Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] New features in Mail app

[Patrick J. Walsh]

    My feeling is that you should do this in two stages.  First create an
advanced filtering capability similar to that done by maildrop
(http://www.flounder.net/~mrsam/maildrop/maildropfilter.html).  This
essentially allows the user to use any regexp expression on any of the
headers and optionally on the content as well.  There are basic commands for
if statements here as well.  Then there is a set of actions that allow you
to specify where to move the message, copy the message, who to forward it
to, etc.  Maildrop allows the use of databases to track mail, log files, and
unlimited piping to external commands.  I don't think any of this is
appropriate in phpgw unless the piping is to another phpgw app.

    The second step would be to create a dummy interface similar to the
Outlook filters where natural language options would mask the creation of
filters.  For example:

Dummy filter says:

Apply this rule _after_ the message arrives
Where _somebody_ is in the To or Cc box
Forward a copy to address@hidden and
Move it to _Special Folder_

Advanced regexp says:

If (/^(To|Cc): .*somebody/)
  {
     cc address@hidden
     to SpecialFolder
  }

    You will need to write something to handle nested if/else statements,
but otherwise it should be fairly easy.  I wouldn't write a language that
parses statements like:

if "to" contains "somebody" then blah blah

..Patrick (mr_e)