path: root/doc/C/evolution-faq.sgml

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  <article id="index">
    <artheader>
      <authorgroup>
    <author>
      <firstname>Ettore</firstname>
      <surname>Perazzoli</surname>
    </author>
    <author>
      <firstname>Duncan</firstname>
      <surname>Mak</surname>
    </author>
      </authorgroup>

      <title>Evolution Frequently Asked questions</title>
      <abstract>
    <para>
      This is a FAQ list and yadda yadda.
    </para>
      </abstract>
    </artheader>


    <!-- Section: Getting and compiling -->

    <sect1>
      <title>
    Getting and compiling
      </title>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Where can I get the latest Evolution release?
    </title>

    <para>
      There are two main ways to install the latest Evolution
      release:
    </para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          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.
        </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          If you want to compile from source, you can download the
          latest official Evolution tarball from:
        </para>

        <para>
          <ulink url="ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/evolution">
        ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/evolution
          </ulink>
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Are binary snapshots available?
    </title>

    <para>
      Yes, if you have Ximian GNOME installed.  Just run Red
      Carpet and subscribe to the Evolution Snapshot channel.
    </para>

    <para>
      The snapshot builds are logged at <ulink
      url="http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot">http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot</ulink>.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Why isn't a new snapshot available today?
    </title>

    <para>
      Sometimes the build might fail because of problems with the
      source on CVS.  In this case, just wait for next day's
      snapshot.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      How do I get Evolution from CVS?
    </title>

    <para>
      If you already have <ulink url="http://cvs.gnome.org">GNOME
        CVS</ulink> access, simply checkout the following modules:
      evolution, gtkhtml, gal.
    </para>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>

    <para>
      Before using the anoncvs server, you have to log into it.
      This only needs to be done once.
    </para>

    <programlisting>
cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome login
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      Then you can retrieve the modules needed to compile Evolution
      using the following command:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@anoncvs.gnome.org:/cvs/gnome co evolution gtkhtml gal
    </programlisting>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      How should I compile Evolution avoiding conflicts with my
      existing GNOME installation?
    </title>

    <para>
      The best way is to install Evolution into a separate prefix.
      In order to specify a non-default installation prefix, you can
      pass the <parameter>--prefix</parameter> option to
      <filename>configure</filename> or <filename>autogen.sh</filename>.  For
      example:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
cd /cvs/evolution
./autogen.sh --prefix=/opt/gnome
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      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:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
export PATH=/opt/gnome:$PATH
export GNOME_PATH=/opt/gnome:/usr
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      You may also need to add <filename>$prefix/lib</filename>
      (e.g. <filename>/opt/gnome/lib</filename>) to your
      <filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename>.  <!-- FIXME portable? -->
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      I get <computeroutput>make: *** No rule to make target
      `all-no-@BUILD_INCLUDED_LIBINTL@'</computeroutput>
    </title>

    <para>
      You probably have <filename>gettext</filename> 0.10.36 or
      later installed.  Try downgrading to 0.10.35; unfortunately,
      0.10.36 introduced some incompatibilities with the current
      <filename>xml-i18n-tools</filename>.
    </para>
      </sect2>

    </sect1> <!-- End Section: Getting and compiling -->

    <!-- Section: Troubleshooting -->

    <sect1>
      <title>Troubleshooting</title>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      I get <computeroutput>Cannot initialize the Evolution
      shell</computeroutput>.
    </title>

    <para>
      Check that:
    </para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          <filename>oafd</filename> is listen in your <envar>PATH</envar>
          environment variable.
        </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          <filename>GNOME_Evolution_Shell.oaf</filename> and
          the other      
          <filename>GNOME_Evolution_*.oaf</filename> files are
          readable and installed in
          <filename>$prefix/share/oaf</filename>, where
          <filename>$prefix</filename> is one of the prefixes
          listed in <envar>GNOME_PATH</envar> or
          <envar>OAF_INFO_PATH</envar>.  (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.
        </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          <filename>evolution</filename>,
          <filename>evolution-mail</filename> and the other
          <filename>evolution-*</filename> executables are in your
          $PATH.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      I get <computeroutput>Cannot open composer window</computeroutput>.
    </title>

