commands.)

`SPC'
     Scroll to the next page of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-next-page').  Select it first if no article is
     selected yet.  Select the next unread article automatically at the
     end of the message.

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

`RET'
     Scroll the current article one (or N) lines forward
     (`gnus-summary-scroll-up').  A negative argument scrolls backward.

`<'
     Move point to the beginning of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-beginning-of-article').

`>'
     Move point to the end of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-end-of-article').


File: gnus,  Node: Moving Among Articles,  Next: Marking Articles,  Prev: Scrolling,  Up: Reading Articles

Moving Among Articles
---------------------

   These commands move point in the Summary buffer to a different line
and display that line's article.

`n'
     Read the next article, skipping marked articles
     (`gnus-summary-next-unread-article').

`p'
     Read the previous article, skipping marked articles
     (`gnus-summary-prev-unread-article').

`N'
     Read the next article (`gnus-summary-next-article').

`P'
     Read the previous article (`gnus-summary-prev-article').

`C-M-n'
     Read the next article with the same subject as the current article
     (`gnus-summary-next-same-subject').

`C-M-p'
     Read the previous article with the same subject as the current
     article (`gnus-summary-prev-same-subject').

`.'
     Read the first unread article
     (`gnus-summary-first-unread-article').

`l'
     Read the article selected last (`gnus-summary-goto-last-article').

   If the variable `gnus-auto-select-same' is non-`nil', the commands
`n' and `p' (`gnus-summary-next-unread-article' and
`gnus-summary-prev-unread-article') skip articles until they come to
another article with the same subject.  If you are used to reading news
with `rn -S', set the variable to non-`nil' to get familiar behavior.

   If the variable `gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup' is non-`nil', the
commands `N' and `P' (`gnus-summary-next-article' and
`gnus-summary-prev-article') extend visible articles to forward and
backward if possible.  The Summary buffer normally displays just a
subset of the extant articles; extending the buffer means that if you
try to move forward from the last article shown, it looks for later
articles that are not shown, and puts them into the buffer so you can
move to them.

   The variable `gnus-auto-select-next' defines the behavior of GNUS
when there is no unread article in the current newsgroup and a command
selecting the next unread article is executed.  If the variable is
non-`nil', the next newsgroup containing unread articles is selected
automatically.


File: gnus,  Node: Marking Articles,  Next: Thread-based Reading,  Prev: Moving Among Articles,  Up: Reading Articles

Marking Articles
----------------

   GNUS uses single-character marks to indicate the status of an
article.

` ' (a space)
     A newly arrived article.

`-'
     An article marked as saved.

anything else
     An article marked as read.

Both newly arrived articles and saved articles are considered "unread".

   The status is displayed at the beginning of each line of the Summary
buffer.  Here are some commands for changing these marks:

`d'
     Mark this line's article as read, then move point to the following
     line (`gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward').  This and the
     following similar commands do not select an article; they only
     move point in the Summary buffer.

`u'
     Mark this line's article as saved, then move point to the
     following line (`gnus-summary-mark-as-unread-forward').

`M-u'
     Clear marks on this line's article, then move point to the next
     line (`gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward').  This sets the status to
     "newly arrived".

`D'
`U'
`M-U'
     Analogous to `d', `u' and `M-u', except that they move backwards
     instead of forwards in the Summary buffer.

`k'
     Mark as read all articles with the same subject as the current
     article, then select the next unread article
     (`gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select').  Use this when you
     decide a certain discussion is not interesting.

`C-k'
     Mark as read all articles with the same subject as the current
     article (`gnus-summary-kill-same-subject').

`c'
     Mark all newly arrived articles as read; then exit the current
     newsgroup (`gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit').  This does not change
     the status of articles that are saved.

`M-x gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit'
     Mark all articles (including saved articles) as read, and then
     exit the current newsgroup.

`M-x gnus-summary-catchup'
     Mark all newly arrived articles as read, but don't alter saved
     articles.

`M-x gnus-summary-catchup-all'
     Mark all articles as read.

