Mutt configuration tips

[raf]

On Tue, Jun 14, 2022 at 03:26:47PM -0400, Christopher Conforti <christopher at conforti.xyz> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I've been using mutt for a bit now. I really like it, because it's
> vastly more efficient than the GUI MUA I was using before and so much
> more configurable; there are a LOT of options! It seems here lately I
> learn about a new one every day that I just happen to have a use for.
> 
> I imagine there are a number of users who, like me, enjoy tinkering
> with and tweaking their setup, adjusting every detail to their liking.
> So for those who do:
> * Have you done anything unusual with your configuration? Why?
> * What's your favorite thing about your mutt configuration? Why?
> * If you could give three tips to a new user, what would they be?
> 
> Cheers!
> -- 
> Christopher Conforti <christopher at conforti.xyz>

Hi Christopher,

I'll suggest two things. Read man muttrc in full so you
know what's available to be configured. You might decide
to change something right away, or not. But you'll know
what can be done when you encounter something you aren't
happy with. Also, look at other people's ~/.muttrc files.
There will be plenty online. e.g.:

  https://github.com/search?q=muttrc

But that's probably a small sample.

One thing I noticed recently is that it's not good to have
lots of "color index..." directives, especially if they all
set the same colours. It might be more readable, but it can
really slow down paging through the index. One "color index"
directive per colour combination with a complicated regex
will be ugly, but it will also be much faster.

Another tip is that you can do good things setting the editor
variable to a script of your own that can perform arbitrary
modifications before and/or after invoking the real editor.

cheers,
raf