Re: mutt: new user
On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 01:59:04PM -0600, rlhar...@oplink.net wrote: > so the payback is almost immediate. In terms of user efficiency, the > only MUA which is competitive to Mutt is Gnus. (I view Gnus as almost > a religion; it is a marvelous and rewarding system, but it has a steep > learning curve.) Eeeek!!! That means you have to install that other OS, emacs! :( -- "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." --- Malcolm X
Re: mutt: new user
On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 12:30:00PM +0100, Martin Vegter wrote: ...snip.. > thanks, I have the sent folder set up already. > > set mbox_type=Maildir > > setfolder="~/.mail/" > set mbox="~/.mail/" > set spoolfile="~/.mail/inbox/" > setrecord="~/.mail/sent" > set postponed="~/.mail/drafts" > > The problem is how to access it from mutt (how to see my sent > emails). The only solution I could find is to exit mutt, and start > it with > > mutt -f .mail/sent/ From any message window or any mailbox index "Y" will show a list of mailboxes. Scroll down with the arrow keys to the desired one and hit "enter". Also "c" will give a prompt for the next mailmox with new messages. Don't know if this works for Maildir as I use mbox. ...snip... -- Bob Holtzman Your mail is being read by tight lipped NSA agents who fail to see humor in Doctor Strangelove Key ID 8D549279 signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Re: mutt: new user
> On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 01:59:04PM -0600, rlhar...@oplink.net wrote: > I tried switching to mutt about 4 years back. I spent about a couple of > days to figure out the details, but failed (I was relatively new to *nix > at the time). I tried it again last year. I got everything working in > 3-4 hrs; including indexing with notmuch[1]! I still wish I could have > switched sooner; would have saved me so much time over 3 years. In addition to step-by-step HOWTOs and configuration guides, there are numerous ".muttrc" files posted on the web. The comments in these .muttrc files can be very helpful, even if the system differs from the system which you are configuring. By inspecting .muttrc files, you can see examples of how the various Mutt commands and configuration variables actually are used. This sometimes is of more benefit than than reading the manual. RLH
Re: mutt: new user
> On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 04:41:30PM +0100, Rejo Zenger wrote:
>> ++ 17/11/13 08:16 -0600 - rlhar...@oplink.net:
>> >$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
>>
>> That should have curly brackets and read:
>>
>> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/r{ur,new,tmp}
>
> Correcting the typo:
>
> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/{cur,new,tmp}
>
> --
> Suvayu
Thanks to beth Rejo and Suvayu!
"maildirmake" helps avoid such errors.
==
P.S. Martin -
One of the best features of Mutt is that the user can specify the editor
to be used in the composition of messages. So you can use the editor with
which you already are proficient, be it Emacs, Xemacs, vi, nano, or
whatever. This ability contributes greatly to the efficiency of Mutt.
==
RLH
Re: mutt: new user
++ 17/11/13 20:48 +0100 - Suvayu Ali:
>> >$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
>> That should have curly brackets and read:
>> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/r{ur,new,tmp}
>
>Correcting the typo:
>
> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/{cur,new,tmp}
Right. :)
I was in insert mode of vim already, when I see the typo.
--
Rejo Zenger . . 0x21DBEFD4 .
GPG encrypted e-mail preferred . +31.6.39642738 . @rejozenger
pgpZVsF_o4IIT.pgp
Description: PGP signature
Re: mutt: new user
On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 01:59:04PM -0600, rlhar...@oplink.net wrote: > > At first, the time required to configure the mail system may seem > excessive and a wasteful expenditure. But once you are running, it > should be evident to you that with Mutt you can process messages much > faster than you can process them with any other mail user agent (MUA), > so the payback is almost immediate. In terms of user efficiency, the > only MUA which is competitive to Mutt is Gnus. (I view Gnus as almost > a religion; it is a marvelous and rewarding system, but it has a steep > learning curve.) I tried switching to mutt about 4 years back. I spent about a couple of days to figure out the details, but failed (I was relatively new to *nix at the time). I tried it again last year. I got everything working in 3-4 hrs; including indexing with notmuch[1]! I still wish I could have switched sooner; would have saved me so much time over 3 years. Footnotes: [1] My setup is not simple (illustrating RLH's point), but it fits my needs like a glove: OfflineIMAP + notmuch + mutt-kz + Emacs. -- Suvayu Open source is the future. It sets us free.
