From 38f47edd9241b0fc75ccc86a5936f9051db96680 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Carl Worth Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:47:14 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] NEWS: Add notes for the 0.3 release. Summarizing all the major new features and fixes found in the git log since 0.2. A rather nice list, really. --- NEWS | 232 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 220 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-) diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS index 2128c756..35d88b02 100644 --- a/NEWS +++ b/NEWS @@ -1,13 +1,35 @@ -Even Better guessing of From: header. +Notmuch 0.3 (2010-04-27) +======================== +New command-line features +------------------------- +User-configurable tags for new messages + + A new "new.tags" option is available in the configuration file to + determine which tags are applied to new messages. Run "notmuch + setup" to generate new documentation within ~/.notmuch-config on how + to specify this value. + +Threads search results named based on subjects that match search + + This means that when new mails arrived to a thread you've previously + read, and the new mails have a new subject, you will see that + subject in the search results rather than the old subject. + +Faster operation of "notmuch tag" (avoid unneeded sorting) + + Since the user just wants to tag all matching messages, we can make + things perform a bit faster by avoiding the sort. + +Even Better guessing of From: header for "notmuch reply" Notmuch now looks at a number of headers when trying to figure out - the best From: header to use in a reply. First it checks whether one - of the user's emails is in To: or Cc:, then it checks Envelope-To: - and X-Original-To: headers, then it analyses the Received headers - checking for a Received: by .. from .. for user@add.res clause. And - finally it matches domains in the received path. + the best From: header to use in a reply. This is helpful if you have + several configured email addreses, and you also subsribe to various + mailing lists with different addresses, (so that mails you are + replying to won't always include your subsribed address in the To: + header). -Visualization of author names that match a search +Indication of author names that match a search When notmuch displays threads as the result of a search, it now lists the authors that match the search before listing the other @@ -16,15 +38,201 @@ Visualization of author names that match a search a search that includes tag:unread. Now the authors of the unread messages in the thread are listed first. -Provide 'G' key binding to trigger mail refresh +New: Python bindings +-------------------- +Sebastian Spaeth has contributed his python bindings for the notmuch +library to the central repository. These bindings were previously +known as "cnotmuch" within python but have now been renamed to be +accessible with a simple, and more official-looking "import notmuch". + +The bindings have already proven very useful as people proficient in +python have been able to easily develop programs to do notmuch-based +searches for email-address completion, maildir-flag synchronization, +and other tasks. + +These bindings are available within the bindings/python directory, but +are not yet integrated into the top-level Makefiles, nor the top-level +package-building scripts. Improvements are welcome. + +Emacs interface improvements +---------------------------- +An entirely new initial view for notmuch, (friendly yet powerful) + + Some of us call the new view "notmuch hello" but you can get at it + by simply calling "emacs -f notmuch". The new view provides a search + bar where new searches can be performed. It also displays a list of + recent searches, along with a button to save any of these, giving it + a new name as a "saved search". Many people find these "saved + searches" one of the most convenient ways of organizing their mail, + (providing all of the features of "folders" in other mail clients, + but without any of the disadvantages). + + Finally, this view can also optionally display all of the tags that + exist in the database, along with a count for each tag, and a custom + search of messages with that tag that's simply a click (or keypress) + away. + + Note: For users that liked the original mode of "emacs -f notmuch" + immediately displaying a particular search result, we + recommend instead running something like: + + emacs --eval '(notmuch search "tag:inbox" t)' + + The "t" means to sort the messages in an "oldest first" order, + (as notmuch would do previously by default). You can also + leave that off to have your seach results in "newest first" + order. + +Full-featured "customize" support for configuring notmuch + + Notmuch now plugs in well to the emacs "customize" mode to make it + much simpler to find things about the notmuch interface that can be + tweaked by the user. + + You can get to this mode by starting at the main "Customize" menu in + emacs, then browsing through "Applications", "Mail", and + "Notmuch". Or you can go straignt to "M-x customize-group" + "notmuch". + + Once you're at the customize screen, you'll see a list of documented + options that can be manipulated along with checkboxes, drop-down + selectors, and text-entry boxes for configuring the various + settings. + +Support for doing tab-completion of email addresses + + This support currently relies on an external program, + (notmuch-addresses), that is not yet shipped with notmuch + itself. But multiple, suitable implementations of this program have + already