1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @comment %**start of header
3 @setfilename ../../info/newsticker
6 @settitle Newsticker @value{VERSION}
10 @comment %**end of header
13 This manual is for Newsticker (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}).
16 Copyright @copyright{} 2004-2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
20 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
21 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
22 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
23 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
24 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
26 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
27 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
28 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
32 @dircategory Emacs network features
34 * Newsticker: (newsticker). A Newsticker for Emacs.
38 @title Newsticker -- a Newsticker for Emacs
39 @subtitle for version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}
41 @author @email{ulf.jasper@@web.de}
42 @author @uref{http://ulf.epplejasper.de/}
44 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
59 * Overview:: General description of newsticker.
60 * Requirements:: Requirements for using newsticker.
61 * Installation:: Installing newsticker on your system.
62 * Usage:: Basic newsticker instructions.
63 * Configuration:: Customizable newsticker settings.
64 * Remarks:: Remarks about newsticker.
65 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
66 * Index:: Variable, function, and concept index.
72 Newsticker provides a newsticker for Emacs. A newsticker is a thing
73 that asynchronously retrieves headlines from a list of news sites,
74 prepares these headlines for reading, and allows for loading the
75 corresponding articles in a web browser.
78 Headlines consist of a title and (possibly) a small description. They
79 are contained in "RSS" (RDF Site Summary) or "Atom" files. Newsticker
80 works with the following RSS formats:
83 @item RSS 0.91 (see @uref{http://backend.userland.com/rss091} or
84 @uref{http://my.netscape.com/publish/formats/rss-spec-0.91.html}),
85 @item RSS 0.92 (see @uref{http://backend.userland.com/rss092}),
86 @item RSS 1.0 (see @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}
87 @item RSS 2.0 (see @uref{http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss}),
90 as well as the following Atom formats:
93 @uref{http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-atompub-format-11.txt}).
96 That makes Newsticker.el an ``Atom aggregator'', ``RSS reader'', ``Feed
97 aggregator'', or ``Feed reader''.
99 Newsticker provides several commands for reading headlines, navigating
100 through them, marking them as read/unread, hiding old headlines etc.
101 Headlines can be displayed as plain text or as rendered HTML.
103 Headlines can be displayed in the echo area, either scrolling like
104 messages in a stock-quote ticker, or just changing.
106 Newsticker allows for automatic processing of headlines by providing
107 hooks and (sample) functions for automatically downloading images and
108 enclosed files (as delivered by podcasts, e.g.).
111 Here are screen shots of the @uref{newsticker-1.7.png, version 1.7
112 (current version)} and some older screen shots:
113 @uref{newsticker-1.6.png, version 1.6},
114 @uref{newsticker-1.5.png, version 1.5},
115 @uref{newsticker-1.4.png, version 1.4}
116 @uref{newsticker-1.3.png, version 1.3},
117 @uref{newsticker-1.0.png, version 1.0}.
121 @chapter Requirements
123 Newsticker can be used with
124 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html, GNU Emacs} version
125 21.1 or later as well as @uref{http://www.xemacs.org, XEmacs}. It
126 requires an XML-parser (@file{xml.el}) which is part of GNU Emacs. If
127 you are using XEmacs you want to get the @file{net-utils} package
128 which contains @file{xml.el} for XEmacs.
130 Newsticker retrieves headlines either via Emacs's built-in retrieval
131 functions, by an arbitrary external program that retrieves files via
132 http and prints them to stdout (like
133 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/wget/wget.html, wget}, or -- on a
134 per feed basis -- via an arbitrary Lisp command.
138 @chapter Installation
140 As Newsticker is part of GNU Emacs there is no need to perform any
141 installation steps in order to use Newsticker.
143 However, if you are using imenu, which allows for navigating with the
144 help of a menu, you should add the following to your Emacs startup file
148 (add-hook 'newsticker-mode-hook 'imenu-add-menubar-index)
156 @findex newsticker-show-news
157 The command @code{newsticker-show-news} will display all available
158 headlines. It will also start the asynchronous download of headlines.