Re: mutt: new user
> On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 04:41:30PM +0100, Rejo Zenger wrote:
>> ++ 17/11/13 08:16 -0600 - rlhar...@oplink.net:
>> >$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
>>
>> That should have curly brackets and read:
>>
>> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/r{ur,new,tmp}
>
> Correcting the typo:
>
> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/{cur,new,tmp}
>
> --
> Suvayu
Thanks to beth Rejo and Suvayu!
"maildirmake" helps avoid such errors.
==
P.S. Martin -
One of the best features of Mutt is that the user can specify the editor
to be used in the composition of messages. So you can use the editor with
which you already are proficient, be it Emacs, Xemacs, vi, nano, or
whatever. This ability contributes greatly to the efficiency of Mutt.
==
RLH
Re: mutt: new user
> On Sun November 17, 2013 1200pm Martin Vegter wrote: ... > I am using Debian OS and Postfix as my mail server. I was using Alpine > in the past as my email client, but now I have switched to Mutt because > of maildir support. ... On Debian (thanks to the Debian maintainer), Mutt works "right out of the box", the only essential configuration being the things you already have done. You can made adjustments to the configuration whenever you see a need for them. Inasmuch as you have decided to use Postfix, you would do well to search for guides specific to the combination of Mutt and Postfix (search string "mutt postfix" or "mutt postfix guide"). It is vital to understand that, in Linux, mail is handled by a system. That system can be as simple as a single package, and it can be complex, consisting of many packages which interact one with another; it all depends upon your needs and preferences. The Mutt package now can be compiled to provide SMTP capability, so that no mail transfer agent (MTA) is required. But traditionally, Linux users make use of a separate MTA package such as Exim4 (currently the default for Debian), or Postfix, or even Sendmail. And though Mutt can fetch mail from the POP3 server at your Internet service provider (ISP), I prefer to use the package getmail4 to fetch mail; the package fetchmail also is popular. I utilize the package maildrop to sort mail by category and deliver to a set of maildirs; this necessitates that each maildir be defined not only in the maildrop configuration file ".mailfilter" but also by a "mailboxes" entry in the Mutt configuration file ".muttrc". But you can sort mail as you read it in Mutt, using the SAVE and COPY commands, and (as previously mentioned) Mutt automatically creates for you a new mailbox (maildir or mbox or whatever you are using) if the mailbox you specify does not exist. I currently am configuring the mail system here to utilize the package bmf, which is an adaptive filter designed to sort mail into two categories (such as "ham" and "spam", or "good" and "evil", or "personal" and "business"), using the Bayesian algorithm. The important thing is to get something running and become familiar with the Mutt commands routinely used to read, delete, save, and write messages. Changes to the system always can be made without damage to your cache of old messages. > It is not easy for a complete beginner to get all the information from > the manual. Sometimes I have the feeling, the manuals are written for > the people who already understand it (and by the people who understand > it, obviously). Yes. That is because the primary function of a manual is to serve as an authoritative reference. But with a little searching, you can turn up any number of short HOWTO articles and a number of comprehensive guides (such as "My First Mutt") which lead you through the maze by the hand, for whatever combination of packages you employ. In this, the search engine is invaluable. At first, the time required to configure the mail system may seem excessive and a wasteful expenditure. But once you are running, it should be evident to you that with Mutt you can process messages much faster than you can process them with any other mail user agent (MUA), so the payback is almost immediate. In terms of user efficiency, the only MUA which is competitive to Mutt is Gnus. (I view Gnus as almost a religion; it is a marvelous and rewarding system, but it has a steep learning curve.) RLH
Re: mutt: new user
On Sun, Nov 17, 2013 at 04:41:30PM +0100, Rejo Zenger wrote:
> ++ 17/11/13 08:16 -0600 - rlhar...@oplink.net:
> >$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
>
> That should have curly brackets and read:
>
> mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/r{ur,new,tmp}
Correcting the typo:
mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/{cur,new,tmp}
--
Suvayu
Open source is the future. It sets us free.