`x'
     Delete summary lines for articles marked as read
     (`gnus-summary-delete-marked-as-read').

`X MARKS RET'
     Delete headers marked with any of MARKS
     (`gnus-summary-delete-marked-with').

   You can make it easier to see the remaining unread articles in the
Summary buffer by deleting the lines describing the already read
articles.  To do this, use the command `x'
(`gnus-summary-delete-marked-as-read').  The command `X'
(`gnus-summary-delete-marked-with') deletes headers which have certain
specified marks.  Thus, `X D - RET' deletes all articles marked with
`D' or `-'--which is to say, all read and saved articles.  (There are
no spaces in that command; we inserted spaces for clarity when showing
it here.)


File: gnus,  Node: Thread-based Reading,  Next: Digest Articles,  Prev: Marking Articles,  Up: Reading Articles

Reading Based on Conversation Threads
-------------------------------------

   A "thread" is defined as a set of articles related by
cross-reference.  These references make use of header fields
`References:' and `In-Reply-To:', which cite the message ID of another
article.

   Conversations in a newsgroup usually contain several threads under a
single subject.  This makes it difficult to know which article follows
which without reading references directly.  You can use the thread-based
commands to do this automatically.  You can follow threads of
conversation, mark entire threads as read, and go up and down thread
trees.

   The command `M-C-t' (`gnus-summary-toggle-threads') toggles showing
conversation threads in Summary mode.  If it is turned on, Summary
buffer is displayed in a tree structured form which shows the thread
structure.

`C-M-t'
     Toggle thread-based reading (`gnus-summary-toggle-threads').

`C-M-s'
     Show the thread subtree of the current line
     (`gnus-summary-show-thread').

`M-x gnus-summary-show-all-threads'
     Show all thread subtrees.

`C-M-h'
     Hide the thread subtrees of the current line
     (`gnus-summary-hide-thread').

`M-x gnus-summary-hide-all-threads'
     Hide all thread subtrees.

`C-M-f'
     Go to the next thread at the same level
     (`gnus-summary-next-thread').

`C-M-b'
     Go to the previous thread at the same level
     (`gnus-summary-prev-thread').

`C-M-d'
     Go down to next thread subordinate to the current line.
     (`gnus-summary-down-thread').

`C-M-u'
     Go up to the parent thread of the current line
     (`gnus-summary-up-thread').

`C-M-k'
     Mark all articles under current thread as read
     (`gnus-summary-kill-thread').

   Thread subtrees can be hidden by using the command `C-M-h'
(`gnus-summary-hide-thread'), and the hidden subtrees can be shown by
using the command `C-M-s' (`gnus-summary-show-thread').

   If the variable `gnus-thread-hide-killed' is non-`nil', thread
subtrees killed by the command `C-M-k' (`gnus-summary-kill-thread') are
hidden automatically.

   If you want to hide thread subtrees initially, set the variable
`gnus-thread-hide-subtree' to non-`nil'.

   If you want to enable thread-based reading automatically, set the
variable `gnus-show-threads' to non-`nil'.


File: gnus,  Node: Digest Articles,  Prev: Thread-based Reading,  Up: Reading Articles

Reading Digest Articles
-----------------------

   "Digest article" is a message containing many messages in "digest"
format.  Since a digest article contains many messages in one article,
it is a little bit difficult to read it on a per message basis.  The
following commands make it easier to read each message in a digest.

`C-c C-n'
     Scroll to the next digest message of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-next-digest').

`C-c C-p'
     Scroll to the previous digest message of the current article
     (`gnus-summary-prev-digest').

`C-d'
     Read the current digest article using Rmail
     (`gnus-summary-rmail-digest').

   The commands `C-c C-n' and `C-c C-p' (`gnus-summary-next-digest' and
`gnus-summary-prev-digest') scroll a digest article to the next and
previous digested message, respectively.  The variable
`gnus-digest-separator' specifies a regexp which separates digested
messages.

   The command `C-d' (`gnus-summary-rmail-digest') runs Rmail on a
digest article and makes it possible to read messages not in digest
form using Rmail Mode.  *Note Rmail: (emacs)Rmail, for more information
on Rmail Mode.  Use the hook `gnus-select-article-hook' to run Rmail on
digest articles automatically.

