multiple IMAP accounts on one server?

[raf]

On Sun, Jan 15, 2023 at 08:58:19PM +0100, Matěj Cepl <mcepl at cepl.eu> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I am looking for the terminal-based MUA which would be able to
> work with my email needs. However, for various reasons I really
> need all my emails stay on multiple IMAP accounts (no local
> emails if possible). I have started with mutt as it is the
> client I know best, but I am not married to it, if you know
> about anything better (Alpine?, notmuch?, anything else) which
> could help me, then I am all ears.

Have a look at neomutt. It's based on mutt, and might or might
not be different in relation to account hooks.

> account-hook .*localhost 'set imap_user=matej imap_pass=secret1 \
>     from="Matěj Cepl <matej at ceplovi.cz>"
> folder=imap://localhost.localdomain \
>     trash=+Trash postponed=+Drafts'
> # account-hook mcepl 'set imap_user=mcepl at cepl.eu imap_pass="secret2" \
> #     from="Matěj Cepl <mcepl at cepl.eu>" \
> #     folder=imaps://redcrew.org trash=+Trash postponed=+Drafts'
> account-hook .*redcrew.org 'set imap_user="matej at ceplovi.cz" \
>     imap_pass= "secret3" \
>     from="Matěj Cepl <matej at ceplovi.cz>" \
>     folder=imaps://redcrew.org trash=+Trash postponed=+Drafts'
> account-hook .*suse.de 'set imap_user=mcepl at Thunderbird \
>     imap_pass= "secret4" \
>     postponed=+INBOX/Drafts from="Matěj Cepl <mcepl at suse.cz>" \
>     trash=+INBOX/Trash'
> 
> The problem is obviously mcepl at cepl.eu account.
> 
> * Is it possible to have two account hooks directed against one
>   IMAP server?

Kind of. I found this:

  [mutt] Multiple email accounts using hooks
  https://nixtricks.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/mutt-multiple-email-accounts-using-hooks/

It has an initial account-hook matching . that unsets things,
followed by other account-hooks that sets them depending on
the account.

So, multiple account-hook directives can match the same account.
It just depends on the regular expressions used. But that might
not be useful to you. I'm not sure why you want different
account-hooks for the same account.

If you want two different sets of parameters for the same account
(does that even make sense?), then you might need to put them in
different rc files, and perhaps create key bindings to load the one
you want when you want to change.

> * What EXACTLY are possible values of the first parameter of
>   account-hook. Does it have to be domain name of the server, or
>   could it be some random string (as shown here in the commented
>   out account-hook)?

Good question. It's not clear from just the account-hook entry in
muttrc(5). From the webpage mentioned above, it looks like the
regexp needs to match the imap URI
(e.g., 'imaps://user1@imap.gmail.com/').

> * Is there some patch somewhere, which would support some more
>   grown-up version of the accounts settings? I would like to have
>   something like
> 
>   account work { \
>     imap_server = imap.suse.de \
>     imap_user = mcepl at Thunderbird \
>     imap_pass = secret4 \
>     ... { any other mutt settings }
>   }
> 
>   account floss { \
>     imap_server = redcrew.org \
>     imap_user = mcepl at cepl.eu \
>     imap_pass = secret2 \
>     ... { any other mutt settings }
>   }
> 
>   and then I would run
> 
>   $ mutt -C work
> 
>   (C as aCcount)
> 
>   and when inside of mutt I could refer to the other account with
>   something like
> 
>   <save-message>#floss/INBOX/somewhere
> 
> Anybody heard about something like this?

No, but the same thing can be achieved with alternate muttrc files
and the -F option. When you run "mutt -F work" or "mutt -F floss",
the work and floss rc files can contain their specific imap settings,
and then source a common rc file with everything else.

For saving to the other account, macros would help.

If you really like your config syntax above, you could probably
write a little tool that "compiled" it into muttrc syntax.

> Best,
> Matěj

cheers,
raf