How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

Hi all,

I am using No Gnus v0.6 under Debian GNU/linux unstable.

I usually move spam into my ISP's spam folder via my webmail interface
to help train the webmail spam filter, before asking gnus to download
the remainder from the POP3 server.

Hence, I set

(setq nnml-get-new-mail nil)

so that I can update news (from different locations to my ISP) without
downloading mail as well. However, then in the *Group* buffer
executing M-g on a mail group does not download any mail messages,
whereas M-g on a news group updates the headers for that group.

If I set

(setq nnml-get-new-mail t)

then M-g does work on mail groups, but unfortunately this setting also
automatically downloads all mail messages when I start up gnus for the
first time.

I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail manually on
demand, so I am at the moment using the above variable set to nil on
gnus startup and then switch it to t when I want to download mail, and
then switch it back to nil again. Not very elegant!

Would anyone know of a better way to do what I want? Many thanks.
-- 
G Hassenpflug 

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[David Z Maze]

Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:

> If I set
>
> (setq nnml-get-new-mail t)
>
> then M-g does work on mail groups, but unfortunately this setting also
> automatically downloads all mail messages when I start up gnus for the
> first time.
>
> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail manually on
> demand, so I am at the moment using the above variable set to nil on
> gnus startup and then switch it to t when I want to download mail, and
> then switch it back to nil again. Not very elegant!

You could write a Lisp function to do that for you (untested):

(defun (gh-get-new-news &optional arg)
  (interactive)
  (let ((nnml-get-new-mail t))
    (gnus-group-get-new-news arg)))
(define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'gh-get-new-news)

...and similarly for M-g if you want to use that.

  --dzm

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

>>>>> "David" == David Z Maze <dmaze@mit.edu> writes:

    David> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
    >> If I set
    >> 
    >> (setq nnml-get-new-mail t)
    >> 
    >> then M-g does work on mail groups, but unfortunately this
    >> setting also automatically downloads all mail messages when I
    >> start up gnus for the first time.
    >> 
    >> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail
    >> manually on demand, so I am at the moment using the above
    >> variable set to nil on gnus startup and then switch it to t
    >> when I want to download mail, and then switch it back to nil
    >> again. Not very elegant!

    David> You could write a Lisp function to do that for you
    David> (untested):

    David> (defun (gh-get-new-news &optional arg) (interactive) (let
    David> ((nnml-get-new-mail t)) (gnus-group-get-new-news arg)))
    David> (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'gh-get-new-news)

    David> ...and similarly for M-g if you want to use that.

Hi David, that sounds like good idea. I thought it might be in gnus
already, since there are more functions there than I know about :-)
Anything to avoid lisp, initially, anyway.

Thanks again,
-- 
G Hassenpflug 

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[John Sullivan]

Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:

> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail manually on
> demand, so I am at the moment using the above variable set to nil on
> gnus startup and then switch it to t when I want to download mail, and
> then switch it back to nil again. Not very elegant!

It sounds like you might want to use group levels. You can set your mail groups
at one level and your news groups at another level. I'm not positive you can
set the mail groups at a level such that they don't get checked on startup, but
I think so.

See (info "(gnus)Group Levels").

-- 
-John Sullivan
-http://www.wjsullivan.net
-GPG Key: AE8600B6

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

John Sullivan <usenet@wjsullivan.net> writes:

> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
>
>> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail manually on
>> demand, so I am at the moment using the above variable set to nil on
>> gnus startup and then switch it to t when I want to download mail, and
>> then switch it back to nil again. Not very elegant!
>
> It sounds like you might want to use group levels. You can set your mail groups
> at one level and your news groups at another level. I'm not positive you can
> set the mail groups at a level such that they don't get checked on startup, but
> I think so.
>
> See (info "(gnus)Group Levels").

Hmmm, I'll give that a go. I think I'm using that (sorry it's my home
machine not the work one I'm using to post now) to make my mails
visible always, will check it out. Thanks for the tip.
-- 
BOFH excuse #36:

dynamic software linking table corrupted

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

>>>>> "John" == John Sullivan <usenet@wjsullivan.net> writes:

    John> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
    >> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail
    >> manually on demand, so I am at the moment using the above
    >> variable set to nil on gnus startup and then switch it to t
    >> when I want to download mail, and then switch it back to nil
    >> again. Not very elegant!

