beginner splitting mail

beginner splitting mail

[Steven Arntson]

Hi, I'm a gnus beginner, trying to learn mail splitting. I've gotten
nowhere, and am feeling defeated. What I have as a group buffer is what
I got by default:

       0: nnmbox:mail.misc
       2: nndraft:drafts
      67: nnfolder+archive:sent.2014-06
      72: nnfolder+archive:sent.2014-05
      96: nnfolder+archive:sent.2014-04
      21: nnrss:Charles Mudede
      86: gwene.com.nytimes.services.xml.rss.nyt.books
      67: gwene.com.nytimes.services.xml.rss.nyt.science
    2240: gwene.org.emacsen.planet
    (... etc, much more, edited out ...)

What I'd like is:

     3: inbox
     2: drafts
   523: sentmail
    43: blogs
     1: emacs-related
    23: music-related

I've tried to learn about changing how things look, but when someone
says, "Regexp %//.b %" I'm lost! (I /am/ trying to learn about regexp,
BTW, but it's early days.)

Thank you so much for any help. Here's my pitiful attempt at mail
splitting from my .gnus.el, which has had no observable effect on my
group buffer:

;; splitting mail
(setq nnmail-split-methods
       '(("emacs" "^From:.*emacs")
	 ("sent.mail" "^From:.*stevenarntson.com)
         ("mail.misc" "")))

Best,
-Steven Arntson

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Steven Arntson]

asjo@koldfront.dk (Adam Sjøgren) writes:

> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>
>> I didn't go with nnml originally because of this quote from the gnus
>> manual under "mail spool": "The nnml spool mail format isn't compatible
>> with any other known format. It should be used with some caution."
>> Scared me off instantly!
>
> If you want other programs than Gnus to handle your emails on disk, you
> should not choose nnml, because Gnus assumes that it "owns" everything
> in that case.
>
> If that is fine with you, then I think nnml should be the default choice.
>
> (The alternative, if that isn't fine with you, is probably nnmaildir,
> which - as far as I understand - assumes that the files are shared
> between multiple programs.)
>
>
>   Best regards,
>
>     Adam

My original trepidation had to do with the number of email programs I've
used in my life, and a suspicion that perhaps, one day, I may even move
on from the excellent gnus (inconceivable to me now, but the future is
unknowable!). However, I agree that the danger isn't so bad, since the
files are all plain text.

I've turned off mbox, and nnmail has kicked in without a hiccup. Later
this week when I have a moment, I'll try respooling my old mails.

All in all, this has been extremely informative and encouraging.

Best!
steven


_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Adam Sjøgren]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

>> Some even donate their email to Google, or Microsoft.

> No way, that's just a bedtime scary story you'd tell a bunch of kids.

Here is an even scarier one:

 * http://mako.cc/copyrighteous/google-has-most-of-my-email-because-it-has-all-of-yours


  ;-),

   Adam

-- 
 'It was called Tinderbox so we could make the joke,           Adam Sjøgren
  "the tree is on fire". Puns are very important in       asjo@koldfront.dk
  naming tools.'


_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

asjo@koldfront.dk (Adam Sjøgren) writes:

> *I* think it is perfectly reasonable that only Gnus
> touches my ~/Mail/

...and the sweet shell tools, at your discretion. At
least I do that. But only for retrieval and I'm not
that concurrent as to use Gnus at the same time.

> Some even donate their email to Google, or Microsoft.

No way, that's just a bedtime scary story you'd tell a
bunch of kids.

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Adam Sjøgren]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

> asjo@koldfront.dk (Adam Sjøgren) writes:

>> Gnus keeps an index (.overview) and marks (.marks) in its own format,
>> and it assumes that nobody messes with the emails/files.

[...]

> ...unless those changes are made to the .overview and .marks as well,
> right?

And they are not running at the same time, yes.

Have you looked at a .marks fil in a big group? It is not that likely
that anyone implements a compatible client, I think.

