How do I mark messages for deletion?

How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Jake Colman]

This sounds like a very basic question, and it probably is, but I've been
using gnus for years and don't quite have a handle on this.

I've been using auto-expire of most of my groups.  I know that eventually the
expiry process will run and delete the messages.  If I don't want the message
to be deleted, I either tick it ("!" mark") or use 'd' ("r" mark).

No that I am using spam.el, ham folders with auto-expiry set will not be
trained as ham.  Messages with the 'E' mark are not passed on for ham
training.  I understand why that is but that is my alternative?  For example,
I have subscribe to a mailing where I need to keep very few messages.
auto-expiry automatically trims the group's contents for me.  But if I want
to use tihs for ham training, I cannot use auto-expiry.  SO how do I delete
messages without using it?

-- 
Jake Colman                     

Principia Partners LLC                    Phone: (201) 209-2467
Harborside Financial Center                 Fax: (201) 946-0320
902 Plaza Two                          E-mail: colman@ppllc.com
Jersey City, NJ 07311                 www.principiapartners.com

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Norbert Koch]

Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:

> to use tihs for ham training, I cannot use auto-expiry.  SO how do I delete
> messages without using it?

I use total-expire.  You have to tick messages you don't want to have
deleted, but you're doing so right now, so it looks you don't have to
change your habits.

norbert.

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Jody Klymak]

Hi Jake

Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:

> I've been using auto-expire of most of my groups.  I know that eventually the
> expiry process will run and delete the messages.  If I don't want the message
> to be deleted, I either tick it ("!" mark") or use 'd' ("r" mark).

I don't set a "ham" group.  I keep all my important messages ticked
and then use total-expiry.  If my inbox was a ham group, these ticked
articles would be ham-processed every time.  I only train ham when it
is found in my "spam" inbox.  

Cheers,  Jody

-- 
Jody Klymak      http://mixing.coas.oregonstate.edu/people/jklymak/
mailto:jklymak@coas.oregonstate.edu   

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Jake Colman]

>>>>> "NK" == Norbert Koch <viteno@xemacs.org> writes:

   NK> Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:
   >> to use tihs for ham training, I cannot use auto-expiry.  SO how do I delete
   >> messages without using it?

   NK> I use total-expire.  You have to tick messages you don't want to have
   NK> deleted, but you're doing so right now, so it looks you don't have to
   NK> change your habits.

Will gnus delete mail without an 'E' expiry mark?  Or is t only the expiry
process that does it?

While on the topic, I have never been clear on the difference between
auto-expire and total-expire.  Can you maybe explain?

Thanks!

-- 
Jake Colman                     

Principia Partners LLC                    Phone: (201) 209-2467
Harborside Financial Center                 Fax: (201) 946-0320
902 Plaza Two                          E-mail: colman@ppllc.com
Jersey City, NJ 07311                 www.principiapartners.com

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Norbert Koch]

Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:

> Will gnus delete mail without an 'E' expiry mark?  Or is t only the expiry
> process that does it?

If you activate total-expire for a group, every read (and unticked)
message is put through the expiry mechanism.

> While on the topic, I have never been clear on the difference between
> auto-expire and total-expire.  Can you maybe explain?

Hmm, I haven't looked at the code, so I can't provide more information
as the manual "(gnus)Expiring Mail":

,----
| In a nutshell, "auto-expire" means that Gnus hits `E' for
| you when you select an article.  And "total-expire" means that Gnus
| considers all articles as expirable that are read.  So, in addition to
| the articles marked `E', also the articles marked `r', `R', `O', `K',
| `Y' and so on are considered expirable.
`----

norbert.

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Jake Colman]

>>>>> "NK" == Norbert Koch <viteno@xemacs.org> writes:

   NK> Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:
   >> Will gnus delete mail without an 'E' expiry mark?  Or is t only the expiry
   >> process that does it?