    John> It sounds like you might want to use group levels. You can
    John> set your mail groups at one level and your news groups at
    John> another level. I'm not positive you can set the mail groups
    John> at a level such that they don't get checked on startup, but
    John> I think so.

    John> See (info "(gnus)Group Levels").

Hello John,

I tried  to do  this, and  set the Mail  groups all  the 4  while news
groups are set to 3. Then, with  "C-u 3 g" I expected to only look for
articles in groups with setting  of 3 or lower. Nevertheless, mail was
downloaded regardless, sadly.

Should this be the expected behaviour? In other words, in this
instance gnus does not treat mail the same as newsgroups (I am using
gnus to fetch mail from my POP server). If I set the variable
nnml-get-new-mail to nil, then I find I cannot get new mail, even
with the M-g command. Very confusing!

So I am still using David Maze's suggestion of a command to reset this
variable whenever I want to download or avoid downloading mail!

If anyone has other ideas, please let me know here, I am thinking
surely others have resolved this problem - in other words, I think I
am missing something obvious.
-- 
G Hassenpflug 

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[John Sullivan]

Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:

>>>>>> "John" == John Sullivan <usenet@wjsullivan.net> writes:
>
>     John> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
>     >> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail
>     >> manually on demand, so I am at the moment using the above
>     >> variable set to nil on gnus startup and then switch it to t
>     >> when I want to download mail, and then switch it back to nil
>     >> again. Not very elegant!
>
>     John> It sounds like you might want to use group levels. You can
>     John> set your mail groups at one level and your news groups at
>     John> another level. I'm not positive you can set the mail groups
>     John> at a level such that they don't get checked on startup, but
>     John> I think so.
>
>     John> See (info "(gnus)Group Levels").
>
> Hello John,
>
> I tried  to do  this, and  set the Mail  groups all  the 4  while news
> groups are set to 3. Then, with  "C-u 3 g" I expected to only look for
> articles in groups with setting  of 3 or lower. Nevertheless, mail was
> downloaded regardless, sadly.
>

Hm, I would expect the same thing you did. You're sure you didn't miss any when
setting them to 4? 

-- 
-John Sullivan
-http://www.wjsullivan.net
-GPG Key: AE8600B6

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

>>>>> "John" == John Sullivan <usenet@wjsullivan.net> writes:

    John> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
    >>>>>>> "John" == John Sullivan <usenet@wjsullivan.net> writes:
    >>
    John> Gernot Hassenpflug <gernot@mb3.seikyou.ne.jp> writes:
    >> >> I did not find any command relevant to downloading mail >>
    >> manually on demand, so I am at the moment using the above >>
    >> variable set to nil on gnus startup and then switch it to t >>
    >> when I want to download mail, and then switch it back to nil >>
    >> again. Not very elegant!
    >> 
    John> It sounds like you might want to use group levels. You can
    John> set your mail groups at one level and your news groups at
    John> another level. I'm not positive you can set the mail groups
    John> at a level such that they don't get checked on startup, but
    John> I think so.
    >>
    John> See (info "(gnus)Group Levels").
    >>  Hello John,
    >> 
    >> I tried to do this, and set the Mail groups all the 4 while
    >> news groups are set to 3. Then, with "C-u 3 g" I expected to
    >> only look for articles in groups with setting of 3 or
    >> lower. Nevertheless, mail was downloaded regardless, sadly.
    >> 

    John> Hm, I would expect the same thing you did. You're sure you
    John> didn't miss any when setting them to 4?

Well, that was a good question, and you were right: on doing "C-u RET"
on my mail groups there were three that had no new messages in them
and were still on level 3. So I changed them to level 4.

However, the problem did not go away, doing a "C-u 3 g" command still
downloaded the messages from the POP server.

Perhaps I need to save the .newsrc file first, or even exit emacs
(which I'm loath to do right now) and then try again. I have all mail
groups set properly at level 4 now.

Very strange. Can anyone confirm that this actually works?

Many thanks,
     Gernot
-- 
G Hassenpflug 

Re: How to manually download new mail with nnml-get-new-mail set to nil?

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

After restarting emacs and gnus, no difference, all mails downloaded
despite using "C-u 3 g" and all nnml groups being set to level 4.

Only way I can get this to work is by setting nnml-get-new-mail to nil
and then doing "g" to get new news.
-- 
G Hassenpflug