    <para>
      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
      <command>gnome-gtkhtml-editor</command> is in your
      <envar>PATH</envar>.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      I updated my Evolution, but my addressbook contacts are no
      longer there, what should I do?
    </title>

    <para>
      Evolution uses the <filename>libdb</filename> library to
      handle the addressbook database.  Two versions of
      <filename>libdb</filename> can be used with Evolution: version
      1.88 and version 2.
    </para>

    <para>
      Unfortunately, an Evolution executable that is linked against
      a certain version of <filename>libdb</filename> 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 <filename>libdb</filename>,
      but now it gets linked to a different version.
    </para>

    <para>
      Because of the way <filename>libdb</filename> 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.
    </para>

    <itemizedlist>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          First of all, check the format of the database using the
          <command>file</command> command:
        </para>

        <programlisting>
file ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db
        </programlisting>

        <para>
          You want version 1.85 there.  If your version is 2, then
          your current Evolution is probably linked against
          version 1.85 and you cannot convert the database to the
          old format. To do that, follow these instructions:
        </para>
      </listitem>
      
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Quit Evolution.
        </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          Make a copy of the addressbook database for backup
          purposes.
        </para>

        <programlisting>
cd ~/evolution/local/Contacts
cp addressbook.db addressbook.db.backup
        </programlisting>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          Convert the contacts to the new format using
          <command>db_dump185</command> and
          <command>db_load</command>:
        </para>

        <programlisting>
db_dump185 ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db.backup | db_load ~/evolution/local/Contacts/addressbook.db
        </programlisting>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          Restart Evolution.
        </para>
      </listitem>

    </itemizedlist>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
        <title>
        Evolution reported an error when trying to retrieve from my
        local spool in <tt>/var/spool/mail/username</tt>.  Why?
        </title>

        <para>
      Evolution doesn't have an external helper for moving mail,
      so <tt>/var/spool/mail/</tt> must be writable by you.  Try this:
    </para>

        <programlisting>
chmod 1777 /var/spool/mail
    </programlisting>

        <para>
      Yes, we know this is a problem.  It will be fixed eventually.
    </para>
      </sect2>

    <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Evolution crashes reporting that it couldn't allocate N
      billion bytes; how do I fix this?
    </title>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>

      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      What is <command>killev</command> and why do I need to use it?
    </title>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>

    <para>
      It's always a good idea to run <command>killev</command>
      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.)
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <sect2>
    <title>
      What is <command>oaf-slay</command> and why do I need to use it?
    </title>

    <para>
      <command>oaf-slay</command> 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 (<command>oafd</command>) as well
      as all the active components on the system.
    </para>

    <para>
      Normally, you shouldn't need to run
      <command>oaf-slay</command>, unless <command>oafd</command>
      gets stuck or confused.  For example, it might help in case
      Evolution cannot activate components.
    </para>

    <para>
           Using <command>oaf-slay</command>
      <command>oaf-slay</command> is quite drastic and can cause
      problems with other programs that use oaf, especially with
      <application>Nautilus</application>. To avoid problems, do
      not run <command>oaf-slay</command> while you are in GNOME.
    </para>

    </sect1> <!-- End Section: Troubleshooting -->


    <!-- Section: Debugging -->

    <sect1>
      <title>
    Debugging
      </title>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Where should I report bugs for Evolution?
    </title>

    <para>
      You should report bugs about Evolution into the Ximian bug
      reporting system (Bugzilla), located at <ulink
      url="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">http://bugzilla.ximian.com</ulink>.
    </para>

    <para>
      Please use the query function to check if a bug has been
      submitted already before submitting it.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Can I just use Bug-Buddy?
    </title>

    <para>
      No.  The Ximian bug tracker does not yet have an email-based
      interface, so Bug Buddy cannot talk to it.  This will be
      fixed eventually.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      What is a stack trace (backtrace) and how do I get one?
    </title>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>

    <para>
      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 snapshot builds.
      If you decide to compile by yourself with some custom CFLAGS
      value, make sure <command>-g</command> is included in them.
    </para>

    <para>
      Finally, you must put the component that crashes through
      <command>gdb</command>.  Make sure all the components are
      dead (exit Evolution and <command>killev</command>), then
      run the following command:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
gdb name-of-component
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      Then, at the gdb prompt, type <userinput>r</userinput> (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.
    </para>