   Some newsgroups use a digest format that cannot be read using Rmail.
In this case, `C-d' displays `Article is not a digest' in the echo
area.  It is, however, possible to read these incomplete digest
articles by modifying the message headers or bodies appropriately using
the hook `gnus-select-digest-hook'.  *Note Hooks::, to modify
incomplete digest articles.

   If the variable `gnus-digest-show-summary' is non-`nil', a summary
of the digest article is also displayed automatically when Rmail is
invoked.


File: gnus,  Node: Searching Articles,  Next: Referencing Articles,  Prev: Reading Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Searching Articles
==================

`s'
     Do incremental search on the current article
     (`gnus-summary-isearch-article').

`M-s REGEXP RET'
     Search for articles containing a match for REGEXP forward
     (`gnus-summary-search-article-forward').  If REGEXP is empty, the
     last regexp used is used again.

`M-r REGEXP RET'
     Search for articles containing a match for REGEXP backward
     (`gnus-summary-search-article-backward').  If REGEXP is empty, the
     last regexp used is used again.

`& FIELD RET REGEXP RET COMMAND RET'
     Execute COMMAND on articles containing a match for REGEXP in FIELD
     of the headers (`gnus-summary-execute-command').  If FIELD is
     empty, the entire article is searched for.

   The command `s' (`gnus-summary-isearch-article') does an incremental
search on the current article.  This is like switching to the Article
buffer and typing `C-s' except that the Summary buffer remains
selected.  The command `M-s' (`gnus-summary-search-article-forward')
searches for articles containing a match for regexp.  The search starts
from the current point of the current article.  To search backwards,
use the command `M-r' (`gnus-summary-search-article-backward').

   The command `&' (`gnus-summary-execute-command') interactively reads
a header field name, a regular expression, and a valid key sequence.
It then searches for all articles in which that regular expression
matches the contents of the specified header field.  It executes the
key sequence in each such message.


File: gnus,  Node: Referencing Articles,  Next: Saving Articles,  Prev: Searching Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Referencing Articles
====================

`^'
     Refer to parent of the current article in terms of the `References'
     field (`gnus-summary-refer-parent-article').  With a prefix
     argument, go back to the child.

`M-^ MESSAGE-ID RET'
     Refer to the article by using the MESSAGE-ID
     (`gnus-summary-refer-article').

   The command `^' (`gnus-summary-refer-parent-article') refers to
parent article of the current article.  You can go back to the child
article with `C-u ^'.

   `^' and `M-^' select a new article without moving point in the
Summary buffer.  As a consequence, you can use `g' to go back to the
article in which you started the last sequence of `^' and `M-^'
commands.

   You can use the `r' command in Article mode to follow a reference
contained in the text of an article.  *Note Article Commands::.


File: gnus,  Node: Saving Articles,  Next: Sorting Headers,  Prev: Referencing Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Saving Articles
===============

   GNUS supports four different formats for saving articles: Rmail
format, Unix mailbox format, MH folder, and article format.

`o'
     Save the current article in Rmail format
     (`gnus-summary-save-article').

`C-o'
     Save the current article in Unix mail file format
     (`gnus-summary-save-in-mail').

`| COMMAND RET'
     Send contents of the current article through a pipe to a subprocess
     running COMMAND (`gnus-summary-pipe-output').

   The variable `gnus-default-article-saver' controls the formats used
by the `o' command.  By default, it uses Rmail format.  If you set the
variable to `gnus-summary-save-in-folder', `o' uses MH format.  If you
set it to `gnus-summary-save-in-file', `o' saves the article text
verbatim.  The default value is `gnus-summary-save-in-rmail'.  (All
three of these values are commands that you can bind to other keys.)

   The variable `gnus-article-save-directory' specifies the default
directory for saving articles.  If you don't set this variable
explicitly, it is initialized from the `SAVEDIR' environment variable,
or, as a last resort, `~/News'.


