Re: syncing groups/topics arrangement between machines?

[Eric Abrahamsen]

On 01/03/16 17:43 PM, myglc2 wrote:
> Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net> writes:
>
>> Well, the OP's question indicates otherwise :) Right now .newsrc
>> contains quite a bit of information that could be considered user-level
>> customizations: which groups are subscribed, group parameters, the topic
>> layout, and the highly-confusing `gnus-server-alist'. Values that only
>> change when the user explicitly changes them. These things are editable
>> through the Gnus interface, but I think users would be a lot happier if
>> they were also stored separately, in a format that could be safely
>> shared between computers, and maybe even editable by hand.
>
> This is a nice summary of what I have just been looking through gnus
> INFO and trying to figure out.
>
> So... many gnus configurations elements can be set either interactively
> or through init files (e.g., creating servers and groups). Others can
> only be set interactively and saved in .newsrc. I confess, I am having a
> hard time keeping clear which is which.
>
> Are any of the "user-level customizations" above also settable in init
> files?

No, things like the topic layout is automatically saved by Gnus. You
could set `gnus-topic-alist' in your .gnus.el file, but next time you
save Gnus it would get re-saved to your .newsrc.eld file. It's better to
keep your init files and Gnus' init files separate! I just wish the
customization-like settings could be kept in their own file.