> But even if that was worked out I suppose you had to have some lock
> mechanism so not to get races and the risk of inconsistent data?

Yes.

> But isn't this a bit academic anyway because isn't the whole idea to
> have the files at your disk and use Gnus as the client?

Depends on who you are. I've learned that no two people want to handle
their email the same way.

*I* think it is perfectly reasonable that only Gnus touches my ~/Mail/,
but I have heard people who like to use multiple clients like Maildir,
especially because of the multi-client possibility.

The "modern" version of that is IMAP, I guess.

> Whoa yeah, I suppose it isn't an unthinkable scenario to have it as a
> server and then access it with different clients. But on the third
> hand, do you typically spend years mastering Emacs, Gnus, and Emacs
> Gnus, just so you can use a plethora of clients? I wouldn't, for sure.

People have very different ideas of how email should work.

Some even donate their email to Google, or Microsoft.


  :-),

   Adam

-- 
 "Grr. Very annoyingly non-obvious."                          Adam Sjøgren
                                                         asjo@koldfront.dk


_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

asjo@koldfront.dk (Adam Sjøgren) writes:

> Gnus keeps an index (.overview) and marks (.marks) in
> its own format, and it assumes that nobody messes
> with the emails/files.
>
> I think that is what is meant by "not being
> compatible": you can't point another program at the
> files, have it do changes, and expect Gnus to still
> work correctly.

...unless those changes are made to the .overview and
.marks as well, right?

But even if that was worked out I suppose you had to
have some lock mechanism so not to get races and the
risk of inconsistent data?

But isn't this a bit academic anyway because isn't the
whole idea to have the files at your disk and use Gnus
as the client? Whoa yeah, I suppose it isn't an
unthinkable scenario to have it as a server and then
access it with different clients. But on the third
hand, do you typically spend years mastering Emacs,
Gnus, and Emacs Gnus, just so you can use a plethora of
clients? I wouldn't, for sure.

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573
_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Adam Sjøgren]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

> That sounds scary, but what does it mean? What I can
> see the nnml "format" is a bunch of files in a
> directory tree, everything structured logically - just
> like everything else in the Unix/Linux world. Not
> compatible? I don't think it gets more compatible than
> that.

Gnus keeps an index (.overview) and marks (.marks) in its own format,
and it assumes that nobody messes with the emails/files.

I think that is what is meant by "not being compatible": you can't point
another program at the files, have it do changes, and expect Gnus to
still work correctly.


  Best regards,

    Adam

-- 
 "I was taught at school never to start a sentence            Adam Sjøgren
  without knowing the end of it."                        asjo@koldfront.dk


_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> I didn't go with nnml originally because of this
> quote from the gnus manual under "mail spool": "The
> nnml spool mail format isn't compatible with any
> other known format. It should be used with some
> caution."  Scared me off instantly!

That sounds scary, but what does it mean? What I can
see the nnml "format" is a bunch of files in a
directory tree, everything structured logically - just
like everything else in the Unix/Linux world. Not
compatible? I don't think it gets more compatible than
that. Perhaps it is the little word "spool" - if you
were to put all that neat stuff onto a tape (like a tar
- which reads tape archive, for the record - haha, pun)
- serious now, if you put it onto a tape, perhaps it
means, "except for nnml, no (other) backend can make
sense of that data" - but actually it can: with nnml!
So I don't understand that statement. But trust me,
nnml isn't scary :)

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Adam Sjøgren]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> I didn't go with nnml originally because of this quote from the gnus
> manual under "mail spool": "The nnml spool mail format isn't compatible
> with any other known format. It should be used with some caution."
> Scared me off instantly!

If you want other programs than Gnus to handle your emails on disk, you
should not choose nnml, because Gnus assumes that it "owns" everything
in that case.

If that is fine with you, then I think nnml should be the default choice.

(The alternative, if that isn't fine with you, is probably nnmaildir,
which - as far as I understand - assumes that the files are shared
between multiple programs.)


