Re: [PATCH 1/2] Add 'cat' subcommand

[Michal Sojka <sojkam1@fel.cvut.cz>]

On 20.4.2010 09:21, David Edmondson wrote:
 > On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:16:32 +0200, Michal Sojka<sojkam1@fel.cvut.cz> 
  wrote:
 >> This command dumps a raw message identified by a filename to the
 >> standard output. It allows MUAs to access the messages for piping,
 >> attachment manipulation, etc. in the same way as it is done in
 >> notmuch-show-mode (through notmuch show subcommand). This will simplify
 >> the MUAs when they need to operate with a remote database.
 >
 > I'm puzzled why you chose to pass a filename as the argument to 'cat'
 > rather than a message id (id:foo@bar.com)?

The reason is that I want be able to distinguish between several 
messages with the same id. Consider a message sent to a list. One copy 
is stored in your sent folder and one in another folder. You may want to 
investigate the Received headers the latter message. You would not be 
happy if, after pressing 'V', notmuch shows you the message in sent 
folder without any headers.

The same holds for pipe command. I think that the message you pipe to 
some command should be exactly the same you see in your client.

On 20.4.2010 10:09, Sebastian Spaeth wrote:
> I agree, especially as some people want to introduce abstract mailstores
> which might not even have the concept of a file name :).

OK, maybe file name is not the proper name for it :-). In my abstract 
mail stores, I use the "file name" just as an unique identifier of the 
message.

Michal