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   1 * Gnorb
   2
   3 Glue code between the Gnus, Org, and BBDB packages for Emacs.
   4
   5 This package connects Emacs-based email, project management, and
   6 contact management a little more closely together. The goal is to
   7 reduce friction when manipulating TODOs, contacts, messages, and
   8 files.
   9
  10 Probably the most interesting thing Gnorb does is tracking
  11 correspondences between Gnus email messages and Org headings. Rather
  12 than "turning your inbox into a TODO list", as some software puts it,
  13 Gnorb (kind of) does the opposite: turning your TODO headings into
  14 mini mailboxes.
  15
  16 *Note for previous users*: If you were using Gnorb from Github before
  17 it shifted to the Elpa repository, the email tracking mechanism has
  18 changed, please see the manual for details.
  19
  20 ** Installation
  21
  22 It's easiest to install Gnorb from Elpa: run `list-packages' and look
  23 for it there.
  24
  25 Or clone the Git repo at https://github.com/girzel/gnorb, and add the
  26 top-level directory to your load path.
  27
  28 If you want to use Gnorb for tracking emails with TODOs, you'll need
  29 to add a nngnorb server to your `gnus-secondary-select-methods'
  30 variable, then call `gnorb-tracking-initialize' in your init files.
  31 Again, see the manual for details.
  32 ** Roadmap
  33 *** More fully utilize nngnorb
  34 Instead of just being place to put nnir searches, the nngnorb server
  35 should have groups in its own right. Users will still be able to make
  36 ephemeral search groups if they like, but they'll also have the option
  37 of creating regular Gnus groups that track certain Org subtrees. These
  38 groups will be persistent, and they will auto-update, so it's possible
  39 to handle more TODO stuff from the Gnus group buffer. Copying a
  40 message into the group will set up tracking for the message; deleting
  41 it from the group will remove tracking.
  42 *** Comprehensive views of related information
  43 For instance, A `gnorb-view' command that takes a tags-todo search
  44 phrase (or a single Org heading ID), finds all relevant messages, Org
  45 headings, and BBDB records, and sets up a four-pane view: Org Agenda,
  46 BBDB buffer, Gnus Summary buffer, and Gnus Article buffer.
  47
  48 Or something like that -- more pondering is necessary.
  49 *** Consider consolidating posting styles, personas, etc
  50 There are many solutions out there for setting up "personas" in Gnus
  51 or elsewhere: wrappers for mail composition and reply that create
  52 certain identities by setting variables and mail headers.
  53
  54 Do we need another one? Gnorb seems so well placed for this sort of
  55 thing: we've already got bbdb-posting-styles, and allowing further
  56 configuration based on, say, the Org tags of the subtree we're
  57 composing messages from... Or maybe it's just a case of NIH.
  58 ** To do list
  59 *** TODO Agenda date-span message search
  60 Provide an Org Agenda command that does an email search for messages
  61 received in the visible date span, or day under point, etc. Make it
  62 work in the calendar, as well?
  63 *** TODO Capture to child/subtree trigger actions
  64 Add trigger actions that create new sibling or child headings on the
  65 original Org heading.
  66 *** TODO Gnus message tagging
  67 Allow tagging of Gnus messages, by giving the message's registry entry
  68 an 'org-tags key.
  69 *** TODO Email subtree export to doc and rtf
  70 When using `gnorb-email-subtree', provide built-in options for
  71 exporting to doc and rtf attachments; these are such commonly-needed
  72 formats. Do the odt conversion automatically.
  73 *** TODO Collect BBDB messages by thread
  74 At present, when you collect message links on a BBDB contact, each
  75 message is a separate link. If you have lengthy conversations with
  76 this contact, you'll get a whole bunch of links with the same summary:
  77 not very useful. Provide an option to collect one /thread/ per link:
  78 each link represents the top-level message in the thread, and
  79 following the link opens a Summary buffer where the whole thread is
  80 visible.
  81 *** TODO Automatic org-tagging for BBDB contacts
  82 When messages from a contact are associated with an Org heading, make
  83 it possible for the contact to inherit that heading's tags
  84 automatically.
  85 *** TODO gnorb-bbdb-view
  86 Provide a `gnorb-bbdb-view' command that opens a Summary buffer
  87 containing all the tracked messages from the contact(s) under point.