  Best regards,

    Adam

-- 
 "Why should they care                                        Adam Sjøgren
  With bitter eyes                                       asjo@koldfront.dk
  They've already paid the price
  Money always takes the place of life"


_______________________________________________
info-gnus-english mailing list
info-gnus-english@gnu.org
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnus-english

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Steven Arntson]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>> Is there a way to refile or reprocess those old
>> emails so they fall under the new heading?

> (defun respool-mail ()
>   (interactive)
>   (save-excursion
>     (let ((lines (count-lines (point-min) (point-max))))
>       (goto-char (point-min))
>       (gnus-summary-respool-article
>        lines
>        (gnus-find-method-for-group "nnml:mail.misc") ))))

Thanks for this! When I've worked out the below, I will run it.

>
>> It seems like my .gnus file is presently telling the
>> system to use two similarly-purposed backends ... how
>> do I manage get myself into these situations?! :) Do
>> you have any opinion about nnml vs. nnmbox for
>> someone accessing gnus locally as the sole user of a
>> reasonably modern PC?
>
> I'm a practical guy so at the moment it works I stop
> thinking about it, so I can't tell you. nnml works for
> me because I like the mails 1) on my disk, and 2) in
> separate files. The reason is I would like to be able
> to use Emacs and the shell tools on my mails and
> sentmails, directly, as files. For example if I
> remember some guy but only his first name, I can grep
> for that, and so on. But if you are curious, read the
> URL I posted, it has sections both for nnml and nnmbox.

I didn't go with nnml originally because of this quote from the gnus
manual under "mail spool": "The nnml spool mail format isn't compatible
with any other known format. It should be used with some caution."
Scared me off instantly! But now that there are 2 votes for it, I may
try anyway, especially as it's already in my .gnus (turns out I do have
both, but the init has decided to favor mbox). I do want to
be able to effectively search old mails.

Thank you!
steven arntson

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> So it looks like this /is/ working; I spake too
> soon. I thought it would retroactively refile all of
> the old month-by-month emails I had, which it didn't,
> but it is successfully routing new sent
> mails. Excellent!
>
> Is there a way to refile or reprocess those old
> emails so they fall under the new heading?

Yes, this is called "respooling" - but, in what state
are your old emails? If you have them in a Gnus group,
then perhaps the below defun can help you. The
operative piece of Elisp is of course
`gnus-summary-respool-article', you can use
`describe-function' to find out more. But, if you don't
have the old stuff in a group, you have to not respool
but, uhm, *spool* it from the disk or wherever. This is
of course possible but someone else has to help you on
that. (I suppose you can check out how the new stuff is
organized and arrange the old stuff like that with some
sed or awk or whatever. But this should not be needed
as Gnus most likely has this situation accounted for.)

(defun respool-mail ()
  (interactive)
  (save-excursion
    (let ((lines (count-lines (point-min) (point-max))))
      (goto-char (point-min))
      (gnus-summary-respool-article
       lines
       (gnus-find-method-for-group "nnml:mail.misc") ))))

> It seems like my .gnus file is presently telling the
> system to use two similarly-purposed backends ... how
> do I manage get myself into these situations?! :) Do
> you have any opinion about nnml vs. nnmbox for
> someone accessing gnus locally as the sole user of a
> reasonably modern PC?

I'm a practical guy so at the moment it works I stop
thinking about it, so I can't tell you. nnml works for
me because I like the mails 1) on my disk, and 2) in
separate files. The reason is I would like to be able
to use Emacs and the shell tools on my mails and
sentmails, directly, as files. For example if I
remember some guy but only his first name, I can grep
for that, and so on. But if you are curious, read the
URL I posted, it has sections both for nnml and nnmbox.