Re: mutt: new user
On 2013-11-17 18:24, Paul E Condon wrote: On 20131117_123000, Martin Vegter wrote: On 2013-11-17 11:25, Chris Bannister wrote: On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 07:12:59PM +0100, Martin Vegter wrote: Dear list, I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see my received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails folder. Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading received emails)? You can set the sent directory. I think there is a default /~/sent(?) Have a look in the documentation. ... ahh ... for the 'set record' command. thanks, I have the sent folder set up already. set mbox_type=Maildir setfolder="~/.mail/" set mbox="~/.mail/" set spoolfile="~/.mail/inbox/" setrecord="~/.mail/sent" set postponed="~/.mail/drafts" The problem is how to access it from mutt (how to see my sent emails). The only solution I could find is to exit mutt, and start it with mutt -f .mail/sent/ Otherwise, when I start mutt normally, I can only see my inbox (received emails), but I don't know how to switch to sent folders. Another question I would like to ask is: I have now three folders: inbox, sent, drafts (as definded above). I would like to have another folder "archive", where I could save my emails. (instead of keeping everything in inbox). But AFAIK, "archive" is not defined in mutt. What would be the best way to do it (preferably including a key-binding, so that I could move messages from inbox to archive)? many thanks, Martin Martin, You are at the beginning of a great learning adventure. Mutt is 'configurable'. That is good, but Mutt, so far as I know, *must* be configured, and the configuration details must be compatible with details of you computer, and operating system. e.g. good advice for a Debian system is useless gibberish on a Mac. So... tell us what OS and hardware. And what mail system(s) you have used in the past. Look for web sites of colleges in your area that have information on how to use email on campus. Many use and support Mutt. Sunday morning is probably not a good time to get in-depth advice. I hope I'm wrong on that. HTH First of all, thanks everybody for your kind advice. I am using Debian OS and Postfix as my mail server. I was using Alpine in the past as my email client, but now I have switched to Mutt because of maildir support. It is not easy for a complete beginner to get all the information from the manual. Sometimes I have the feeling, the manuals are written for the people who already understand it (and by the people who understand it, obviously). thanks, Martin
Re: mutt: new user
On 20131117_123000, Martin Vegter wrote: > On 2013-11-17 11:25, Chris Bannister wrote: > >On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 07:12:59PM +0100, Martin Vegter wrote: > >>Dear list, > >> > >>I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see > >>my received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails > >>folder. Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading > >>received emails)? > > > >You can set the sent directory. I think there is a default /~/sent(?) > >Have a look in the documentation. ... ahh ... for the 'set record' > >command. > > > > thanks, I have the sent folder set up already. > > set mbox_type=Maildir > > setfolder="~/.mail/" > set mbox="~/.mail/" > set spoolfile="~/.mail/inbox/" > setrecord="~/.mail/sent" > set postponed="~/.mail/drafts" > > The problem is how to access it from mutt (how to see my sent > emails). The only solution I could find is to exit mutt, and start it > with > > mutt -f .mail/sent/ > > Otherwise, when I start mutt normally, I can only see my inbox > (received emails), but I don't know how to switch to sent folders. > > Another question I would like to ask is: I have now three folders: > inbox, sent, drafts (as definded above). I would like to have another > folder "archive", where I could save my emails. (instead of keeping > everything in inbox). But AFAIK, "archive" is not defined in mutt. > What would be the best way to do it (preferably including a > key-binding, so that I could move messages from inbox to archive)? > > many thanks, > Martin > Martin, You are at the beginning of a great learning adventure. Mutt is 'configurable'. That is good, but Mutt, so far as I know, *must* be configured, and the configuration details must be compatible with details of you computer, and operating system. e.g. good advice for a Debian system is useless gibberish on a Mac. So... tell us what OS and hardware. And what mail system(s) you have used in the past. Look for web sites of colleges in your area that have information on how to use email on campus. Many use and support Mutt. Sunday morning is probably not a good time to get in-depth advice. I hope I'm wrong on that. HTH -- Paul E Condon pecon...@mesanetworks.net
Re: mutt: new user
++ 17/11/13 08:16 -0600 - rlhar...@oplink.net:
>$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
That should have curly brackets and read:
mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/r{ur,new,tmp}
--
Rejo Zenger . . 0x21DBEFD4 .
GPG encrypted e-mail preferred . +31.6.39642738 . @rejozenger
pgpbOa5i5QYD_.pgp
Description: PGP signature
Re: mutt: new user
> On Sun November 17, 2013 5:30 am Martin Vegter wrote:
...
> I have the sent folder set up already.
>
> set mbox_type=Maildir
>
> setfolder="~/.mail/"
> set mbox="~/.mail/"
> set spoolfile="~/.mail/inbox/"
> setrecord="~/.mail/sent"
> set postponed="~/.mail/drafts"
>
> The problem is how to access it from mutt (how to see my sent emails).
...
> I don't know how to switch to sent folders.
>
> Another question I would like to ask is: I have now three folders:
> inbox, sent, drafts (as defined above). I would like to have another
> folder "archive", where I could save my emails. (instead of keeping
> everything in inbox). But AFAIK, "archive" is not defined in mutt.
...
Assuming that you are running Linux, the information you need may be
found in the man ("manual") pages. And even if you are not running
Linux, you can find the man pages on-line with a Google search such as
" man page".
