POP3 vs IMAP answered. MAILDROP asked.

[Alan Cohen]

Alan wrote
> > IMAP puts each message into its own file.
> > File locking problems don't happen.
> > Life is simpler.
> > For each folder, it constructs 3 sub-directories: tmp, new, cur

On Mon, 2003-09-22 at 19:52, Keith Mastin wrote:
> Not quite. That's why we use maildir. uw-imapd uses some other broken
> format, but maildir is above and beyond the rest.
> This is all Maildir related, not IMAP specific. There are many other
> servers that use different mail storage formats.

Alan responds:
Woops. There I go again. I got into Courier-IMAP and Maildir format at
about the same time. And I tend to get them confused!

I guess it's better to say that I advocate Maildir format.

RE Alan saying that:
> > I'm trying to write MAILDROP support for
> > 	- "blacklists" and  "whiteFromLists"
> > 	- allow a sender to put himself in a whiteFromLists by sending
> > 	  a message with a predetermined code in the subject header

Keith commented that:
> I've never heard of this being a function of maildrop. What does mailman use?

Alan responds:
According to what I read about MAILDROP (and .MAILFILTER instructions)
it is possible to search for a pattern match between, say, records in a
"blacklist" file of patterns and what's actually in an email. According
to the doc, the relevant maildrop filter function is:

	lookup(expr,'filename','options')
    Read file for patterns:
	expr is any expression (eg: the "From:" address)
	filename is a name of a file containing a list of patterns.
	Return value is 1 or 0 indicating that 'expr' was found or not


> There are other auto-responder software out there too. Check sourceforge
> and freshmeat, and phpbuilder.

Yes, before re-inventing the wheel (again) I really should check those
sources.

> > 	- the ability to place (that's easy) after detecting user
> > 	  preference (that's harder) that a message is be automatically
> > 	  placed in a particular IMAP folder.
> 
> Use procmail or maildrop for this.

It seems that maildrop ONLY knows how to read a file containing patterns
of things that it can then search for in the email. 

I was hoping to keep BOTH the patterns & FOLDER-NAMES in the same file.
ie: "If you find this pattern, then store the message in this folder."
Records might look like:
	GARBAGE  friend-6zcLuMBsFRvQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org
	TLUG     tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org

and my .mailfilter instructions would effectively say:

	"If the 'From:' is 'friend-6zcLuMBsFRvQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org' then store the message
	 in the Maildir folder whose name is '.GARBAGE'

	 If the 'From:' is 'tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org' then store the message
	 in the Maildir folder whose name is '.TLUG'"

MAILFILER instructions do support the use of external commands. I may
have to go that route.


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