add FAQ entry to diagnose differences between query result and FS

[notmuch-wiki] / faq.mdwn

diff --git a/faq.mdwn b/faq.mdwn
index 71c9ff80e6a06fc9b367031b12c4cb678fb06a27..652d33015b4afe427bec0784d36a43c6a3b1b306 100644 (file)
--- a/faq.mdwn
+++ b/faq.mdwn
@@ -12,6 +12,19 @@ with the same message (i.e. the files have identical Message-ID). A
 `folder:` search will match the folder of any of the files. The
 `--output=files` option outputs all the files of all matching messages.
 
 `folder:` search will match the folder of any of the files. The
 `--output=files` option outputs all the files of all matching messages.
 

+## How come this query does not list all the emails on the file system? `notmuch search --output=files -- folder:inbox`
+
+You may have emails that only have some of the excluded tags.
+
+Notmuch can be configured to exclude some tags while searching. You can list excluded tags with
+
+       $ notmuch config get search.exclude_tags
+       deleted
+
+To verify this is the reason of the discrepancy, add the excluded tags explicitly to your query.
+
+       $ notmuch search --output=files -- folder:inbox tag:deleted
+

 ## Shouldn't notmuch support inline PGP?
 
 [Why it might not be a good idea](https://dkg.fifthhorseman.net/notes/inline-pgp-harmful/)
 ## Shouldn't notmuch support inline PGP?
 
 [Why it might not be a good idea](https://dkg.fifthhorseman.net/notes/inline-pgp-harmful/)


@@ -59,8 +72,8 @@ Next, use that to query the messages:
 
 ## How do I search for punctuation, specific special characters, or regexp?
 
 
 ## How do I search for punctuation, specific special characters, or regexp?
 

-Please see the [[notmuch-search-terms manual
-page|manpages/notmuch-search-terms-7]] first.
+Please see the [notmuch-search-terms manual
+page](https://notmuchmail.org/doc/latest/man7/notmuch-search-terms.html) first.

 
 The main thing to understand is that Xapian, and therefore Notmuch, searches are
 closer to natural language searches than regular expression
 
 The main thing to understand is that Xapian, and therefore Notmuch, searches are
 closer to natural language searches than regular expression


@@ -106,8 +119,8 @@ This is required in order to run the `pre-new` and `post-new` hooks.
 No. Tagging is message based.
 
 It is possible, however, to make tags propagate to all messages in a thread
 No. Tagging is message based.
 
 It is possible, however, to make tags propagate to all messages in a thread

-using a little bit of scripting in the [[post-new
-hook|manpages/notmuch-hooks-5]]. For example, to add the muted tag to all
+using a little bit of scripting in the [post-new
+hook](https://notmuchmail.org/doc/latest/man5/notmuch-hooks.html). For example, to add the muted tag to all

 messages in threads that have at least one message with the muted tag:
 
         THREAD_TAGS="muted"
 messages in threads that have at least one message with the muted tag:
 
         THREAD_TAGS="muted"