diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'README.maildir')
| -rw-r--r-- | README.maildir | 149 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 149 deletions
diff --git a/README.maildir b/README.maildir index b4ac49b1..e69de29b 100644 --- a/README.maildir +++ b/README.maildir @@ -1,149 +0,0 @@ ---------------------------------------- - -Maildir Driver for Alpine 2.0 -By Eduardo Chappa -<chappa@gmx.com> - ---------------------------------------- -1. General Information About This Patch ---------------------------------------- - -This patch adds support for the maildir format to Alpine. We take the -approach that this patch is one more driver among the number of formats -supported by Alpine (more generally c-client). This approach differs from -older versions of similar patches, in that once a maildir patch was -applied, it was assumed that all your folders would be created in the -maildir format. - -This patch does not assume that maildir is a preferred format, instead -puts maildir in equal footing with other formats (mbox, mbx, mix, etc), -and so a maildir folder in the mail/ collection is treated in the same way -as any other folder in any other format. In other words, just by reading -the name of a folder, or opening it, or doing any operation with it, you -can not know in which format the folder is. - -This implies that if you want to add a folder in the maildir format to the -mail/ collection, then you must add by pressing "A" in the folder list -collection and enter "#driver.md/mail/name_maildir_folder". - -If you only want to use maildir, however, you can do so too. In this case, -you must create a maildir collection. In that collection, only maildir -folders will be listed. If there is any folder in any other format, that -folder will be ignored. In another words, any folder listed there is in -maildir format and can be accessed through that collection, conversely, -any folder not listed there is not in maildir format and there is no way -to access it using this collection. - -In order to create a maildir collection, you could press M S L, and "A" to -add a collection. Fill in the required fields as follows: - -Nickname : Anything -Server : -Path : #md/relative/path/to/maildir/collection/ -View : - -For example, if "path" is set to "#md/mail/", then Alpine will look for your -maildir folders that are in ~/mail/. - -The code in this patch is mostly based in code for the unix driver plus -some combinations of the mh, mbx and nntp drivers for the c-client -library. Those drivers were designed by Mark Crispin, and bugs in this -code are not his bugs, but my own. - - I got all the specification for this patch from -http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html. If you know of a place with a better -specification for maildir format please let me know. The method this patch -uses to create a unique filename for a message is one of the "old -fashioned" methods. I realize that this is old fashioned, but it is -portable, and portability is the main reason why I decided to use an old -fashioned method (most methods are not portable. See the word -"Unfortunately" in that document). - --------------- -2. Other Goals --------------- - - It is intended that this code will work well with any application -written using the c-client library. Of paramount importance is to make the -associated imap server work well when the server accesses a folder in -Maildir format. The program mailutil should also work flawlessly with this -implemetation of the driver. - - It is intended that this driver be fast and stable. We intend not to -patch Alpine to make this driver do its work, unless such patching is for -fixing bugs in Alpine or to pass parameters to the driver. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -3. What are the known bugs of this implementation of the Maildir driver? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - I don't know any at this time. There have been bugs before, though, but -I try to fix bugs as soon as they are reported. - ----------- -4. On UIDs ----------- - - This patch keeps uids in the name of the file that contains the message, -by adding a ",u=" string to the file name to save the uid of a message. A -file is kept between sessions to save information on the last uid assigned -and its time of validity. Only one session with writing access can write -uids, all others must wait for the other session to assign them. The -session assigning uids creates a ".uidtemp" file which other sessions must -not disturb. - - Uid support appeared in Alpine 1.00 (snapshot 925), and is experimental, -please report any problems. - ----------------------------------------------- -5. Configuring Alpine and Setting up a Maildir ----------------------------------------------- - -Once this approach was chosen, it implied the following: - - * This patch assumes that your INBOX is located at "$HOME/Maildir". - This is a directory which should have three subdirectories "cur", - "tmp" and "new". Mail is delivered to 'new' and read from 'cur'. I - have added a configuration option "maildir-location" which can be - used to tell Alpine where your Maildir inbox is, in case your system - does not use the above directory (e.g. your system may use - "~/.maildir"). In this case define that variable to be the name of - the directory where your e-mail is being delivered (e.g. - ".maildir"). - - * If you want to use the above configuration as your inbox, you must - define your inbox-path as "#md/inbox" (no quotes). You can define - the inbox-path like above even if you have changed the - maildir-location variable. That's the whole point of that variable. - -------------------------------------------- -6. What about Courier/Dovecot file systems? -------------------------------------------- - -In a courier file system all folders are subfolders of a root folder -called INBOX. Normally INBOX is located at ~/Maildir and subfolders are -"dot" directories in ~/Maildir. For example ~/Maildir/.Trash is a -subfolder of INBOX and is accessed with the nickname "INBOX.Trash". - -You can not access folders in this way unless you preceed them with the -string "#mc/". The purpose of the string "#mc/" is to warn Alpine that a -collection in the Courier format is going to be accessed. Therefore, you -can SELECT a folder like "#mc/INBOX.Trash", but not "INBOX.Trash" - -You can access a collection through a server, but if you want to access a -collection of folders created using the Courier server, you MUST edit your -".pinerc" file and enter the definition of the collection as follows: - -folder-collections="Anything you want" #mc/INBOX.[] - -You can replace the string "#mc/INBOX." by something different, for example -"#mc/Courier/." will make Alpine search for your collection in ~/Courier. - -You can not add this setting directly into Alpine because Alpine fails to -accept this value from its input, but it takes it correctly when it is -added through the ".pinerc" file. - -You can access your inbox as "#mc/INBOX" or "#md/INBOX". Both definitions -point to the same place. - -Last Updated May 28, 2011 |