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Sharon Kimble]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 5047 bytes --]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:
>
> Okay, things are looking up .. ! (see below)
>
>> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>>
>>>> Some comments: 1. ("emacs" "^From:.*emacs") Is it
>>>> smarter to base that on *subject*? As in mine:
>>>> ("emacs-w3m" "^Subject:.*emacs-w3m.*") Also note the
>>>> .* after the string.  (But this may be your
>>>> situation that is different, just sayin'.)
>>>
>>> I thought "from" would work best--if a news item is
>>> from gmane.emacs.gnus.user, then it would go to the
>>> "emacs" group. But something like this post, with the
>>> subject "beginner splitting mail" would not be caught
>>> by an "emacs" "^Subject" designation, unless I'm
>>> misunderstanding how that works? (very likely!)
>>
>> No, you are right - in my case, there is a listbot for
>> Emacs-w3m, and they always put "emacs-w3m" in the
>> subject!
>>
>> So for groups, your solution might makes sense, but
>> then again:
>>
>> 1) Don't you still need the closing .* after "emacs" to
>> match gmane.emacs.gnus.user? (Not a rhetorical
>> question.)
>>
>> 2) Do you really get the group in the From: header?
>> (Ditto.) Compare how I got your post:
>>
>> From: Steven Arntson <x@y.z>
>> Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.gnus
>
> Yes, you're right about this. But perhaps it doesn't matter, now that
> I'm learning about "topics" ... (below)
>>
>> 3) Perhaps it is easier to just *keep* the groups -
>> they are already groups! I don't think it makes sense
>> to mix gnu.emacs.help, gnu.emacs.gnus,
>> gnu.emacs.sources, etc., just because they deal with
>> Emacs. Those distinctions help you keep a clear head.
>>
>> 4) If you would like some order that the original
>> Usenet group hierarchies can't provide, you can group
>> groups with labels (or topics, I don't do this, so I
>> don't know the correct terminology). That what, you'd
>> keep some order if you have tons of groups, but on a
>> closer look, the groups would still be distinct.
>
> This is exactly right. I just spent a quality fifteen minutes
> rearranging everything according to topics---very nice! This will be #1
> of the 365 things I learn about gnus in the coming year. :)
>
>>
>>> 2. How to save you own mails - this works for me:
>>>> (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("nnml:mail.sent") )
>>>
>>> I added this to my .gnus.el--thank you. But no results
>>> yet. (see below?)
>>
>> You are able to read Usenet, but not mail? Or are you
>> able to read both, just splitting ain't working?
>>
> So it looks like this /is/ working; I spake too soon. I thought it would
> retroactively refile all of the old month-by-month emails I had, which
> it didn't, but it is successfully routing new sent mails. Excellent!
>
> Is there a way to refile or reprocess those old emails so they fall under the new heading?
>
>>>> 3. Why it doesn't work at all - did you specify that
>>>> you use nnml? I have: (setq
>>>> gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml ""))
>>>> mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent read-mail-command
>>>> 'gnus)
>>>
>>> I wonder if my troubles lie here. My .gnus.el file is
>>> cobbled from various sources, and I am illiterate
>>> regarding its meaning. The relevant (I think) portion
>>> I have is:
>>>
>>> ;;init stuff (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp
>>> "news.gwene.org")) (add-to-list
>>> gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnml ""))
>>> (add-to-list gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnmbox
>>> "" (nnmbox-mbox-file "~/MAIL") (nnmbox-active-file
>>> "~/Mail.active"))) (setq mail-sources '((pop :server
>>> "my.server.com" :user "me@mywebsite.com")))
>>
>> Someone else will have to fill you in on the exact
>> workings of this. Aren't nnml and nnmbox different
>> backends for mail on Unix systems?
>>
>> This is a good text, but might be too technical and not
>> enough practical at this stage - anyway, keep it as a
>> bookmark:        
>>
>> http://gnus.org/manual/gnus_202.html
>>
>> Hunch: focus on either nnml or nnmbox.
>>
> It seems like my .gnus file is presently telling the system to use two
> similarly-purposed backends ... how do I manage get myself into these
> situations?! :) Do you have any opinion about nnml vs. nnmbox for
> someone accessing gnus locally as the sole user of a reasonably modern
> PC?

