Mutt setup with Gmail labels for Linux kernel emails

2024-4-09

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Content:

    

  1. Linux kernel postying style
    2. 

  2. Setup
    3. 

  3. mutt TUI
    4. 




Linux kernel posting style


I've spent quite some time to understand how properly setup mutt for
Linux kernel development, so this post should help myself and maybe others as well.

Linux suggests a dozen of email clients, but mutt is the most popular AFAIU.
Gmail does not support bottom-posting reply -- and probably that's the biggest downside,
it does support a plain text, but it seems, has some other issues as documented in Linux.

Bottom-posting is the standard of Linux kernel emailing style.


> Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style


Example of bottom-posting (prev. message's date + quoted context comes first, then your reply)


From: Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov <[email protected]>
To: Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: test mutt

On Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 01:02:23AM +0500, Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 12:36:44AM +0500, Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov wrote:
> > Test 123

Hello,
I'm replying to you

--
	Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov


Instead of:


From: Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov <[email protected]>
To: Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: test mutt

Hello,
I'm replying to you

--
	Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov

--
On Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 01:02:23AM +0500, Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 12:36:44AM +0500, Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov wrote:
> > Test 123


So mutt TUI (terminal UI) is the best, at least, I'd like to adapt to it.
After reading Greg KH post and this post and this post,
I've prepared my setup for mutt with my Gmail account mailboxes.


NB


For sending patches I use `git send-email` with all required steps
like `linux/scripts/checkpatch.pl` and `kernel/scripts/get_maintainer.pl`.
So I use mutt only for replying (perhaps I will use mutt for the initial PATCH sending as well
later but AFTER checkpatch.pl script).





Setup


1.	I've subscribed to the emailing list.


> Majordomo no longer supported
> To subscribe or unsubscribe to lists, please visit
> https://subspace.kernel.org/vger.kernel.org.html


So find the interesting email list here.

2.	In Gmail you can filter those emails to "labels" instead of having them
in your Primary Inbox. So for "[email protected]" list
I'm using "linux-mm" label.

3. 	Install "mbsync" to sync emails from your Gmail.
3.1	This is my `~/.mbsyncrc` config file:


Create Near
SyncState *

IMAPAccount gmail
Host imap.gmail.com
User [email protected]
Pass XXX
SSLType IMAPS
AuthMechs LOGIN

IMAPStore gmail-remote
Account gmail

MaildirStore gmail-local
Path ~/Mail/
Inbox ~/Mail/Inbox
Subfolders Verbatim

Channel linux-mm
Far :gmail-remote:"linux-mm"
Near :gmail-local:linux-mm

Channel linux-patches
Far :gmail-remote:"linux-patches"
Near :gmail-local:linux-patches

Channel linux-rust
Far :gmail-remote:"linux-rust"
Near :gmail-local:linux-rust

Group googlemail
Channel linux-mm
Channel linux-patches
Channel linux-rust


It will sync in your `~/Mail` directory mails from linux-mm, linux-patches, linux-rust labels.


4.	My `~/.mutt/muttrc` config file:


# vim: filetype=muttrc

set smtp_url = "smtp://[email protected]:587/"
set smtp_pass = XXX
set ssl_force_tls = yes

set folder = "~/Mail"
set spoolfile = "+linux-mm"
mailboxes +linux-mm +linux-patches +linux-rust

set imap_check_subscribed

# Don't load the primary inbox
# unset spoolfile

set editor = "vim"
set send_charset="us-ascii:utf-8"
set charset = UTF-8
set edit_headers = yes
unset use_domain

# Personal information
set realname = "Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov"
set from = "[email protected]"
set use_from = yes
set envelope_from = yes
set signature = "~/.mutt/signature"

# Sidebar navigation
set sidebar_visible = yes
set sidebar_width = 30
set sidebar_short_path = yes

bind index,pager \Cp sidebar-prev
bind index,pager \Cn sidebar-next
bind index,pager \Ck sidebar-prev
bind index,pager \Cj sidebar-next
bind index,pager \Co sidebar-open
bind pager <left> previous-page
bind pager <right> next-page
bind pager <up> previous-line
bind pager <down> next-line

# \e == Alt
macro index \e1 "<change-folder>=linux-mm<enter>" "Go to linux-mm"
macro index \e2 "<change-folder>=linux-patches<enter>" "Go to linux-patches"
macro index \e3 "<change-folder>=linux-rust<enter>" "Go to linux-rust"

set sort_aux=reverse-last-date-received
set sort=threads
set sort_re

set menu_scroll

# Header colors:
color quoted green default
color quoted1 blue default
color quoted2 cyan default
color quoted3 yellow default
color quoted4 red default
color quoted5 brightred default
color signature brightgreen default
color bold black default
color underline black default
color normal default default

color header brightmagenta default "^(From)"
color header brightcyan default "^(Subject)"
color header brightwhite default "^(CC|BCC)"

# Patch syntax highlighting
#color   normal  white           default
color   body    brightwhite     default         ^[[:space:]].*
color   body    yellow          default         ^(diff).*
#color   body    white           default         ^[\-\-\-].*
#color   body    white           default         ^[\+\+\+].*
#color   body    green           default         ^[\+].*
#color   body    red             default         ^[\-].*
#color   body    brightblue      default         [@@].*
color   body    brightwhite     default         ^(\s).*
color   body    cyan            default         ^(Signed-off-by).*
color   body    cyan            default         ^(Docker-DCO-1.1-Signed-off-by).*
color   body    brightwhite     default         ^(Cc)
color   body    yellow          default         "^diff \-.*"
color   body    brightwhite     default         "^index [a-f0-9].*"
color   body    brightblue      default         "^---$"
color   body    white           default         "^\-\-\- .*"
color   body    white           default         "^[\+]`3` .*"
color   body    green           default         "^[\+][^\+]+.*"
color   body    red             default         "^\-[^\-]+.*"
color   body    brightblue      default         "^@@ .*"
color   body    green           default         "LGTM"
color   body    brightmagenta   default         "-- Commit Summary --"
color   body    brightmagenta   default         "-- File Changes --"
color   body    brightmagenta   default         "-- Patch Links --"
color   body    green           default         "^Merged #.*"
color   body    red             default         "^Closed #.*"
color   body    brightblue      default         "^Reply to this email.*"


5.	Use msync manually or automate it via systemd service as the cronjob


$ mbsync -a
C: 3/3  B: 3/3  F: +0/0 *4/4 #0/0  N: +158/158 *4/4 #0/0






mutt TUI


$ neomutt



- 	In `~/.mutt/muttrc` I have macros for switching labels Alt-1, Alt-2, etc.
- 	`set menu_scroll` config gives you ability to scroll the index and the email body (pager)
- 	You can use default shortcuts to Reply (All) etc. with vim
	where you can setup the convenient `vimrc` config


set colorcolumn=80
set ts=8 sw=8 sts=8


and reply in Linux kernel email!



--
	Sabyrzhan Tasbolatov