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https://github.com/tsto/notmuchfs

A virtual maildir file system for notmuch queries
https://github.com/tsto/notmuchfs

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A virtual maildir file system for notmuch queries

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README 

        
notmuchfs - A virtual maildir file system for notmuch queries

=============================================================



Notmuchfs is free software, released under the GNU General Public

License version 3 (or later).



Copyright © 2012 Tim Stoakes



Quick start - using notmuchfs with mutt

---------------------------------------

Super quick start:

* Add 'notmuchfs/mutt/bin' to $PATH.

* Add 'source /path/to/notmuchfs/mutt/.muttrc' to the top of your '.muttrc', and

  edit that file to taste, etc.

* Mount notmuchfs, being sure to pass the option '-o mutt_2476_workaround'.

* Run mutt!



Longer - using notmuchfs with mutt

----------------------------------

Notmuchfs was developed because I wanted to use mutt with notmuch, but the mutt

codebase was... difficult.



Mutt understands maildirs, so the simplest thing I could think of was to

emulate maildirs on top of notmuch, and point mutt at them. See mutt/.muttrc

for a complete example.



It is assumed that notmuchfs is up and running already. If not, get started

by reading README.md, for example:



~~~ sh

  $ mkdir ~/my_notmuchfs_backing

  $ cd ~/my_notmuchfs_mountpoint

  $ mkdir "tag:unread and not tag:spam"

  $ ln -s "tag:unread and not tag:spam" inbox

  $ notmuchfs ~/my_notmuchfs_mountpoint \

      -o backing_dir=~/my_notmuchfs_backing \

      -o mail_dir=~/.maildir \

      -o mutt_2476_workaround

~~~



Now, just like any other maildir, simply point the 'folder' variable at

notmuchfs and our new notmuchfs inbox:



~~~

  set folder=~/my_notmuchfs_mountpoint/

  set spoolfile=+inbox/

~~~



When the search results have changed e.g. delivery of new mail, mutt will not

automatically notice. So we need to reload the inbox - with a handy macro such

as:

~~~

  macro index "#" '^' "Reload mailbox"

~~~



It may be nice to colorise messages with particular flags in the index,

perhaps something like:

~~~

  color index    red      default        "~h '^X-Label: .*interesting_tag.*$'"

~~~



This is however, essentially read-only - not so useful.



(The following section assumes that notmuchfs/mutt/bin/ is in your $PATH, and

'formail' is installed on the system.)



Remembering that notmuchfs queries are just directories, making a new search is

simple. With a macro like this, use the included 'mutt/bin/prompt_mkdir' script

to create new query directories from within mutt:



~~~

  macro index "S" "prompt_mkdir $folder ?" "Create a new notmuchfs query mailbox"

~~~



Now we need a way to modify the tags on messages. Again, with a macro like

this, use the included 'notmuch_tag' script to alter the tags on a single

message, or a (mutt) tagged set of messages interactively:



~~~

  macro index,pager ",T" "formail -d -xMessage-id: -s | tr -d \"<>\" | notmuch_tag" "Manage notmuch tags"

~~~



Find yourself entering the same interactive tag modifications over and over?

Perhaps add new macros to taste:



~~~

  macro index,pager ",tw"   "formail -d -xMessage-id: -s | tr -d \"<>\" | notmuch_tag +watch" "Add 'watch' tag"

~~~



Mutt bug 2476

-------------

Mutt is not compliant with the maildir specification, see:

* http://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/2476

* http://notmuchmail.org/pipermail/notmuch/2011/004833.html



Notmuchfs can work around this issue, if mounted with the

~~~ sh

  '-o mutt_2476_workaround'

~~~

mount option. If you use mutt, you want to use this option. Mutt is basically

unusable without it.