File: gnus,  Node: Sorting Headers,  Next: Posting Articles,  Prev: Saving Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Sorting Headers
===============

   GNUS can sort the Summary buffer by number, subject, date, or author
of articles.

`C-c C-s C-n'
     Sort the headers by number (`gnus-summary-sort-by-number').

`C-c C-s C-s'
     Sort the headers by subject (`gnus-summary-sort-by-subject').

`C-c C-s C-d'
     Sort the headers by date (`gnus-summary-sort-by-date').

`C-c C-s C-a'
     Sort the headers by author (`gnus-summary-sort-by-author').

   Sorting is "stable", which means that it does not disturb the
relative order of articles whose sort keys are equal.  So you can sort
on multiple keys by using several sort commands in a row; the last sort
command specifies the most powerful sort key.  Thus, `C-c C-s C-a C-c
C-s C-d C-c C-s C-n' sorts by author, and sorts the messages for each
author by date, and any messages with the same author and date are
sorted by number.

   To sort in reverse order, give a prefix argument to the sort
commands.    It is also possible to sort the headers automatically when
a newsgroup is selected using the hook `gnus-select-group-hook' (*note
Hooks::.).


File: gnus,  Node: Posting Articles,  Next: Forward and Reply,  Prev: Sorting Headers,  Up: Summary Commands

Posting Articles
================

`a'
     Compose a new article (`gnus-summary-post-news').

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

`F'
     Compose a followup, and insert the original article right away
     (`gnus-summary-followup-with-original').

`C'
     Cancel the current article you posted
     (`gnus-summary-cancel-article').

   Type `a' (`gnus-summary-post-news') to post a new article.  If the
variable `gnus-interactive-post' is non-`nil', this command reads the
newsgroup, subject, and distribution interactively.  The command `f'
(`gnus-summary-followup') fills these values in automatically from
those of the selected article; thus, the article you post will be a
"followup" to the selected article.

   Type `C-c C-y' (`news-reply-yank-original') to include the original
article in the text of the followup.  Unless the original article is
quite short, you should edit it to keep only the particular sentences
you are directly responding to.

   The command `F' (`gnus-summary-followup-with-original') yanks the
original article automatically.  If you want to followup to several
articles in a single article and want to include them in it, type `F'
for each of them.  You will be asked if a text being edited should be
erased.  You should answer `n' to the question.

   If the variable `gnus-novice-user' is non-`nil', your confirmations
will be required for composing a new article.

   The major mode for composing a new article is "News Mode" which is
borrowed from `rnewspost.el'.  Type `C-h m' (`describe-mode') to get
more help on News Mode.

   Suppose you post an article and then later realize that you made a
horrible mistake.  You really do not want anyone to see your article.
You want the article to be removed from any machines that it may have
reached.  The command `C' (`gnus-summary-cancel-article') is intended
to do this.  First select the offending article as current, then type
`C'.


File: gnus,  Node: Forward and Reply,  Next: Exiting Newsgroup,  Prev: Posting Articles,  Up: Summary Commands

Forwarding Messages and Replying To Them
========================================

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

`R'
     Reply to the author of the current article with the original
     article (`gnus-summary-reply-with-original').

`C-c C-f'
     Forward current message to someone else.
     (`gnus-summary-mail-forward').

`m'
     Compose a mail message in other window
     (`gnus-summary-mail-other-window').

   Use the command `r' (`gnus-summary-reply') to mail a reply to the
author of the article.  Type `C-c C-y' to yank the text of the article
you are replying to.  The command `R'
(`gnus-summary-reply-with-original') yanks the original article
automatically.

   *Note Mail Mode: (emacs)Mail Mode, for information on how to finish
sending the reply.


File: gnus,  Node: Exiting Newsgroup,  Prev: Forward and Reply,  Up: Summary Commands

Exiting the Current Newsgroup
=============================

   "Exiting" a newsgroup means going back to the Newsgroup buffer and
(normally) saving the changes you have made in the status of articles.

`q'
     Exit the current newsgroup, and return to Group Mode
     (`gnus-summary-exit').  This updates the startup file to indicate
     the changes in article status in this newsgroup.

