.\" <http://shell.ipoline.com/~elmert/comp/docbook2X/>
.\" Please send any bug reports, improvements, comments, patches,
.\" etc. to Steve Cheng <steve@ggi-project.org>.
-.TH "OFFLINEIMAP" "1" "16 November 2004" "John Goerzen" "OfflineIMAP Manual"
+.TH "OFFLINEIMAP" "1" "01 December 2006" "John Goerzen" "OfflineIMAP Manual"
.SH NAME
OfflineIMAP \- Powerful IMAP/Maildir synchronization and reader support
includes a file \fIofflineimap.conf.minimal\fR
(Debian users
may find this at
-\fI/usr/share/doc/offlineimap/examples/offlineimap.conf.minimal\fR) that is a basic example of setting of \fBOfflineIMAP\fR. You can
+\fI/usr/share/doc/offlineimap/examples/offlineimap.conf.minimal\fR) that is a basic example of setting of \fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&. You can
simply copy this file into your home directory and name it
-\fI.offlineimaprc\fR (note the leading period). A
+\fI\&.offlineimaprc\fR (note the leading period). A
command such as \fBcp offlineimap.conf.minimal ~/.offlineimaprc\fR will do it. Or, if you prefer, you can just copy this text to
\fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR:
Debian, system-wide installation with other systems, and a single-user
installation. You can download the latest version of \fBOfflineIMAP\fR from
the \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
-website <URL:http://quux.org/devel/offlineimap/>.
+website <URL:http://software.complete.org/offlineimap/>\&.
.SS "PREREQUISITES"
.PP
In order to use \fBOfflineIMAP\fR, you need to have these conditions
running on Debian GNU/Linux, this requirement will automatically be
taken care of for you. If you do not have Python already, check with
your system administrator or operating system vendor; or, download it from
-the Python website <URL:http://www.python.org/>.
+the Python website <URL:http://www.python.org/>\&.
If you intend to use the Tk interface, you must have Tkinter
(python-tk) installed. If you intend to use the SSL interface, your
Python must have been built with SSL support.
built-in, so you can choose from a wide variety of mail
servers. This format is also known as the "qmail"
format, so any mail reader compatible with it will work
-with \fBOfflineIMAP\fR. If you do not have a mail reader
+with \fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&. If you do not have a mail reader
that supports Maildir, you can often install a local
IMAP server and point both \fBOfflineIMAP\fR and your mail
reader at it.
\fBapt-get install offlineimap\fR
.PP
If you are not tracking Debian unstable, download the Debian .deb
-package from the \fBOfflineIMAP\fR website <URL:http://quux.org/devel/offlineimap/>
+package from the \fBOfflineIMAP\fR website <URL:http://software.complete.org/offlineimap/>
and then run \fBdpkg -i\fR to install the downloaded
package. Then, skip to [XRef to CONFIGURATION] below. You will type \fBofflineimap\fR to
invoke the program.
.SS "SYSTEM-WIDE INSTALLATION, OTHER"
.PP
Download the tar.gz version of the package from the
-website <URL:http://quux.org/devel/offlineimap/>.
+website <URL:http://software.complete.org/offlineimap/>\&.
Then run
these commands, making sure that you are the "root" user first:
.fi
.PP
On some systems, you will need to use
-\fBpython\fR instead of \fBpython2.2\fR.
+\fBpython\fR instead of \fBpython2.2\fR\&.
Next, proceed to [XRef to CONFIGURATION] below. You will type \fBofflineimap\fR to
invoke the program.
.SS "SINGLE-ACCOUNT INSTALLATION"
.PP
Download the tar.gz version of the package from the
-website <URL:http://quux.org/devel/offlineimap/>.
+website <URL:http://software.complete.org/offlineimap/>\&.
Then run these commands:
.nf
.PP
When you want to run \fBOfflineIMAP\fR, you will issue the
\fBcd\fR command as above and then type
-\fB./offlineimap.py\fR; there is no installation
+\fB\&./offlineimap.py\fR; there is no installation
step necessary.
.SH "CONFIGURATION"
.PP
\fBOfflineIMAP\fR is regulated by a configuration file that is normally
-stored in \fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
+stored in \fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR\&. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
ships with a file named \fIofflineimap.conf\fR
that you should copy to that location and then edit. This file is
vital to proper operation of the system; it sets everything you need
-to run \fBOfflineIMAP\fR. Full documentation for the configuration file
+to run \fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&. Full documentation for the configuration file
is included within the sample file.
