Re: Learning gnus for email only

[Reiner Steib]

On Fri, Jan 05 2007, harel barzilai wrote:

> Reiner Steib wrote:
>
>> I'm not sure, but if the files are already in a maildir structure, you
>> can leave mail-sources set to nil.  You only need to add an nnmaildir
>> entry to `gnus-secondary-select-methods' (or `gnus-select-method').
>>
>> I'd suggest the following setup:
>>
>> (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
>> (setq mail-sources nil)
>>
>> (add-to-list
>>  'gnus-secondary-select-methods
>>  '(nnmaildir "test"
>>           (directory "~/Maildir")
>>           (create-directory "../foo")
>>           (directory-files nnheader-directory-files-safe)
>>           (get-new-mail nil)))
>
> Thanks, but it's not clear to me what you're suggesting I create as
> "foo"?
>
>> I'm not sure about the correct server parameter (I don't use maildir).
>
> Hmm, what does this have to do with servers? 

I'm talking about a "server parameter" or "server variable" in Gnus
terminology:

(info "(gnus)Server Variables"); <== Press C-x C-e here!
or:
`C-h i d m gnus RET m Server SPC Variables RET'

So in the example above, `directory', `create-directory',
`directory-files' and `get-new-mail' are server parameters.

> I thought we are just trying to tell gnus *not* to look on any
> server but just to know which local files/directories to look for,
> to find email messages?

Correct.  (At least this is my understand of what you'd like to
achieve.)

> Yes, I'm using a test account "user_a" rather than my usual one,
> so it has a separate mailbox so if something goes wrong with this
> attempt to learn to  use gnus for email reading, I won't lose my
> regular account's email..
>
>> Please read (info "(gnus)Maildir") first (and backup your mail before
>> experimenting).
>
> Ok..I'm not very familiar with info but I'm managing... "(gnu)Maildir"
> was not found but the "s"
> or "search" feature in info, when applied to "maildir" seems to have
> found the right item,
> which is included below for the benefit of others who might find
> themselves in a similar spot..as well as to get confirmation if this
> looks right:
>
> ..under Getting Mail, then Mail Sources, then Mail Source
> Specifications..then searching for Maildir" again within that page, one
> finds info telling us that:

No, that is the node
  (info "(gnus)Mail Source Specifiers"); <== Press C-x C-e here!
  `C-h i d m gnus RET m Mail SPC Source SPC Specifiers RET'.

It starts with...

,----[ (info "(gnus)Mail Source Specifiers") ]
| 6.3.4.1 Mail Source Specifiers
| ..............................
| 
| You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting `mail-sources' (*note
| Fetching Mail::) to a "mail source specifier".
`----

... so it talks about "how to fetch mail".  You don't want to fetch
mail, though (again: at least this is my understand of what you'd like
to achieve).

> <begin quote>================
>
>   Keywords:
>
>     `:path'
>           The path of the directory where the mails are stored.  The
>           default is taken from the `MAILDIR' environment variable or
>           `~/Maildir/'.
[...]
> <end quote>========================
>
> So it looks like I'm to put
>
>     (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
>                    :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
>
> in my .gnus.el ?

No.  You don't want to fetch mail.

[Anyhow, even if you would want to, it should be
  (add-to-list 'mail-sources '(maildir ...))
instead.]

> Slackat perhaps the above (plus Reiner's earlier lines for my .gnus.el)
> are the
> way to go instead of,
>
> (setq nnmail-spool-file '(

No, no, no:

,----[ <f1> v nnmail-spool-file RET ]
| nnmail-spool-file is a variable defined in `nnmail'.
| Its value is ((file))
| 
| Documentation:
| *Where the mail backends will look for incoming mail.
| This variable is a list of mail source specifiers.
| This variable is obsolete; `mail-sources' should be used instead.
`----

Note the last line!

> then? Well I hope this works. This is a humbling experience. Even you
> experts don't find these to be trivial questions. 

I also find it difficult to give you the right advice.  That means
that we need to improve the manual, because it's sufficiently clear.
In (info "(gnus)Maildir"), we really should add some examples for
simple setups.  I'd appreciate if maildir users would contribute some
setup examples.  (If it's longer than 10-15 lines, we may need a
copyright assignment to be able to include it in the Gnus manual.)

> But it doesn't look like there are any other Maildir capable mail
> readers that are automatically bundled with emacs, that are any more
> 'ready for prime time' (for us non-experts ;-) than gnus...so it
> looks like it's the learning curve for gnus or else try to install a
> package from scratch (or else look into emacs-anti-spam-package for
> rmail..)  crossing fingers yet again.. I ran byte-compile of
> .gnus.el and got:

I strongly suggest *not* to byte-compile .emacs and .gnus.el!

>   ** assignment to free variable mail-sources
>   ** `"cur"' is a malformed function
>   ** The function `maildir' is not known to be defined.

See above.

> My entire .gnus is
>
> <begin quote>==========
>
> (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
> (setq mail-sources nil)
>
> (add-to-list
>  'gnus-secondary-select-methods
>  '(nnmaildir "test"
>              (directory "~/Maildir")
>              (create-directory "../foo")
>              (directory-files nnheader-directory-files-safe)
>              (get-new-mail nil)))

Remove this:

>   (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
>                    :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
>
> <end quote>==========


> I have no idea when or why groups.google's posting
> messes  up carriage returns,  do you?  Sorry, it's
> ugly to  my own eyes too  but was not  my doing. I
> could try to compose  reply in Emacs, after "C-x f
> 50" then "fill-region" to see if that's better.

Better.  (You may use 70 instead of 50).

> Of course if/when I master the basics of gnus for email I can try
> learning  it for usenet instead of google.

I hope so.  For gnu.emacs.gnus, you may also use Gmane (run by Lars,
the Gnus author) to post and reply instead:
<http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.gnus.user/8460>

Bye, Reiner.
-- 
       ,,,
      (o o)
---ooO-(_)-Ooo---  |  PGP key available  |  http://rsteib.home.pages.de/