been written that generate address completions by doing + notmuch searches of your email collection. For example, providing + first those addresses that you have composed messages to in the + past, etc. + + One such program (implemented in python with the python bindings to + notmuch) is available via: + + git clone http://jkr.acm.jhu.edu/git/notmuch_addresses.git + + Install that program as notmuch-addresses on your PATH, and then + hitting TAB on a partial email address or name within the To: or Cc: + line of an email messsage will provide matching completions. + +Support for file-based (Fcc) delivery of sent messages to mail store + + This isn't yet enabled by default. To enable this, one will have to + set the "Notmuch Fcc Dirs" setting within the notmuch customize + screen, (see its docuementation there for details). We anticipate + making this automatic in a future release. + +New 'G' key binding to trigger mail refresh (G == "Get new mail") The 'G' key works wherever '=' works. Before refreshing the screen it calls an external program that can be used to poll email servers, run notmuch new and setup specific tags for the new emails. The - script to be called can be customized with. Use the customize screen - to set the notmuch-poll-script variable to the program that you want - to execute when pressing 'G'. Note that this is synchronous - emacs - will wait until this program finishes. + script to be called should be configured with the "Notmuch Poll + Script" setting in the customize interface. This script will + typically invoke "notmuch new" and then perhaps several "notmuch + tag" commands. + +Implement emacs message display with the JSON output from notmuch. + + This is much more robust than the previous implementation, (where + some HTML mails and mail quoting the notmuch code with the delimiter + characters in it would cause the parser to fall over). + +Better handling of HTML messages and MIME attachments (inline images!) + + Allow for any MIME parts that emacs can display to be displayed + inline. This includes inline viewing of image attachments, (provided + the window is large enough to fit the image at its natural size). + + Much more robust handling of HTML messages. Currently both text/plan + and text/html alternates will be rendered next to each other. In a + future release, users will be able to decide to see only one or the + other representation. + + Each attachment now has its own button so that attachments can be + saved indivisdually (the 'w' key is still available to save all + attachments). + +Customizable support for tidying of text/plain message content + + Many new functions are available for tidying up message + content. These include options such as wrapping long lines, + compressing duplicate blank lines, etc. + + Most of these are disabled by default, but can easily be enabled by + clicking the available check boxes under the "Notmuch Show Insert + Text/Plain Hook" within the notmuch customize screen. + +New support for searchable citations (even when hidden) + + When portions of overly-long citations are hiddent, the contents of + these citations will still be available for emacs' standard + "incremental search" functions. When the search matches any portion + of a hidden citation, the citation will become visible temporarily + to display the search result. + +More flexible handling of header visibility + + As an answer to complaints from many users, the To, Cc, and Date + headers of messages are no longer hidden by default. For those users + that liked that these were hidden, a new "Notmuch Messages Headers + Visible" option in the customize interface can be set to nil. The + visibility of headers can still be toggled on a per-message basis + with the 'h' keybinding. + + For users that don't want to see some subset of those headers, the + new "Notmuch Message Headers" variable can be customized to list + only those headers that should be present in the disply of a message. + +The Return key now toggles message visibility anywhere + + Previously this worked only on the first summary-line of a message. + +Customizable formatting of search results + + The user can easily customize the order, width, and formatting of + the various fields in a "notmuch search" buffer. See the "Notmuch + Search Result Format" section of the customize interface. + +Generate nicer names for search buffers when using a saved search. + +Add a notmuch User-Agent header when sending mail from notmuch/emacs. + +New keybinding (M-Ret) to open all collapsed messages in a thread. + +New library feature +------------------- +Provide a new NOTMUCH_SORT_UNSORTED value for queriesl + + This can be somewhat faster when sorting simply isn't desired. For + example when collecting a set of messages that will all be + manipulated identically, (adding a tag, removing a tag, deleting the + messages), then there's no advantage to sorting the messages by + date. + +Build fixes +----------- +Fix to compile against GMime 2.6 + + Previously notmuch insisted on being able to find GMime 2.4, (even + though GMime 2.6 would have worked all along). + +Fix configure script to accept (and ignore) various standard options. + + For example, those that the gentoo build scripts expect configure to + accept are now all accepted. + +Test suite +---------- +A large number of new tests for the many new features. + +Better display of output from failed tests. + + Now shows failures with diff rather than forcing the user to gaze at + complete actual and expected output looking for deviation. Notmuch 0.2 (2010-04-16) ======================== -- 2.43.0