160 You can choose between two different frontends for reading headlines:
162 @item Newsticker's @emph{treeview} uses separate windows for the
163 feeds (in tree form), a list of headlines for the current feed, and
164 the content of the current headline. Feeds can be placed into groups
165 which itself can be placed in groups and so on.
166 @item Newsticker's @emph{plainview} displays all headlines in a
167 single buffer, called @samp{*newsticker*}. The modeline in the
168 @samp{*newsticker*} buffer informs whenever new headlines have
171 In both views clicking mouse-button 2 or pressing RET on a headline
172 will call @code{browse-url} to load the corresponding news story in
173 your favorite web browser.
175 @findex newsticker-start-ticker
176 @findex newsticker-stop-ticker
177 The scrolling, or flashing of headlines in the echo area, can be
178 started with the command @code{newsticker-start-ticker}. It can be
179 stopped with @code{newsticker-stop-ticker}.
181 @findex newsticker-start
182 @findex newsticker-stop
183 If you just want to start the periodic download of headlines use the
184 command @code{newsticker-start}. Calling @code{newsticker-stop} will
185 stop the periodic download, but will call
186 @code{newsticker-stop-ticker} as well.
189 @chapter Configuration
191 All Newsticker options are customizable, i.e. they can be changed with
192 Emacs customization methods: Call the command
193 @code{customize-group} and enter @samp{newsticker} for the customization
196 All Newsticker options have reasonable default values, so that in most
197 cases it is not necessary to customize settings before starting Newsticker
200 The following list shows the available groups of newsticker options
201 and some of the most important options.
206 @code{newsticker-retrieval} contains options that define which news
207 feeds are retrieved and how this is done.
211 @vindex newsticker-url-list
212 @code{newsticker-url-list} defines the list of headlines which are
215 @vindex newsticker-retrieval-method
216 @code{newsticker-retrieval-method} defines how headlines are
217 retrieved. This is either done using Emacs's built-in download
218 capabilities or using an external tool.
220 @vindex newsticker-retrieval-interval
221 @code{newsticker-retrieval-interval} defines how often headlines
226 @code{newsticker-headline-processing} contains options that define
227 how the retrieved headlines are processed.
231 @vindex newsticker-keep-obsolete-items
232 @code{newsticker-keep-obsolete-items} decides whether unread
233 headlines that have been removed from the feed are kept in the
236 @vindex newsticker-auto-mark-filter-list
237 @code{newsticker-auto-mark-filter-list} provides the possibility to
238 automatically mark headlines as immortal or old.
242 @code{newsticker-hooks} contains options for hooking other Emacs
243 commands to newsticker functions.
246 @vindex newsticker-new-item-functions
247 @code{newsticker-new-item-functions} allows for automatic
248 processing of headlines. See `newsticker-download-images', and
249 `newsticker-download-enclosures' for sample functions.
251 @vindex newsticker-plainview-hooks
252 The subgroup @code{newsticker-plainview-hooks} contains hook which
253 apply to the plainview reader only.
257 @code{newsticker-miscellaneous} contains other Newsticker options.
260 @code{newsticker-ticker} contains options that define how headlines
261 are shown in the echo area, i.e. the ``ticker''.
265 @vindex newsticker-display-interval
266 @vindex newsticker-scroll-smoothly
267 @code{newsticker-ticker-interval} and
268 @code{newsticker-scroll-smoothly} define how headlines are shown in
274 @code{newsticker-reader} contains options for adjusting the headline reader.
278 @vindex newsticker-frontend
279 @code{newsticker-frontend} determines the actual headline reader. The
280 ``plainview'' reader uses a single buffer, the ``treeview'' uses
281 separate buffers and windows.
286 @vindex newsticker-plainview
287 The subgroup @code{newsticker-plainview} contains options for the
290 @vindex newsticker-treeview
291 The subgroup @code{newsticker-treeview} contains options for the
297 For the complete list of options please have a look at the
298 customization buffers.
303 Byte-compiling newsticker.el is recommended.
305 @node GNU Free Documentation License
306 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
307 @include doclicense.texi