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

[Andreas Reuleaux]

Thanks for your various suggestions (of simplifying my gnus config) - I
will look into them in more detail, when I find the time. - This my gnus
config has grown with me over the years, and it reflects the state of
gnus at the time when I started it (the nnimap interface was better
supported than some other interfaces for accessing my local maildirs -
thus my use of dovecot etc.) As I assume: things have improved, and my
config can be simplified indeed. - This may or may not solve my problem
then with regards to the "UID [...] beyond highest assiged UID [...]". -
As explained before: My e-mail provider seems to handle its imap
interface / UID numbering in more strict a manner, than gnus treats such
UIDs / numbers (at least in my traditional / old school config). Thanks
again, Andreas


James Thomas <jimjoe@gmx.net> writes:

> 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