.PP
\fBOfflineIMAP\fR also ships a file named
\fIofflineimap.conf.minimal\fR that you can also try.
It's useful if you want to get started with
the most basic feature set, and you can read about other features
-later with \fIofflineimap.conf\fR.
+later with \fIofflineimap.conf\fR\&.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.PP
Most configuration is done via the configuration file. Nevertheless,
there are a few command-line options that you may set for
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR.
+\fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&.
.TP
\fB-1\fR
Disable most multithreading operations and use
unless you have a specific reason to do so. It will significantly
slow program performance, may reduce reliability, and can generate
huge amounts of data. You must use the \fB-1\fR option when
-you use \fB-P\fR.
+you use \fB-P\fR\&.
.TP
\fB-a \fIaccountlist\fB\fR
Overrides the \fIaccounts\fR option
.TP
\fB-c \fIconfigfile\fB\fR
Specifies a configuration file to use in lieu of
-the default, \fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR.
+the default, \fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR\&.
.TP
\fB-d \fIdebugtype[,...]\fB\fR
Enables debugging for OfflineIMAP. This is useful if
\fB-d\fR requires one or more debugtypes,
separated by commas. These define what exactly will be
debugged, and include three options: \fIimap\fR,
-\fImaildir\fR, and \fIthread\fR.
+\fImaildir\fR, and \fIthread\fR\&.
The \fIimap\fR
option will enable IMAP protocol stream and parsing debugging. Note
that the output may contain passwords, so take care to remove that
Tk.Blinkenlights is an interface designed to be sleek, fun to watch, and
informative of the overall picture of what \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
is doing. I consider it to be the best general-purpose interface in
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR.
+\fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&.
.PP
Tk.Blinkenlights contains, by default, a small window with a row of
LEDs, a small log, and a row of command buttons.
\fBRed (Meaning 1)\fR
is the color of the main program's thread, which basically does
nothing but monitor the others. It might remind you of HAL 9000 in
-2001.
+2001\&.
.TP
\fBGray\fR
indicates that the thread is establishing a new connection to the IMAP
synchronize multiple accounts with the mutt mail reader.
.PP
Start by creating a directory to hold your folders by running
-\fBmkdir ~/Mail\fR. Then, in your
+\fBmkdir ~/Mail\fR\&. Then, in your
\fI~/.offlineimaprc\fR, specify:
.nf
local repository for each account must have different
\fIlocalfolder\fR path names.
Also, make sure
-to enable \fI[mbnames]\fR.
+to enable \fI[mbnames]\fR\&.
.PP
In each local repository section, write something like this:
That's it!
.SS "UW-IMAPD AND REFERENCES"
.PP
-Some users with a UW-IMAPD server need to use \fBOfflineIMAP\fR's
+Some users with a UW-IMAPD server need to use \fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&'s
"reference" feature to get at their mailboxes, specifying a reference
of "~/Mail" or "#mh/" depending on the configuration. The below
configuration from (originally from docwhat@gerf.org)
.PP
IMAP servers use a unique ID (UID) to refer to a specific message.
This number is guaranteed to be unique to a particular message
-\fBforever\fR.
+\fBforever\fR\&.
No other message in the same folder will ever get the same
-UID. UIDs are an integral part of \fBOfflineIMAP\fR's synchronization
+UID. UIDs are an integral part of \fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&'s synchronization
scheme; they are used to match up messages on your computer to
messages on the server.
.PP
.PP
This question comes up frequently on the
\fBOfflineIMAP\fR
-mailing list <URL:http://lists.complete.org/offlineimap@complete.org/>. You can find a
+mailing list <URL:http://lists.complete.org/offlineimap@complete.org/>\&. You can find a
detailed
discussion <URL:http://lists.complete.org/offlineimap@complete.org/2003/04/msg00012.html.gz> of the problem there.
-.SH "OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS"
-.PP
-There are some other FAQs that might not fit into another section
-of the document, so they are discussed here.
-.TP
-\fBWhat platforms does OfflineIMAP run on?\fR
-It should run on most platforms supported by Python, which are quite a
-few. I do not support Windows myself, but some have made
-it work there; see the FAQ entry for that platform.
-.TP
-\fBI'm using Mutt. Other IMAP sync programs require me to use "set maildir_trash=yes". Do I need to do that with OfflineIMAP?\fR
-No. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR is smart enough to figure out message deletion without this extra
-crutch. You'll get the best results if you don't use this setting, in
-fact.
