Re: Accessing all incoming mails, checking for network connection, changes in message status

[Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com>]

On Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:07:32 +0100 manuel carro <mcarro@fi.upm.es> wrote: 

mc> Dear GNUSers,

mc> I have been using GNUS for some months now and there are some things I
mc> would like to know how to do.

mc> [1] 

mc> I process a lot of mail and right now I have a series of split rules
mc> which divert the mail into some 260 different groups.  However, when I
mc> read mail (I download it to my laptop using IMAP, then do all processing
mc> on the laptop) I am more or less forced to go through all the groups
mc> with active messages and process them.  I used to have a virtual groups
mc> which gathered all active messages, but in the end I had to go to the
mc> group the message was in to read and answer it so that the answer was
mc> stored in the group where the original message was stroed (I set up the
mc> GCC: field so that mails go to the group where I am when I answer).

mc> Wat I would like is to know how to do is:

mc> (a) Set up Gnus variables / options (or what additional functions I
mc> could add) so that incoming mail goes to a single group, and from there
mc> I can respool it to other groups according to a set of spooling /
mc> splitting rules.  I think that the best setup would be to be suggested a
mc> group to respool which I could then edit in the command line, but this
mc> can probably be made with other pieces from the GNUs code.

mc> (b) It would be great if, after respooling, I could almost automatically
mc> (or with minor effort) switch to the group where the message was
mc> respooled (to, e.g., answer from there) and when quitting the group,
mc> appear again in the group where all the messages are stored.

Virtual groups should do this.  Otherwise you're reinventing the same
functionality.  So if the only problem is that the GCC field is wrong,
let's fix that.  Or is there another reason why virtual groups are not
what you want?

mc> [2]

mc> I work offline often (for example, I am writing this message while in a
mc> plane) and I use SMTP from within GNUS.  I have a function which
mc> switches from queing to non-queieng messages and vice-versa, and takes
mc> care of sending the stored messages when selecting the non-queuing
mc> state.  But I have to remember to make that switch.  Is there any way to
mc> cleanly check that there is connection?  I would like to do something
mc> like:

mc> (defun my-gnus-mail-send-message ()
mc>     (store-message)
mc>     (if (connection-ok smtpmail-default-smtp-server)
mc>         (send-all-mails)
mc>     )
mc> )

I don't think that's available like that right now.  But the Gnus Agent
is supposed to help with connected/disconnected transitions; have you
looked at it?

I would perfonally set up a local SMTP server that will queue my mails
until the network connection is up again.  But that's probably too much
for most users.

mc> Also, unrelated with the above, I am intermittently experiencing small
mc> problems with mails changing status - i.e., unread mails which move to
mc> the "O[ld]" state or to the "r[ead]" state, and old / already read
mc> messages which appear again as new.  Does any of you exeperience
mc> something similar.  Does that happen to any of you?  I usually run the
mc> version in git.

This indicates article marks are inconsistent.  Is this over IMAP or
another protocol?  Could the server be modifying article numbers behind
Gnus' back?

Ted