Re: example queries for nnir

[Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann)]

Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> writes:

> Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann) writes:
> 
> > The to field contains the To and Cc mail headers.  The from field
> > contains the From mail header.  The subject field contains the Subject
> > mail header.
> > 
> > The global field contains all of the above headers, plus the body of
> > each message.
> 
> So, there is no way to search just the body by itself?

This depends on the format file.  In a `region...end' stanza, the BOTH
keyword means that the words are index both in the given field and in
the global field.  If you put LOCAL there, the words are only put into
the given field, and not in the global field.

Btw, I think `stemming SOUNDEX' is not a working combination.  Use
just `SOUNDEX' instead.

> [...] snipped good examples
> 
> 
> > > ;; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The
> > > ;; second variable to set is `nnir-search-engine'.  Choose one of the
> > > ;; engines listed in `nnir-engines'.
> > 
> > I have now included an explicit pointer to the variable
> > documentation.  I have also tried to beef up the documentation for
> > nnir-engines.  Did it help?  New version on ftp server,
> > ftp://ls6-ftp.cs.uni-dortmund.de/pub/src/emacs/
> 
> Checking that version, I see what is changed but it still doesn't make
> it clear how using the engines in that alist might look when included
> in nnir variables.

Are you saying that (setq nnir-search-engine 'wais) and (setq
nnir-search-engine 'imap) is not sufficient and that I should include
the full list of allowed symbols?

> Going form this:
>   nnir-engines's value is 
>   ((glimpse nnir-run-glimpse
>             ((group . "Group spec: ")))
>    (wais nnir-run-waissearch nil)
>    (excite nnir-run-excite-search nil)
>    (imap nnir-run-imap nil))
> 
> to this:
> (setq nnir-search-engine 'glimpse)
> 
> Is not apparent from nnir.el  comments, unless you know a little lisp.

Hm.  Okay.  Hm.  What can I do?  List the allowed symbols for the
default value in the doc string?  Tell the user what to type to learn
which symbols are allowed?

> Including some simple examples of actual settings might be more
> usefull.

I have tried to do this in the doc string for nnir-engines.

> Indicating which are default setting would help too. Nnir.el does
> this for the some of the variables pertaining to glimpse and wais
> already.

If you don't change a variable, type C-h v to get the default value.
If you change a variable, M-x find-variable RET might help.

> ## variable nnir-mail-backend example settings:
> 
> ## If gnus-secondary-select-methods is set to only one of either nnml
> ## or nnmh backend then nnir will default to that backend (Kai, is
> ## this true?)

No, the default value for nnir-mail-backend is (nnml ""), regardless
of the gnus-secondary-select-methods setting.

Should I change the default value to be (car
gnus-secondary-select-methods)? 

> ## If more than one mail backend is used then nnir-mail-backend can be 
> ## set like this (must be nnml or nnmh):
> ## (setq nnir-mail-backend  '(BACKEND "NAME"))  <==(probably not accurate)
> ## (setq nnir-mail-backend '(nnml "my-server"))

Also see the documentation for nnir-mail-backend which says that it
might be best to get the value from gnus-secondary-select-methods.

You must include _all_ server parameters.

> ## variable nnir-search-engines example settings:
> ## (setq nnir-search-engine 'BACKEND)
> ## (setq nnir-search-engine 'glimpse)
> ## (setq nnir-search-engine 'wais)

I have included `wais' and `imap' examples in the documentation for
nnir-engines. 

> Similar examples following the sections on glimpse and wais, in there
> `setq' format for inclusion in gnus would be nice too:
> Something like:
> 
> (setq nnir-glimpse-remove-prefix "/PATH/DIRECTORY/")
> 
> or
> 
> (setq nnir-glimpse-home "/PATH/DIRECTORY/"/

I have now tried to do this.  What do you think about the new version?

> It would also be handy if all nnir vars were settable with M-x
> set-variable so users wouldn't have to go to customize or know the
> elisp code to eval with M-: 

Oops.

> That would make it easier to experiment with various settings for a
> given session.  M-x customize  is fairly cumbersome.

Right.

kai
-- 
I like BOTH kinds of music.