Re: gnus & mbsync: mbsync error: UID is beyond highest assigned UID & mu4e's mu4e-change-filenames-when-moving

[James Thomas]

Andreas Reuleaux wrote:

> Hi, thanks for reaching out to me / asking:
>
> My e-mail provider (zoho) allows for imap access (pretty standard today,
> I guess) - and this is how I get my mail, indeed (from an incoming
> folder there).
>
> While I could have configured my gnus to access this imap folder
> directly (these imap folders - more on this plural below ...) - and indeed:
> when accessing mail from my iphone or ipad: that's what I do -
> I have on my Linux-PC / main machine (where I am also running
> gnus), a local imap server intalled: dovecot (and in particular
> dovecot-imapd) - allowing for a local (folder-) perspective of my mail:
>
> e-mail arriving at my machine gets sorted into maildir folders: misc,
> etc, gnus, gauche, hare, etc, spam (these folders corresponding to my
> interests / mailing lists that I am subscribed to) - and they are sorted
> in there for the most part automatically (with some exim-sieve filters -
> having used procmail for that kind of sorting before) - but also by hand
> (more on that below).
>
> Now my Gnus is configured to look at these local maildir folders:
> nnimap:misc corresponds to my local misc maildir folder, likewise
> nnimap:etc to my (maildir/)etc folder, and so on.

Well, if you can use one of the procmail alternatives only for sorting,
or use Gnus's split methods (which would probably be slower), or do it
on the remote, see below for a simpler setup.

> The advantages of having a local imap server are: access is faster,
> and I can work (on my mail) regardless of current internet connection
> (on a train, in a tunnel, say).
>
> Mail then gets synchronized from time to time: in my case with mbsync
> (offline imap is another candidate - written in python this one). - I
> prefer mbsync (...). - And this synchronisation happens: whenever I
> wish to do so manually (call mbsync [params] ...), and automatically: with
> a cron job every 20 min in my case - and it works in both directions
> from my computer (maildir folders) to my remote e-mail provider,
> and vice versa.

AFAIU you need the Dovecot 'middleman' only for the sorting; otherwise
mbsync would suffice:

https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/34274/gnus-gmail-and-mbsync-do-i-need-dovecot#answer-34275

That answer is outdated: there's nnselect over nnir now, and the
negative reasons cited aren't applicable in your case AFAICT.

(and just FYI: there's also the option of using the Agent in case you
want control over what's _downloaded_)

> Thus locally I have (as mentioned already): maildir folders
> misc, etc, gauche, spam, ... - accessible in gnus as nnimap:misc,
> nnimap:etc,
> nnimap:gauche - but my e-mail provider also allows for more than just one
> (incoming) imap folder - and I make use of that feature: I have created
> imap folders: Misc, Etc, Spam, ... on my e-mail providers mail account.
> - and not too surprisingly: when e-mail gets synced with mbsync: mail in
> my local (maildir/) misc folder get synchronised to my remote (imap)
> Misc folder (and likewise etc to remote Etc, and so on - I mentioned
> that synchronisation works in both directions).
>
> So far so standard - I guess: One can find good documentation / examples
> configs for mbsync / as well as for gnus / imap (and I shall be happy
> to provide further details of my config, in case there is interest).
>
> Now the problem is (as it appears to me):
>
> As long as I am working locally
> with gnus on my imap folders - move some mail within gnus from
> (maildir/)misc to (maildir/etc) say - visible to my in gnus as
> folders/groups nnimap:misc and nnimap:etc - and I move mail in gnus
> from one folder to another with B-m ... - then so far there are no
> restrictions: everthing works fine / gnus does what seems
> appropriate (with regards to mail numbers within maildir folders for
> example: this is nothing, I want to bother about usually, and I rely on
> on gnus just doing the right thing in this regard).
>
> However, the similar (imap) folder structure on my e-mail providers end
> (Misc, Etc, ...), seems to be more restrictive: each of these folders
> has some (highest allowed) e-mail number, as I understand - and when
> syncing between my provider and my local machine, such restritions are
> enforced / get in my way:
>
> Locally (under gnus) an e-mail of mine (that I have just moved to
> the local etc folder say), may have too high a number for that remote
> Etc folder on my providers end, such e-mail number restrictions better
> be respected, or mbsync complains (or whatnot).
>
> And apparently other people (mu4e users) have run into such issues,
> and then have provided a means that their (local) mu4e client better
> respects
> such restrictions on the remote side - allowing for automatically
> renumbering messages, if needed.

I think I understand, but the onus of any such renaming etc. would be on
Dovecot, no? Gnus would only see it as just another IMAP server.

> This is what I am hoping for (to be possible) in Gnus.
>
> Thanks, A'
>
> --
> PS: One can also do the e-mail sorting remotely (on the imap server) -
> which I may try to accomplish some time - but so far I am happy with my
> (local) sieve filter (and then they appear sorted remotely,
> once synced again with mbsync...).

If your remote supports it, you can also look at (info "(sieve) Top") in
Emacs.

> James Thomas <jimjoe@gmx.net> writes:
>
>> Andreas Reuleaux wrote:
>>
>>> while being a (long time) happy gnus user, I regularly run into this
>>> issue: when moving mails from one nnimap:... group/folder to another
>>> (w/ B-m ...),
>>> and then syncing these folders with my remote mail server, I get mbsync
>>> errors:
>>
>> I'm not sure I understand: nnimap directly operates on the remote
>> server, no? Are you running an IMAP server offline and then syncing?
>>

Regards,
James