Mutt has both "commands" and "configuration variables"; the "muttrc"
man page has a list of commands and configuration variables, and
explains the use of each.
And, as previously noted, there is the Mutt manual.
===
Every mailbox (whether of the type "mbox", "maildir", or whatever)
which you wish to browse (that is, which you wish to be displayed in
the Mutt index) should be declared by the Mutt "mailboxes" command.
So you might edit into your Mutt configuration file ".muttrc" the
following lines:
mailboxes ~/.mail/inbox/
mailboxes ~/.mail/sent
mailboxes ~/.mail/drafts
mailboxes ~/.mail/archive
You have set the Mutt configuration variable "mbox_type" to "Maildir";
this is good. Mutt knows how to create a proper "maildir" structure
(with "cur", "new", and "tmp" subdirectories) whenever it needs a new
mailbox.
However, it is not a bad idea to create in advance any mailboxes such as
"archive" which you know that you are going to need. You can do this
manually with the Bash "mkdir" command:
$ mkdir -p ~/.mail/archive/(cur,new,tmp)
However, there is a Bash command "maildirmake" written specifically
for this task:
$ maildirmake ~/.mail/archive
See also "Mutt & Maildir Mini-HOWTO" for pager and index commands.
===
RLH
Re: mutt: new user
On 2013-11-17 11:25, Chris Bannister wrote: On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 07:12:59PM +0100, Martin Vegter wrote: Dear list, I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see my received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails folder. Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading received emails)? You can set the sent directory. I think there is a default /~/sent(?) Have a look in the documentation. ... ahh ... for the 'set record' command. thanks, I have the sent folder set up already. set mbox_type=Maildir setfolder="~/.mail/" set mbox="~/.mail/" set spoolfile="~/.mail/inbox/" setrecord="~/.mail/sent" set postponed="~/.mail/drafts" The problem is how to access it from mutt (how to see my sent emails). The only solution I could find is to exit mutt, and start it with mutt -f .mail/sent/ Otherwise, when I start mutt normally, I can only see my inbox (received emails), but I don't know how to switch to sent folders. Another question I would like to ask is: I have now three folders: inbox, sent, drafts (as definded above). I would like to have another folder "archive", where I could save my emails. (instead of keeping everything in inbox). But AFAIK, "archive" is not defined in mutt. What would be the best way to do it (preferably including a key-binding, so that I could move messages from inbox to archive)? many thanks, Martin
Re: mutt: new user
On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 07:12:59PM +0100, Martin Vegter wrote: > Dear list, > > I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see > my received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails > folder. Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading > received emails)? You can set the sent directory. I think there is a default /~/sent(?) Have a look in the documentation. ... ahh ... for the 'set record' command. -- "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." --- Malcolm X
Re: mutt: new user
On Saturday 16 Nov 2013 18:12:59 Martin Vegter wrote: > Dear list, > > I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see my > received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails folder. > Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading received emails)? This is what I have in my ~/.muttrc - not sure what the defaults are: # Ctrl+n, Ctrl+p to select next/prev folder # Ctrl+o to open selected folder bind index \CP sidebar-prev bind index \CN sidebar-next bind index \CO sidebar-open Can't recall what the keybinding is to jump to the next folder with unread messages ... > Also, when I display a longer message, I can move down and up with > page-Down and Page-Up. When at the end of the message, page-Down skips > to the next message. This can be very confusing, because I don't > sometimes notice I am reading the next message. Could somebody please > advice if this can be disabled? I use the space bar to page down (shift+space to page up) in a message. This is what I have in ~/.muttrc to stop it going to the next message in the folder: set pager_stop HTH. -- Regards, Mick signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: mutt: new user
"Martin Vegter" wrote: > I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. > ... On the web you can find a number of good Mutt guides which you can print out and use for reference. For example: => The Beginner's Guide to the Mutt E-Mail Client => My First Mutt => The Woodnotes Guide to the Mutt Email Client And then there is the Mutt manual. You can customize almost any behaviour of Mutt by simply editing the configuration file .muttrc . Most Mutt guides have sample .muttrc files. RLH
mutt: new user
Dear list, I have just installed mutt, and I am little bit confused. I can see my received emails, but I am not able to "switch" to my sent emails folder. Is this the way mutt is supposed to work (only reading received emails)? Also, when I display a longer message, I can move down and up with page-Down and Page-Up. When at the end of the message, page-Down skips to the next message. This can be very confusing, because I don't sometimes notice I am reading the next message. Could somebody please advice if this can be disabled? many thanks, Martin
