From 1d204483a3fcd79f41efb5d10dade8ce473d971b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Ettore Perazzoli Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 02:07:11 +0000 Subject: Evolution users worldwide, rejoice! We have a FAQ. (Yes, it still sucks, but it will get better.) svn path=/trunk/; revision=9831 --- doc/C/Makefile.am | 18 +- doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml | 750 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 762 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) create mode 100644 doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml (limited to 'doc') diff --git a/doc/C/Makefile.am b/doc/C/Makefile.am index 90b0e0ea2f..cdf9d47dbe 100644 --- a/doc/C/Makefile.am +++ b/doc/C/Makefile.am @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ evolution_helpdir = $(datadir)/gnome/help/evolution/C -SGML_FILES = \ +GUIDE_SGML_FILES = \ evolution.sgml \ apx-authors.sgml \ apx-bugs.sgml \ @@ -15,15 +15,21 @@ SGML_FILES = \ usage-mainwindow.sgml \ usage-sync.sgml +FAQ_SGML_FILES = \ + evolution-faq.sgml -EXTRA_DIST = \ - $(SGML_FILES) +EXTRA_DIST = \ + $(FAQ_SGML_FILES) \ + $(GUIDE_SGML_FILES) -all: evolution-guide +all: evolution-guide evolution-faq -evolution-guide: $(SGML_FILES) +evolution-guide: $(GUIDE_SGML_FILES) -db2html $(srcdir)/evolution.sgml +evolution-faq: $(FAQ_SGML_FILES) + -db2html $(srcdir)/evolution-faq.sgml + dist-hook: mkdir $(distdir)/evolution -cp evolution/*.html evolution/*.css $(distdir)/evolution @@ -32,7 +38,7 @@ dist-hook: mkdir $(distdir)/evolution/stylesheet-images -cp evolution/stylesheet-images/* $(distdir)/evolution/stylesheet-images -install-data-local: evolution-guide +install-data-local: evolution-guide evolution-faq $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs $(DESTDIR)$(evolution_helpdir) -for file in $(srcdir)/evolution/*.html $(srcdir)/evolution/*.css; do \ basefile=`basename $$file`; \ diff --git a/doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml b/doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..cca5fb8a25 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml @@ -0,0 +1,750 @@ + + +
+ + + + Ettore + Perazzoli + + + Duncan + Mak + + + + Evolution Frequently Asked questions + + + This is a FAQ list and yadda yadda. + + + + + + + + + + Getting and compiling + + + + + + Where can I get the latest Evolution release? + + + + There are two main ways to install the latest Evolution + release: + + + + + + If you have Ximian GNOME installed, you can start Red + Carpet, Ximian's software updating system, and subscribe + to the Evolution channel. This will let you install a + binary for the latest release, and will also warn you + when a new version has been made available. + + + + + + If you want to compile from source, you can download the + latest official Evolution tarball from: + + + + + ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/evolution + + + + + + + + + + Are binary snapshots available? + + + + Yes, if you have Ximian GNOME installed. Just run Red + Carpet and subscribe to the Evolution Snapshot channel. + + + + The snapshot builds are logged at http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot. + + + + + + + Why isn't a new snapshot available today? + + + + Sometimes the build might fail because of problems with the + source on CVS. In this case, just wait for next day's + snapshot. + + + + + + + How do I get Evolution from CVS? + + + + If you already have GNOME + CVS access, simply checkout the following modules: + evolution, gtkhtml, gal. + + + + If you don't have a CVS account, you could use anoncvs + instead. Bear in mind that anoncvs is only synchronized once a + day, and code received from anoncvs may not be latest version + available. + + + + Before using the anoncvs server, you have to log into it. + This only needs to be done once. + + + +cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome login + + + + Then you can retrieve the modules needed to compile Evolution + using the following command: + + + +cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome co evolution gtkhtml gal + + + + + + + How should I compile Evolution avoiding conflicts with my + existing GNOME installation? + + + + The best way is to install Evolution into a separate prefix. + In order to specify a non-default installation prefix, you can + pass the --prefix option to + configure or autogen.sh. For + example: + + + +cd /cvs/evolution +./autogen.sh --prefix=/opt/gnome + + + + If you install Evolution and the Evolution libraries in a + non-standard prefix, make sure you set the appropriate + environment variables in your shell's startup script: + + + +export PATH=/opt/gnome:$PATH +export GNOME_PATH=/opt/gnome:/usr + + + + You may also need to add $prefix/lib + (e.g. /opt/gnome/lib) to your + /etc/ld.so.conf. + + + + + + + I get <computeroutput>make: *** No rule to make target + `all-no-@BUILD_INCLUDED_LIBINTL@'</computeroutput> + + + + You probably have gettext 0.10.36 or + later installed. Try downgrading to 0.10.35; unfortunately, + 0.10.36 introduced some incompatibilities with the current + xml-i18n-tools. + + + + + + + + + Troubleshooting + + + + + I get <computeroutput>Cannot initialize the Evolution + shell</computeroutput>. + + + + Check that: + + + + + + oafd is listen in your PATH + environment variable. + + + + + + GNOME_Evolution_Shell.oaf and + the other       + GNOME_Evolution_*.oaf files are + readable and installed in + $prefix/share/oaf, where + $prefix is one of the prefixes + listed in GNOME_PATH or + OAF_INFO_PATH.  (These variables are + supposed to contain $PATH-like colon-separated lists of + paths.  If the installation prefix for Evolution is + different from that). Run `oaf-slay' once before running + `evolution' again if you change $GNOME_PATH or + $OAF_INFO_PATH. + + + + + + evolution, + evolution-mail and the other + evolution-* executables are in your + $PATH. + + + + + + + + + I get <computeroutput>Cannot open composer window</computeroutput>. + + + + This actually means that Evolution cannot activate the HTML + editor component from GtkHTML. The comments in the previous + answer still apply; also make sure that + gnome-gtkhtml-editor is in your + PATH. + + + + + + + I updated my Evolution, but my addressbook contacts are no + longer there, what should I do? + + + + Evolution uses the libdb library to + handle the addressbook database. Two versions of + libdb can be used with Evolution: version + 1.88 and version 2. + + + + Unfortunately, an Evolution executable that is linked against + a certain version of libdb will only be + able to read addressbook files written by another Evolution + executable that is linked with the same version of the + library. If your addressbook is not readable by Evolution + anymore, it probably means that you used to have Evolution + linked with a certain version of libdb, + but now it gets linked to a different version. + + + + Because of the way libdb is designed, it + is not easy for Evolution to automatically do the conversion + between the two formats. But, if your Evolution used to be + linked against version 1.85 and now is linked to version 2, + there is a very simple way to convert the database and recover + your data. + + + + + + + First of all, check the format of the database using the + file command: + + + +file ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db + + + + You want version 1.85 there. If version is 2, then your + current Evolution is probably linked against version 1.85 + and you cannot convert the database to the old format. + + + + + + Quit Evolution. + + + + + + Make a copy of the addressbook database for backup + purposes. + + + +cd ~/evolution/local/Contacts +cp addressbook.db addressbook.db.backup + + + + + + Convert the contacts to the new format using + db_dump185 and + db_load: + + + +db_dump185 ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db.backup | db_load ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db + + + + + + Restart Evolution. + + + + + + + + + + Evolution crashes reporting that it couldn't allocate N + billion bytes; how do I fix this? + + + + This usually happens when a component tries talking a + certain version of a CORBA interface to another component + that supports a different version. For example, this can + happen when you recompile and install a single component + without recompiling/installing the rest of Evolution. + + + + So, if this occurs to you, make sure all the components are + compiled and installed at the same time. This also applies + to GtkHTML upgrades; after upgrading and installing a newer + GtkHTML, always re-compile and re-install Evolution against + it. + + + + + + + + What is <command>killev</command> and why do I need to use it? + + + + Evolution is actually made up of several components that run + as separate processes. Evolution's shell is not very good + at cleaning up stale processes, so it is possible that + sometimes already-running components cause unexpected and/or + broken behavior. + + + + It's always a good idea to run killev + after a crash in Evolution, especially if the Evolution + shell itself crashed. (If a component crashes instead, you + should try to exit the shell cleanly first, so you give a + chance to the other components to clean things up properly.) + + + + + + What is <command>oaf-slay</command> and why do I need to use it? + + + + oaf-slay is an utility which comes with + OAF, the Object Activation Framework that is used in the + GNOME Desktop to activate components. It will kill the + object activation daemon (oafd) as well + as all the active components on the system. + + + + Normally, you shouldn't need t run + oaf-slay, unless oafd + gets stuck or confused. For example, it might help in case + Evolution cannot activate components. + + + + Notice that oaf-slay will also confuse + Nautilus; a nautilus-cleanup.sh -x should + be enough to restart it properly, though. + + + + + + + + + + Debugging + + + + + + Where should I report bugs for Evolution? + + + + You should report bugs about Evolution into the Ximian bug + reporting system (Bugzilla), located at http://bugzilla.ximian.com. + + + + Please use the query function to check if a bug has been + submitted already before submitting it. + + + + + + + Can I just use Bug-Buddy? + + + + No. The Ximian bug tracker doesn't have an email-based + interface (yet), so Bug Buddy cannot talk to it. This will + be fixed eventually. + + + + + + + What is a stack trace (backtrace) and how do I get one? + + + + A stack trace is a list of the chain of function calls that + lead to some point in the program. Typically, you want to + get a stack trace when Evolution crashes or hangs and you + want to try to figure out where in the code that happened + and why. For this reason, stack traces are extremely useful + for the Evolution developers, so it's important that you + learn how to get them, and always