Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net> writes:

> Rainer M Krug <Rainer@krugs.de> writes:
>
>> <#secure method=pgpmime mode=sign> 
>>
>> Steinar Bang <sb@dod.no> writes:
>>
>>>>>>>> Rainer M Krug <Rainer@krugs.de>:
>>>
>>>> Now that I can search gmane (perfect - love it!) I can't search my
>>>> local imap server via notmuch anymore - any suggestions how I can
>>>> achieve both via nnir or "G G"?
>>>
>>> One way would be to replace
>>>  (nnimap . imap) in nnir-method-default-engines with
>>>  (nnimap . notmuch)
>>
>> I had
>>
>> ,----
>> |            '(nnimap "Maildir"
>> |                       (nnimap-stream shell) (nnimap-shell-program
>> |                       "/usr/local/opt/dovecot/libexec/dovecot/imap -o
>> |                       mail_location=maildir:$HOME/Maildir")
>> |                       (nnir-search-engine 'notmuch)))
>> `----
>>
>> in my gnus file, but it produced an error message.
>> I am just trying your suggestion, and I get the following:
>>
>> ,----
>> | notmuch args: search --format=text --output=files hallo
>> | Massaging notmuch output...done
>> | Search produced empty results.
>> | gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group: Couldn't request group: Search produced empty results.
>> `----
>
> For a while I ran notmuch and imap configured like this, and got a lot
> of the same problems, because I was a bit confused about how all the
> bits and pieces interacted. I think the problem is that notmuch returns
> its hits based on filesystem paths. These paths don't necessarily match
> up with how imap locates its messages, though -- things like mailboxes
> transformations and namespaces can mean that imap sees the location of a
> message in a way that doesn't jive with the filesystem path.

This might be the reason - makes sense. As I want to use dovecot to
access my email stored in maildir (for notmuch, as this is not modifying
thew mails when only used for searching), I think I can not use it this
way. Makes perfect sense.

>
> If you've got multiple Gnus backends in effect, another awkwardness is
> that notmuch will probably return all the hits from all backends,
> whereas nnir will attempt to filter out anything that doesn't belong to
> the group/server from which you initiated the search.

I have only the local imap and gmane.

>
> I don't know all the grisly details, or whether it could be made to
> work: when I realized what was happening I just stopped using notmuch
> as a nnir engine for nnimap messages.

I think I will do the same here.

> Now I have a Frankenstein search setup, using notmuch-search by
> itself, and the imap nnir engine, in parallel. 

Sounds like the best solution - and then just bind notmuch-search to a
keyboard shortcut.

> I'm shifting over to using nnir only, and will eventually get rid of
> notmuch.

I tried the normal search on y imap folders, and it is incredibly slow
(folders with 10 000 and more emails). Also, my archive is split into
years, and a topic can span two years - so the normal imap search is not
an option for me here.

>
> Not very helpful, I know, but I think there are fundamental
> incompatibilities in specifying notmuch as a nnir engine for imap
> servers.

In contrast - quite helpful, as I understood why it is not working to
use notmuch for an imap backend. And as my setup is running nicely, I do
not intend to change it.

Thanks a lot,

Rainer

>
> Eric
>
>
>

-- 
Rainer M. Krug
email: Rainer<at>krugs<dot>de
PGP: 0x0F52F982