   NK> If you activate total-expire for a group, every read (and unticked)
   NK> message is put through the expiry mechanism.

   >> While on the topic, I have never been clear on the difference between
   >> auto-expire and total-expire.  Can you maybe explain?

   NK> Hmm, I haven't looked at the code, so I can't provide more information
   NK> as the manual "(gnus)Expiring Mail":

   NK> ,----
   NK> | In a nutshell, "auto-expire" means that Gnus hits `E' for
   NK> | you when you select an article.  And "total-expire" means that Gnus
   NK> | considers all articles as expirable that are read.  So, in addition to
   NK> | the articles marked `E', also the articles marked `r', `R', `O', `K',
   NK> | `Y' and so on are considered expirable.
   NK> `----

Hmmmm.  So you use total-expire and only tick those you really want to keep.
I guess that makes sense.  And you can always manully press 'E' to
(eventually) expire messages that are not in a totall-expire (or auto-expire)
group.

I think I got it.  Thanks!

-- 
Jake Colman                     

Principia Partners LLC                    Phone: (201) 209-2467
Harborside Financial Center                 Fax: (201) 946-0320
902 Plaza Two                          E-mail: colman@ppllc.com
Jersey City, NJ 07311                 www.principiapartners.com

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[David S Goldberg]

>>>>> On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 11:59:28 -0500, Jake Colman
>>>>> <colman@ppllc.com> said:

>>>>> "NK" == Norbert Koch <viteno@xemacs.org> writes:
NK> Jake Colman <colman@ppllc.com> writes:
>>> Will gnus delete mail without an 'E' expiry mark?  Or is t only the expiry
>>> process that does it?

NK> If you activate total-expire for a group, every read (and unticked)
NK> message is put through the expiry mechanism.

Dormant articles are also ignored by expiry when you use total expire.

>>> While on the topic, I have never been clear on the difference between
>>> auto-expire and total-expire.  Can you maybe explain?

NK> Hmm, I haven't looked at the code, so I can't provide more information
NK> as the manual "(gnus)Expiring Mail":

NK> ,----
NK> | In a nutshell, "auto-expire" means that Gnus hits `E' for
NK> | you when you select an article.  And "total-expire" means that Gnus
NK> | considers all articles as expirable that are read.  So, in addition to
NK> | the articles marked `E', also the articles marked `r', `R', `O', `K',
NK> | `Y' and so on are considered expirable.
NK> `----

> Hmmmm.  So you use total-expire and only tick those you really want
> to keep.  

Or mark them dormant if you don't want to see them every time you
enter the group.  I realize that's sort of an abuse of the dormant
mark, which is really to flag a thread of interest but only show it
when there's new messages in the thread, but what the heck, it works.

> I guess that makes sense.  And you can always manully
> press 'E' to (eventually) expire messages that are not in a
> totall-expire (or auto-expire) group.

One caveat.  total-expire is dangerous.  If you're not careful about
what you tick you could easily lose mail you consider important.
Also, there have been bugs in the past in which marks were lost.  I
haven't been bit by any in a long time, but there may be some still
around or new ones introduced.  I believe it is still the default to
add the expiry process in gnus-summary-exit-hook.  I recommend
removing that and periodically running expiry by hand in the group
buffer with gnus-group-expire-all-groups.  It also helps to have a
group line format that lists the number of ticked/dormant articles so
you can see if you've lost them.  That combo has saved me from going
to tape on numerous occasions.

-- 
Dave Goldberg
david.goldberg6@verizon.net

Re: How do I mark messages for deletion?

[Norbert Koch]

David S Goldberg <david.goldberg6@verizon.net> writes:

> NK> If you activate total-expire for a group, every read (and unticked)
> NK> message is put through the expiry mechanism.
>
> Dormant articles are also ignored by expiry when you use total expire.

Thanks.  I thought of both ticked and dormant articles in the above
but used the wrong words.

norbert.