I've been using GNUs now for 5 months and I find that nnml is the best
backend, one file per email, it simplifies things no end :) I too am the
only user of this machine which is now 18 months old, with 4 gigs of
ram, so I like things to be nice and simple and using a light-weight DE
which is extremely customisable, but I digress. Whether you go with nnml
or nnmbox, stick with your decision and learn all you can about it, and
become expert at that backend.

Sharon.
-- 
A taste of linux = http://www.sharons.org.uk
my git repo = https://bitbucket.org/boudiccas/dots
TGmeds = http://www.tgmeds.org.uk
Debian testing, fluxbox 1.3.5, emacs 24.3.92.1

[-- Attachment #1.2: signature.asc --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 818 bytes --]

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Steven Arntson]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

Okay, things are looking up .. ! (see below)

> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>
>>> Some comments: 1. ("emacs" "^From:.*emacs") Is it
>>> smarter to base that on *subject*? As in mine:
>>> ("emacs-w3m" "^Subject:.*emacs-w3m.*") Also note the
>>> .* after the string.  (But this may be your
>>> situation that is different, just sayin'.)
>>
>> I thought "from" would work best--if a news item is
>> from gmane.emacs.gnus.user, then it would go to the
>> "emacs" group. But something like this post, with the
>> subject "beginner splitting mail" would not be caught
>> by an "emacs" "^Subject" designation, unless I'm
>> misunderstanding how that works? (very likely!)
>
> No, you are right - in my case, there is a listbot for
> Emacs-w3m, and they always put "emacs-w3m" in the
> subject!
>
> So for groups, your solution might makes sense, but
> then again:
>
> 1) Don't you still need the closing .* after "emacs" to
> match gmane.emacs.gnus.user? (Not a rhetorical
> question.)
>
> 2) Do you really get the group in the From: header?
> (Ditto.) Compare how I got your post:
>
> From: Steven Arntson <x@y.z>
> Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.gnus

Yes, you're right about this. But perhaps it doesn't matter, now that
I'm learning about "topics" ... (below)
>
> 3) Perhaps it is easier to just *keep* the groups -
> they are already groups! I don't think it makes sense
> to mix gnu.emacs.help, gnu.emacs.gnus,
> gnu.emacs.sources, etc., just because they deal with
> Emacs. Those distinctions help you keep a clear head.
>
> 4) If you would like some order that the original
> Usenet group hierarchies can't provide, you can group
> groups with labels (or topics, I don't do this, so I
> don't know the correct terminology). That what, you'd
> keep some order if you have tons of groups, but on a
> closer look, the groups would still be distinct.

This is exactly right. I just spent a quality fifteen minutes
rearranging everything according to topics---very nice! This will be #1
of the 365 things I learn about gnus in the coming year. :)

>
>> 2. How to save you own mails - this works for me:
>>> (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("nnml:mail.sent") )
>>
>> I added this to my .gnus.el--thank you. But no results
>> yet. (see below?)
>
> You are able to read Usenet, but not mail? Or are you
> able to read both, just splitting ain't working?
>
So it looks like this /is/ working; I spake too soon. I thought it would
retroactively refile all of the old month-by-month emails I had, which
it didn't, but it is successfully routing new sent mails. Excellent!

Is there a way to refile or reprocess those old emails so they fall under the new heading?

