Re: How to use Procmail to remove messages from server after x numberof days

On 3/1/2011 11:36 PM, Komal Tagdiwala (ktagdiwa) wrote:
> You can use email clients like Thunderbird which can be configured to
> PURGE messages older than X number of days.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bart
> Schaefer
> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 8:18 AM
> To: Procmail
> Subject: Re: How to use Procmail to remove messages from server after x
> numberof days
>
> On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 8:04 AM, Tim Rice<[email protected]>  wrote:
>>
>> I'm not sure if this is even possible, but I would like to
>> automatically remove all mail for all users after 10 days using
> Procmail.

Hi Komal.

Yes, I actually use Thunderbird for my own mail, but I keep getting 
users who can't seem to keep their mail under control, so I was looking 
for a server side solution.

Procmail mail is such a powerful tool I was hoping it may offer a 
(clean) server side solution. But I think Bart's reply sums it up 
perfectly, not the right tool for the job.
>
> Generally speaking, procmail is the wrong tool for this job.  Procmail
> is designed to work on a single message provided as an input stream, and
> deliver it to a mailbox; it's not a tool for manipulating messages that
> are already contained in mailboxes.
>
> Yes, you can kluge something together by e.g. using the formail utility
> to break up the mailbox and send the messages through procmail one by
> one, but that won't accomplish updating the mailbox in place -- you'll
> have to copy the mailbox, preserving only the messages that have not yet
> expired, and then swap the copy for the original, all while locking out
> new deliveries so as not to lose anything in the swap.
>
> You'll be better off looking for a tool that actually is able to
> manipulate mailboxes rather than individual messages.
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>
> ____________________________________________________________
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> [email protected]
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>
>


-- 
Best Regards,

Tim Rice
Computer Stuff
Phuket Thailand 83000
Tel: +66 76 376165
Fax: +66 76 376165
www.computerstuff.net
www.phuket-mail.com