-.TP
-\fBI've upgraded and now OfflineIMAP crashes when I start it up! Why?\fR
-You need to upgrade your configuration
-file. See [XRef to UPGRADING.4.0] at the end of this
-manual.
-.TP
-\fBHow do I specify the names of my folders?\fR
-You do not need to. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR is smart
-enough to automatically figure out what folders are present
-on the IMAP server and synchronize them. You can use the
-\fIfolderfilter\fR and \fIfoldertrans\fR
-configuration file options to request certain folders and rename them
-as they come in if you like.
-.TP
-\fBHow can I prevent certain folders from being synced?\fR
-Use the \fIfolderfilter\fR option in the configuration file.
-.TP
-\fBHow can I add or delete a folder?\fR
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR does not currently provide this feature, but if you create a new
-folder on the IMAP server, it will be created locally automatically.
-.TP
-\fBAre there any other warnings that I should be aware of?\fR
-Yes; see the Notes section below.
-.TP
-\fBWhat is the mailbox name recorder (mbnames) for?\fR
-Some mail readers, such as Mutt, are not capable
-of automatically determining the names of your mailboxes.
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR can help these programs by writing the names
-of the folders in a format you specify. See the example
-\fIofflineimap.conf\fR for details.
-.TP
-\fBCan I synchronize multiple accounts with OfflineIMAP?\fR
-Sure. Just name them all in the
-\fIaccounts\fR line in the \fIgeneral\fR
-section of the configuration file, and add a per-account section
-for each one.
-.TP
-\fBDoes OfflineIMAP support POP?\fR
-No. POP is not robust enough to do a completely reliable
-multi-machine synchronization like \fBOfflineIMAP\fR can do. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
-will not support it.
-.TP
-\fBDoes OfflineIMAP support mailbox formats other than Maildir?\fR
-Not at present. There is no technical reason not to; just no
-demand yet. Maildir is a superior format anyway.
-However, \fBOfflineIMAP\fR can sync between two IMAP
-servers, and some IMAP servers support other formats. You
-could install an IMAP server on your local machine and have
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR sync to that.
-.TP
-\fB[technical] Why are your Maildir message filenames so huge?\fR
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR has two relevant principles: 1) never modifying your
-messages in any way and 2) ensuring 100% reliable synchronizations.
-In order to do a reliable sync, \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
-must have a way to
-uniquely identify each e-mail. Three pieces of information are
-required to do this: your account name, the folder name, and the
-message UID. The account name can be calculated from the path in
-which your messages are. The folder name can usually be as well, BUT
-some mail clients move messages between folders by simply moving the
-file, leaving the name intact.
-
-So, \fBOfflineIMAP\fR must store both a UID folder ID. The folder ID is
-necessary so \fBOfflineIMAP\fR can detect a message moved to a different
-folder. \fBOfflineIMAP\fR stores the UID (U= number) and an md5sum of the
-foldername (FMD5= number) to facilitate this.
-.TP
-\fBWhat is the speed of OfflineIMAP's sync?\fR
-OfflineIMAP
-versions 2.0 and above contain a multithreaded system. A good way to
-experiment is by setting \fImaxsyncaccounts\fR to 3 and \fImaxconnections\fR to 3
-in each account clause.
-
-This lets OfflineIMAP open up multiple connections simultaneously.
-That will let it process multiple folders and messages at once. In
-most cases, this will increase performance of the sync.
-
-Don't set the number too high. If you do that, things might actually
-slow down as your link gets saturated. Also, too many connections can
-cause mail servers to have excessive load. Administrators might take
-unkindly to this, and the server might bog down. There are many
-variables in the optimal setting; experimentation may help.
-
-An informal benchmark yields these results for my setup:
-.RS
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-10 minutes with MacOS X Mail.app "manual cache"
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-5 minutes with GNUS agent sync
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-20 seconds with OfflineIMAP 1.x
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-9 seconds with OfflineIMAP 2.x
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-3 seconds with OfflineIMAP 3.x "cold start"
-.TP 0.2i
-\(bu
-2 seconds with OfflineIMAP 3.x "held connection"
-.RE
-.TP
-\fBCan I use OfflineIMAP on Windows?\fR
-These answers have been reported by \fBOfflineIMAP\fR
-users. I do not run \fBOfflineIMAP\fR on Windows myself, so
-I can't directly address their accuracy.
-
-The basic answer is that it's possible and doesn't
-require hacking \fBOfflineIMAP\fR source code. However,
-it's not necessarily trivial. The information below is
-based in instructions submitted by Chris Walker.