>>> 3. Why it doesn't work at all - did you specify that
>>> you use nnml? I have: (setq
>>> gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml ""))
>>> mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent read-mail-command
>>> 'gnus)
>>
>> I wonder if my troubles lie here. My .gnus.el file is
>> cobbled from various sources, and I am illiterate
>> regarding its meaning. The relevant (I think) portion
>> I have is:
>>
>> ;;init stuff (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp
>> "news.gwene.org")) (add-to-list
>> gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnml ""))
>> (add-to-list gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnmbox
>> "" (nnmbox-mbox-file "~/MAIL") (nnmbox-active-file
>> "~/Mail.active"))) (setq mail-sources '((pop :server
>> "my.server.com" :user "me@mywebsite.com")))
>
> Someone else will have to fill you in on the exact
> workings of this. Aren't nnml and nnmbox different
> backends for mail on Unix systems?
>
> This is a good text, but might be too technical and not
> enough practical at this stage - anyway, keep it as a
> bookmark:        
>
> http://gnus.org/manual/gnus_202.html
>
> Hunch: focus on either nnml or nnmbox.
>
It seems like my .gnus file is presently telling the system to use two
similarly-purposed backends ... how do I manage get myself into these
situations?! :) Do you have any opinion about nnml vs. nnmbox for
someone accessing gnus locally as the sole user of a reasonably modern
PC?

>>> 4. Check out how I did it here -
>>> http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/conf/emacs-init/gnus.el
>>> - it might help you. And if you or anyone else sees
>>> something inadvisable, do tell...  Good luck!
>>
>> I have a lot to learn...
>
> Yeah, but don't get overwhelmed. It is just like in
> boxing, it doesn't matter how far behind you are on the
> scorecards, you can only land one punch at a time
> anyway. In time, it'll be enough if you acquire a
> single new piece of knowledge every day (= 365 items in
> a year!).

Yes, I do feel like I'm slowly moving forward. The journey of a thousand
miles begnus with a single step ...

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

>> Some comments: 1. ("emacs" "^From:.*emacs") Is it
>> smarter to base that on *subject*? As in mine:
>> ("emacs-w3m" "^Subject:.*emacs-w3m.*") Also note the
>> .* after the string.  (But this may be your
>> situation that is different, just sayin'.)
>
> I thought "from" would work best--if a news item is
> from gmane.emacs.gnus.user, then it would go to the
> "emacs" group. But something like this post, with the
> subject "beginner splitting mail" would not be caught
> by an "emacs" "^Subject" designation, unless I'm
> misunderstanding how that works? (very likely!)

No, you are right - in my case, there is a listbot for
Emacs-w3m, and they always put "emacs-w3m" in the
subject!

So for groups, your solution might makes sense, but
then again:

1) Don't you still need the closing .* after "emacs" to
match gmane.emacs.gnus.user? (Not a rhetorical
question.)

2) Do you really get the group in the From: header?
(Ditto.) Compare how I got your post:

From: Steven Arntson <x@y.z>
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.gnus

3) Perhaps it is easier to just *keep* the groups -
they are already groups! I don't think it makes sense
to mix gnu.emacs.help, gnu.emacs.gnus,
gnu.emacs.sources, etc., just because they deal with
Emacs. Those distinctions help you keep a clear head.

4) If you would like some order that the original
Usenet group hierarchies can't provide, you can group
groups with labels (or topics, I don't do this, so I
don't know the correct terminology). That what, you'd
keep some order if you have tons of groups, but on a
closer look, the groups would still be distinct.

> 2. How to save you own mails - this works for me:
>> (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("nnml:mail.sent") )
>
> I added this to my .gnus.el--thank you. But no results
> yet. (see below?)

You are able to read Usenet, but not mail? Or are you
able to read both, just splitting ain't working?

>> 3. Why it doesn't work at all - did you specify that
>> you use nnml? I have: (setq
>> gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml ""))
>> mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent read-mail-command
>> 'gnus)
>
> I wonder if my troubles lie here. My .gnus.el file is
> cobbled from various sources, and I am illiterate
> regarding its meaning. The relevant (I think) portion
> I have is:
>
> ;;init stuff (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp
> "news.gwene.org")) (add-to-list
> gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnml ""))
> (add-to-list gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnmbox
> "" (nnmbox-mbox-file "~/MAIL") (nnmbox-active-file
> "~/Mail.active"))) (setq mail-sources '((pop :server
> "my.server.com" :user "me@mywebsite.com")))

Someone else will have to fill you in on the exact
workings of this. Aren't nnml and nnmbox different
backends for mail on Unix systems?