`Q'
     Exit the current newsgroup without saving information about article
     status (`gnus-summary-quit').  The effect is to cancel all the
     status changes that took place while you were reading this
     newsgroup.

`C-x C-s'
     Save the article status changes, but keep the newsgroup selected
     (`gnus-summary-reselect-current-group').

   The command `C-x C-s' (`gnus-summary-reselect-current-group')
selects the current newsgroup again after temporary exiting the
newsgroup.  If no articles remain unread, all articles in the newsgroup
will be selected.  A prefix argument to the command means to select all
articles in the newsgroup.


File: gnus,  Node: Article Commands,  Next: Startup File,  Prev: Summary Commands,  Up: Top

Article Commands
****************

   GNUS displays one article at a time, in a buffer called the Article
buffer.  When you select an article, GNUS puts the Article buffer on the
screen and displays the article there.

   If the Article buffer is not visible, it appears on the screen
whenever you select an article for display.  You can specify the height
of the Article buffer as a fraction of the screen height by setting the
variable `gnus-window-configuration'.

   The Article buffer has a special major mode, Article mode.  It
provides these commands:

`SPC'
     Scroll this window forward (`gnus-article-next-page').

`DEL'
     Scroll this window backward (`gnus-article-prev-page').

`r'
     Select another article by following a cross reference
     (`gnus-article-refer-article').  A cross reference is specified by
     a Message-ID included in the text of the article.  Move point to a
     message ID before using this command.

`o'
     Return to the previous article from the referenced article
     (`gnus-article-pop-article').

`h'
     Reconfigure Emacs windows to show the Summary buffer above the
     Article buffer and select the Summary buffer
     (`gnus-article-show-summary').  The occasion to use this is when
     you have been editing a message to send or article to post.


File: gnus,  Node: Startup File,  Next: Kill File,  Prev: Article Commands,  Up: Top

The Startup File
****************

   Each user who reads news has a file called the "startup file" which
records which groups he or she subscribes to and which articles have
been read.

   GNUS actually uses two startup files that contain the same
information.  The "raw" startup file, named `~/.newsrc', is the master
copy of the information; this is the same file that other news readers
use, and it is kept in the standard format.  The "quick" startup file
contains the same information in a format convenient for Lisp to read.
GNUS automatically updates the quick startup file from the raw startup
file whenever the latter is newer; but normally it saves time by reading
only the quick startup file.

   These commands in Group mode operate on the startup files:

`R'
     Restart GNUS, using the raw startup file instead of the quick one,
     and get newly arrived articles (`gnus-group-restart').

`s'
     Update both startup files based on changes you have made in the
     Newsgroups buffer (`gnus-group-force-update').


File: gnus,  Node: Kill File,  Next: Troubleshooting,  Prev: Startup File,  Up: Top

Kill File
*********

   A "kill" file contains lisp expressions to be applied to a selected
newsgroup.  The purpose is to mark articles as read on the basis of
some set of regexps.

   There are two kinds of kill files, global and local.  A global kill
file is applied to every newsgroup, and a local kill file to a specified
newsgroup.

* Menu:

* Making a Kill File::          How to make a kill file.
* Editing Kill Files::          How to edit kill files.
* Kill File Example::           A real example of a kill file.
* Names of Kill Files::         Where kill files are kept in the file system.
* Background Kills::            Background kill processing.
* Advanced Kills::              Advanced kill processing.


File: gnus,  Node: Making a Kill File,  Next: Editing Kill Files,  Up: Kill File

Making a Kill File
==================

   A kill file is simply a file of Lisp code that is loaded (i.e.,
evaluated) while the Summary buffer is current.  In order to work
properly, the contents of the file must be designed to interact properly
with GNUS.  To make it easier to write a valid kill file, GNUS provides
a general function which does the things users typically want to do in a
kill file.

     (gnus-kill FIELD REGEXP &optional COMMAND ALL)

The `gnus-kill' function performs an action on each article that
matches a specified condition.