include them in crash + reports. + + + + First of all, in order to get a stack trace, your executable + (and possibly the libraries) must be compiled with debugging + symbols. Debugging symbols are created by default if you + compile from CVS, and are included in the; but if you decide + to compile by yourself with some custom CFLAGS value, make + sure -g is included in them. + + + + Finally, you must run the component that crashes into + gdb before starting Evolution. Make sure + all the components are dead (exit Evolution and + killev), then run the following command: + + + +gdb name-of-component + + + + Then, at the gdb prompt, type r (for + "run") and wait a few seconds to make sure the component has + registered with the name service. Then start Evolution + normally from a different terminal. + + + + Then get Evolution to crash or to hang normally, and go back + to the terminal where you ran gdb. If + the component crashed, you should have a prompt there; otherwise, just hit + + Control + C + . + At the prompt, type: + + + +info threads + + + + This will give you a list of the current running threads, + e.g. + + + +(gdb) info threads + 8 Thread 6151 (LWP 14908) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 7 Thread 5126 (LWP 14907) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 6 Thread 4101 (LWP 1007) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 5 Thread 3076 (LWP 1006) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 4 Thread 2051 (LWP 1005) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 3 Thread 1026 (LWP 1004) 0x409778fe in sigsuspend () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 2 Thread 2049 (LWP 1003) 0x40a10d90 in poll () from /lib/libc.so.6 + 1 Thread 1024 (LWP 995) 0x40a10d90 in poll () from /lib/libc.so.6 + + + + (Notice that, normally, only + evolution-mail will have more than one + thread.) + + + + Now, for each of the thread listed, type the following + commands: + + + +thread N +bt + + + + Where `N' is the thread number. (In this example, you would + have to do it with N as 1, 2, 3... 8.) Then cut and paste + all the output into some text file, and quit + gdb by typing + quit. + + + + You can also get a stack trace from a running component or a + component that has just crashed. Just start + gdb normally and, instead of using the + r command, use + attach to attach to the running + process: + + + +attach PID + + + + Where PID is the PID of the + component. Notice that this also works if you attach right + after a crash dialog appears, before hitting "OK" or "Submit + bug report". + + + + + + + + + + + Features + + + + + + How can I remove a folder? + + + + Currently there is no command in Evolution to remove a + folder, so you have to remove it by hand. + + + + All the folders are stored in + ~/evolution/local. Each folder is a + directory containing the data files, as well as a + subfolders directory that contains all + its subfolders. So for example if you have a subfolder of + the Inbox called + Foo, you can run the following command + to get rid of it (and all it subfolders): + + + +rm -rf ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Foo + + + + You should do this after exiting Evolution. + + + + + + Why doesn't drag and drop between folders seem to work? + + + + The implementation isn't finished, although it's planned to + be finished soon. + + + + In the meantime, you can copy the folders' contents by hand + from the shell (please do this after quitting Evolution). + For example: + + + +cp -r ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Foo ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Bar + + + + Likewise, you can use mv to rename or + move folders. + + + + + + + Can I read mail from a mailbox file created by some other + application (e.g. Mutt) without importing mail from it? + + + + No, but it's a planned feature. + + + + + + + Can Evolution sync to my Palm OS (tm) device? + + + + Yes. Evolution needs to be compiled with Palm syncing + support for this to work though. Please refer to the + README file for additional information + on the requirements. + + + + + + + What is the difference between a virtual folder (vfolder) + and a regular folder? + + + + FIXME: Put a description that doesn't suck here. + + + + + + + Can Evolution spell-check the messages while I compose them? + + + + Yes. The Evolution composer is able to highlight + mis-spelled word on the fly as you type them, and also give + you suggestions for possible corrections. In order for this + to work you need the gnome-spell + component which is not shipped with Ximian GNOME yet. + + + + If you are brave enough, you can check out module + gnome-spell from the GNOME CVS and + compile it yourself. Check out its README file for a list + of gnome-spell's requirements for + compilation. + + + + Note that you don't need to recompile Evolution after + installing gnome-spell; it will be + picked up automatically. + + + + + + + I cannot see the images that are contained in some HTML mail + message I am getting. Why? + + + + Evolution currently doesn't support this, but it's a planned + feature. + + + + + + Can I change the font that Evolution uses for compose and + displaying mail messages? + + + + You have to change the GtkHTML settings for that: in the + GNOME Control Center, go to the "HTML Viewer" configuration + page, which is under the "Document Handlers" category. + + + + + +
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