This is a good text, but might be too technical and not
enough practical at this stage - anyway, keep it as a
bookmark:

http://gnus.org/manual/gnus_202.html

Hunch: focus on either nnml or nnmbox.

>> 4. Check out how I did it here -
>> http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/conf/emacs-init/gnus.el
>> - it might help you. And if you or anyone else sees
>> something inadvisable, do tell...  Good luck!
>
> I have a lot to learn...

Yeah, but don't get overwhelmed. It is just like in
boxing, it doesn't matter how far behind you are on the
scorecards, you can only land one punch at a time
anyway. In time, it'll be enough if you acquire a
single new piece of knowledge every day (= 365 items in
a year!).

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Steven Arntson]

Emanuel Berg <embe8573@student.uu.se> writes:

> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>
>> (setq nnmail-split-methods
>>        '(("emacs" "^From:.*emacs")
>> 	 ("sent.mail" "^From:.*stevenarntson.com)
>>          ("mail.misc" "")))
>
> Some comments:
>
> 1. ("emacs" "^From:.*emacs")
>
> Is it smarter to base that on *subject*? As in mine:
>
> ("emacs-w3m" "^Subject:.*emacs-w3m.*")
>
> Also note the .* after the string.
>
> (But this may be your situation that is different, just
> sayin'.)

I thought "from" would work best--if a news item is from
gmane.emacs.gnus.user, then it would go to the "emacs" group. But
something like this post, with the subject "beginner splitting mail"
would not be caught by an "emacs" "^Subject" designation, unless I'm
misunderstanding how that works? (very likely!)
>
> 2. How to save you own mails - this works for me:
>
> (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("nnml:mail.sent") )
>

I added this to my .gnus.el--thank you. But no results yet. (see below?)

> 3. Why it doesn't work at all - did you specify that
> you use nnml? I have:
>
> (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
>       '((nnml ""))
>       mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent
>       read-mail-command 'gnus)

I wonder if my troubles lie here. My .gnus.el file is cobbled from
various sources, and I am illiterate regarding its meaning. The
relevant (I think) portion I have is:

;;init stuff
(setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.gwene.org"))
(add-to-list 'gnus-secondary-select-methods '(nnml ""))
(add-to-list 'gnus-secondary-select-methods
                  '(nnmbox ""
                    (nnmbox-mbox-file "~/MAIL")
                    (nnmbox-active-file "~/Mail.active")))
(setq mail-sources '((pop :server "my.server.com" :user
"me@mywebsite.com")))

I see it's different from yours ... but it is incorrect?

Thank you for taking the time!
Best,
steven


>
> 4. Check out how I did it here -
> http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/conf/emacs-init/gnus.el
> - it might help you. And if you or anyone else sees
> something inadvisable, do tell...
>
> Good luck!

I have a lot to learn...

Re: beginner splitting mail

[Emanuel Berg]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> (setq nnmail-split-methods
>        '(("emacs" "^From:.*emacs")
> 	 ("sent.mail" "^From:.*stevenarntson.com)
>          ("mail.misc" "")))

Some comments:

1. ("emacs" "^From:.*emacs")

Is it smarter to base that on *subject*? As in mine:

("emacs-w3m" "^Subject:.*emacs-w3m.*")

Also note the .* after the string.

(But this may be your situation that is different, just
sayin'.)

2. How to save you own mails - this works for me:

(setq gnus-message-archive-group '("nnml:mail.sent") )

3. Why it doesn't work at all - did you specify that
you use nnml? I have:

(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
      '((nnml ""))
      mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent
      read-mail-command 'gnus)

4. Check out how I did it here -
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/conf/emacs-init/gnus.el
- it might help you. And if you or anyone else sees
something inadvisable, do tell...

Good luck!

-- 
underground experts united:
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573