   The two required arguments specify the condition.  The argument
FIELD specifies a portion of an article; it is either the name of a
header field to search, or `""', which says to search the entire
article body.  The argument REGEXP says what to search for.  The
condition is this: an article is eligible if the specified portion of
the article contains a match for REGEXP.

   The argument COMMAND says what to do when an article fits the
condition.  It is either a valid key sequence in Summary mode, or a Lisp
expression which is a list, or `nil'.  A key sequence stands for its
command definition in Summary mode; it means to execute that command.
A Lisp expression means to evaluate that expression.  `nil' says to
mark the article with the character `X'.

   If ALL is omitted or `nil', `gnus-kill' checks only newly arrived
articles for meeting the condition.  If ALL is non-`nil', it checks all
articles.

   Here as an example is how to mark all articles whose subjects contain
the string `AI':

     (gnus-kill "Subject" "AI")

   If you want to mark articles with `D' instead of `X', you can use
the following expression, which works by executing the `d' command.

     (gnus-kill "Subject" "AI" "d")

   The usual aim of a kill file is to delete certain articles.  The way
to do this is to mark them with `X' and then call `gnus-expunge', like
this:

     (gnus-expunge "X")

   `gnus-expunge' takes one argument, a string containing a number of
mark characters, and deletes all the lines that are marked with any of
those characters.

   It works to use `gnus-expunge' for the marker `D', but you may not
like what it does, because this prevents you from ever rereading an
article marked as read in a previous session.  That's why the default
marker for `gnus-kill' is `X' rather than `D'.

   Searching in the Summary buffer normally ignores case; this includes
the searching inside of `gnus-kill'.  If you do not want to ignore the
case, set the variable `case-fold-search' to `nil'.

   After GNUS has finished applying the appropriate kill files, if the
newsgroup has no articles left, GNUS exits that newsgroup right away.


File: gnus,  Node: Editing Kill Files,  Next: Kill File Example,  Prev: Making a Kill File,  Up: Kill File

Editing Kill Files
==================

   You can use these GNUS commands to find a kill file for editing:

`M-k'
     Edit a local KILL file applied to the current newsgroup
     (`gnus-summary-edit-local-kill').

`M-K'
     Edit a global KILL file applied to all newsgroups
     (`gnus-summary-edit-global-kill').

The same key sequences (`M-k' and `M-K') are available in Group mode
also, but the commands that implement them are
`gnus-group-edit-local-kill' and `gnus-group-edit-global-kill'.

   The major mode of these buffers is Kill-File mode, which is like
Emacs Lisp mode but with the following additional commands:

`C-c C-k C-s'
     Insert a template of a kill command on subject
     (`gnus-kill-file-kill-by-subject').

`C-c C-k C-a'
     Insert a template of a kill command on author
     (`gnus-kill-file-kill-by-author').

`C-c C-a'
     Evaluate the whole current buffer, but do so with the Summary
     buffer current (`gnus-kill-file-apply-buffer').  This is a
     convenient way to try out a kill file you have been editing.

`C-c C-e'
     Evaluate the sexp before point in current buffer, but do so with
     the Summary buffer current (`gnus-kill-file-apply-last-sexp').

`C-c C-c'
     Save the kill file and then return to the previous buffer
     (`gnus-kill-file-exit').

   The effects of `C-c C-k C-s' and `C-c C-k C-a' depend on how you
began editing the kill file.  If you gave the command `M-k' or `M-K'
while in the Summary buffer, then the article that was current at that
time supplies the string to search for, from its own subject or author.


File: gnus,  Node: Kill File Example,  Next: Names of Kill Files,  Prev: Editing Kill Files,  Up: Kill File

Example of a Kill File
======================

   This is a real example of a local kill file for newsgroup `control'.

     ;; Apply to the newsgroup `control' if the NNTP server is flab.
     (if (string-equal gnus-nntp-server "flab")
         (progn
           (gnus-kill "Subject" "ihave flab\\|sendme")
           (gnus-kill "Subject" "cancel\\|newgroup\\|rmgroup" "d")
           (gnus-expunge "X")))