Re: Learning gnus for email only

[harel barzilai]

Hi Springfield and Reiner

Springfield wrote:
> Hi harel,
>
> "harel barzilai" <barzilai@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > Reiner Steib wrote:
> >
> >> I'd suggest the following setup:
> >>
> >> (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
> >> (setq mail-sources nil)
> >>
> >> (add-to-list
> >>  'gnus-secondary-select-methods
> >>  '(nnmaildir "test"
> >>         (directory "~/Maildir")
> >>         (create-directory "../foo")
> >>         (directory-files nnheader-directory-files-safe)
> >>         (get-new-mail nil)))
> >
> > Thanks, but it's not clear to me what you're suggesting I create as
> > "foo"?
> >
> >> I'm not sure about the correct server parameter (I don't use maildir).
> >
> > Hmm, what does this have to do with servers? I thought we are just
> > trying to tell gnus *not* to look on any server but just to know which
> > local
> > files/directories to look for, to find email messages?
>
> I use this with a late gnus:

By "late" gnus do you mean a recent version? The version
I am given by dreamhost.com is 5.9.0

> (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
>       '((nnmaildir ""
>                    (directory "~/.nnmaildir/")
>                    (expire-age never)
>                    )))

> In ~/.nnmaildir/ I have symlinks to my Maildirs like this:
>
> catalyst@lists.rawmode.org -> /home/xxx/Mail/lists/catalyst@lists.rawmode.org
> emacs-devel@gnu.org -> /home/xxx/Mail/lists/emacs-devel@gnu.org
> personal -> /home/xxx/Mail/personal
>
> This is ideal as I like procmail to process my emails rather than
> splitting.

I am very new to gnus and was confused by this. What I *think* you are
saying is that gnus has a method called "splitting" but that you do not
use
the built-in gnus feature called "splitting" and that you use procmail
instead of gnus,
is that what you are saying?

If so, I have no personal preference, except I want the simplest
possible
thing, and I am not familiar with procmail (it is not a bad idea to
assume I know zero except for basic
use of Gnu emacs itself including rmail).

If I leave my ..nmaildir empty will your setup still work? If not, then
that's a problem since
I don't know how to put procmail directions in there (and I do not need
to learn how to process
mailing lists now..I am extremely eager to just get some basic email
functioning; I can always
work on learning more and post questions here, in a few months about
email list and procmail
versus 'splitting')

I'm also confused about what exactly to put in my .gnus, which code to
add and which to replace so I need an entire start-to-finish .gnus.el
...here is the one I have now (Reiner, note the difference too)

===start of file===

(setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
(setq mail-sources nil)

(add-to-list
 'gnus-secondary-select-methods
 '(nnmaildir "test"
             (directory "~/Maildir")
             (create-directory "../foo")
             (directory-files nnheader-directory-files-safe)
             (get-new-mail nil)))

;;  (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
;;                   :subdirs ("cur" "new"))

(setq mail-sources '(maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
                  :subdirs ("cur" "new")))

===end of file===


In particular I had already removed the part

>   (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
>                    :subdirs ("cur" "new"))

and replaced it with what I labeled [[1]] in my previous post. The
[[1]] is the last two lines
in the above .gnus.el

Since I don't know any elisp (I am not counting copy/paste inclusions)
I don't
know how to get info about the code other than "byte-compile" (also
they tell you to byte-compile to make things faster, but maybe there
is a reason to NOT do this to .emacs and .gnus  if so what are the
reasons? And, how can I get the same "test to see if there are error
messages" so I can tell you what those messages are, what method
instead of byte-compile? I think it's something like C-x C-e but for
a whole buffer,  or will I just put the entire .gnus.el in a
"*scratch*"
buffer (which says "(Lisp interaction)") and C-x C-e?)

If I am supposed to use something like

 (add-to-list 'mail-sources '(maildir ...))

is that INSTEAD of

(setq mail-sources '(maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
                  :subdirs ("cur" "new")))

and if so what is the entire command, what do I put instead of "..."?

I unfortunately cannot learn elisp extensively, I just need basic code
to copy/paste
into my entire .gnus.el and have a running, working email environment.
I understand
Reiner that you do not use the Maildir. I do *not* fully understand
what you said
in your most recent email but I think I partially understand it. I
think you
are saying that in order to know what do put instead of "foo" I need
to learn about  these server variable entities that "go with" maildir.

Honestly my head is throbbing and if I were not on
(semi)break between semesters I would
have given up a while ago, I am trying very hard to follow. Gnus
 is not something that your average person who is
"very comfortable with emacs but nothing else"can simply
copy/paste a .gnus.el from the www and be done...but we
have all invested a lot and it seems we just need a little Maildir
info and then all should be ready.

>So in the example above, `directory', `create-directory',
>`directory-files' and `get-new-mail' are server parameters

ok I did

(info "(gnus)Server Variables"); <== Press C-x C-e here!

but honestly this is interesting, but it is way beyond what I have time
to learn right now
the entire elisp/gnus aspects. What I *did* learn is that I have to set
some
entities to ~/Maildir/ and that it is NOT enough to only set one thing
only. Other
than that I'm lost.

Again I do not have

;;  (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
;;                   :subdirs ("cur" "new"))


in my .gnus.el any more, and did not have it last night either, but
still
am getting

Compiling file /home/user_a/.gnus.el at Sat Jan  6 00:16:06 2007
  ** assignment to free variable mail-sources

so that's my first question and what to put instead of "foo" is the
other question. Could
someone, anyone, post a start-to-finish .gnus.el that I could use, by
modifying
the one I currently have, which I'll include again below? I really
don't want to give
up on gnus but I have a very simple need (using gnus for
reading/sending email
only, and am forced to use Maildir format for email that my
dreamhost.com puts in my ~/Maildir/ direcotry for me) for the time
being. Thanks,
Harel
P.S. thanks Reiner also for the news-reader alternative for the gnus
group I will look into it next
my .gnus.el below


===start

(setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
(setq mail-sources nil)

(add-to-list
 'gnus-secondary-select-methods
 '(nnmaildir "test"
             (directory "~/Maildir")
             (create-directory "../foo")
             (directory-files nnheader-directory-files-safe)
             (get-new-mail nil)))

;;  (maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
;;                   :subdirs ("cur" "new"))

(setq mail-sources '(maildir :path "/home/user_a/Maildir/"
                  :subdirs ("cur" "new")))


==end