-
-First, you must run \fBOfflineIMAP\fR in the Cygwin <URL:http://www.cygwin.com/>
-environment.
-
-Next, you'll need to mount your Maildir directory in a
-special way. There is information for doing that at
- <URL:http://barnson.org/node/view/295>.
-That site gives this example:
-
-.nf
-mount -f -s -b -o managed "d:/tmp/mail" "/home/of/mail"
-
-.fi
-
-That URL also has more details on making OfflineIMAP
-work with Windows.
.SH "CONFORMING TO"
.TP 0.2i
\(bu
\(bu
Maildir as specified in
the Maildir manpage <URL:http://www.qmail.org/qmail-manual-html/man5/maildir.html> and
-the qmail website <URL:http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html>.
+the qmail website <URL:http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html>\&.
.TP 0.2i
\(bu
Standard Python 2.2.1 as implemented on POSIX-compliant systems.
message will be re-downloaded with the proper UID.
\fBOfflineIMAP\fR makes sure that the message was properly uploaded before deleting it,
so there should be no risk of data loss.
-.SS "USE WITH EVOLUTION"
-.PP
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR can work with Evolution. To do so, first configure
-your \fBOfflineIMAP\fR account to have
-\fBsep = /\fR in its configuration. Then, configure
-Evolution with the
-"Maildir-format mail directories" server type. For the path, you will need to
-specify the name of the top-level folder
-\fBinside\fR your \fBOfflineIMAP\fR storage location.
-You're now set!
-.SS "USE WITH KMAIL"
-.PP
-At this time, I believe that \fBOfflineIMAP\fR with Maildirs
-is not compatible
-with KMail. KMail cannot work in any mode other than to move
-all messages out of all folders immediately, which (besides being annoying
-and fundamentally broken) is incompatible with
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR.
-.PP
-However, I have made KMail version 3 work well with
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR by installing an IMAP server on my local
-machine, having \fBOfflineIMAP\fR sync to that, and pointing
-KMail at the same server.
.SS "MAILING LIST"
.PP
There is an OfflineIMAP mailing list available.
To subscribe, send the text "Subscribe" in the subject of a mail to
offlineimap-request@complete.org. To post, send the message to
offlineimap@complete.org. Archives are available at
- <URL:http://lists.complete.org/offlineimap@complete.org/>.
+ <URL:http://lists.complete.org/offlineimap@complete.org/>\&.
.SS "BUGS"
.PP
-Reports of bugs should be sent via e-mail to the
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR mailing list at offlineimap at complete
-dot org. Debian users are encouraged to instead use the
+Reports of bugs should be reported online at the
+\fBOfflineIMAP\fR homepage.
+Debian users are encouraged to instead use the
Debian
bug-tracking system.
.SH "UPGRADING TO 4.0"
\fIofflineimap.conf\fR in the distribution if
you need more assistance.
.PP
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR's status directory area has also changed.
+\fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&'s status directory area has also changed.
Therefore, you should delete everything in ~/.offlineimap as
well as your local mail folders.
.PP
like normal.
.SH "COPYRIGHT"
.PP
-OfflineIMAP, and this manual, are Copyright (C) 2002, 2003 John Goerzen.
+OfflineIMAP, and this manual, are Copyright (C) 2002 - 2006 John Goerzen.
.PP
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
copyright is held as stated in the COPYRIGHT section.
.PP
\fBOfflineIMAP\fR may be downloaded, and information found, from its
-homepage via either Gopher <URL:gopher://quux.org/1/devel/offlineimap>
-or HTTP <URL:http://quux.org/devel/offlineimap>.
-.PP
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR may also be downloaded using Subversion. Additionally,
-the distributed tar.gz may be updated with a simple "svn update"
-command; it is ready to go. For information on getting OfflineIMAP
-with Subversion, please visit the
-complete.org Subversion page <URL:http://svn.complete.org/>.
+homepage <URL:http://software.complete.org/offlineimap>\&.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.PP
\fBmutt\fR(1),
.PP
Version 3.0.0 was released on July 11, 2002, and introduced
modular user interfaces and the first GUI interface for
-\fBOfflineIMAP\fR. This manual also was introduced with 3.0.0,
+\fBOfflineIMAP\fR\&. This manual also was introduced with 3.0.0,
along with many command-line options. Version 3.1.0 was
released on July 21, adding the Noninteractive user
interfaces, profiling support, and several bugfixes. 3.2.0