    <para>
      Then, reproduce the crash, and go back to the terminal where
      you ran <command>gdb</command>.  If the component crashed,
      you should have a prompt there; otherwise, just hit
      <keycombo action=simul>
        <keycap>Control</keycap>
        <keycap>C</keycap>
      </keycombo>.
      At the prompt, type:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
info threads
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      This will give you a list of the current running threads,
      e.g.
    </para>

    <screen>
(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
    </screen>

    <para>
      (Notice that, normally, only
      <command>evolution-mail</command> will have more than one
      thread.)
    </para>

    <para>
      Now, for each of the thread listed, type the following
      commands:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
thread N
bt
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      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
      <command>gdb</command> by typing
      <userinput>quit</userinput>.
    </para>

    <para>
      You can also get a stack trace from a running component or a
      component that has just crashed.  Just start
      <command>gdb</command> normally and, instead of using the
      <userinput>r</userinput> command, use
      <userinput>attach</userinput> to attach to the running
      process:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
attach PID
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      Where <userinput>PID</userinput> 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".
    </para>
      </sect2>

    </sect1> <!-- End Section: Debugging -->


    <!-- Section: Features -->

    <sect1>
      <title>
    Features
      </title>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      How can I remove a folder?
    </title>

    <para>
      Currently there is no command in Evolution to remove a
      folder, so you have to remove it by hand.
    </para>

    <para>
      All the folders are stored in
      <filename>~/evolution/local</filename>.  Each folder is a
      directory containing the data files, as well as a
      <filename>subfolders</filename> directory that contains all
      its subfolders.  So for example if you have a subfolder of
      the <filename>Inbox</filename> called
      <filename>Foo</filename>, you can run the following command
      to get rid of it (and all it subfolders):
    </para>

    <programlisting>
rm -rf ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Foo
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      You should do this after exiting Evolution.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <sect2>
    <title>
      Why doesn't drag and drop between folders seem to work?
    </title>

    <para>
      The implementation isn't finished, although it's planned to
      be finished soon.
    </para>

    <para>
      In the meantime, you can copy the folders' contents by hand
      from the shell (please do this after quitting Evolution).
      For example:
    </para>

    <programlisting>
cp -r ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Foo ~/evolution/local/Inbox/subfolders/Bar
    </programlisting>

    <para>
      Likewise, you can use <command>mv</command> to rename or
      move folders.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Can I read mail from a mailbox file created by some other
      application (e.g. Mutt) without importing mail from it?
    </title>

    <para>
      No, but it's a planned feature.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Can Evolution sync to my Palm OS (tm) device?
    </title>

    <para>
      Yes.  Evolution needs to be compiled with Palm syncing
      support for this to work though.  Please refer to the
      <filename>README</filename> file for additional information
      on the requirements.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      What is the difference between a virtual folder (vfolder)
      and a regular folder?
    </title>

    <para>
      A virtual folder is like a saved search: it is a view of
      your mail. Regular folders actually contain the mail
      messages.  You can have one message be in multiple virtual
      folders, but only in one regular folder.  See the section in
      the Evolution manual about virtual folders for more
      information.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      Can Evolution spell-check the messages while I compose them?
    </title>

    <para>
      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 <filename>gnome-spell</filename>
      component, which is not shipped with Ximian GNOME yet.
    </para>

    <para>
      If you are brave enough, you can check out module
      <filename>gnome-spell</filename> from the GNOME CVS and
      compile it yourself.  Check out its README file for a list
      of <filename>gnome-spell</filename>'s requirements for
      compilation.
    </para>

    <para>
      Note that you don't need to recompile Evolution after
      installing <filename>gnome-spell</filename>; it will be
      picked up automatically.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <!-- -->
      <sect2>
    <title>
      I cannot see the images that are contained in some HTML mail
      message I am getting.  Why?
    </title>

    <para>
      Evolution currently doesn't support this, but it's a planned
      feature.
    </para>
      </sect2>

      <sect2>
    <title>
      Can I change the font that Evolution uses for compose and
      displaying mail messages?
    </title>

    <para>
      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.
    </para>
      </sect2>

    </sect1> <!-- End Section: Features -->

  </article>