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

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<appendix id="evolution-faq">
  <title>Frequently Asked Questions About Ximian Evolution</title>
  <para>
    Here are some frequently asked questions about the
    <application>Evolution</application> groupware suite from
    Ximian.
  </para>
  
  <!-- Section: Getting and compiling -->

  <sect1 id="get-and-compile">
    <title>
      Getting and Compiling Evolution
    </title>
    <qandaset>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Where can I get the latest Evolution release?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        There are two ways to install the latest Evolution
        release:
        <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>
      </para>  
    </answer>      
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Are binary snapshots available?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        Yes, if you have Ximian GNOME installed.  Just run Red
        Carpet and subscribe to the Evolution Snapshot channel.
      </para>

      <para>
        You can check the status of snapshots at <ulink
                                url="http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot">http://primates.ximian.com/~snapshot</ulink>.
      </para>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Why isn't a new snapshot available today?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        How do I get Evolution from CVS?
          </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        If you already have <ulink
                       url="http://cvs.gnome.org">GNOME CVS</ulink> access,
        simply check out the following modules: evolution,
        gtkhtml, gal.
      </para>
      <para>
        If you don't have a CVS account, you can 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. Use this command:
      </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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        How should I compile Evolution avoiding conflicts with my
        existing GNOME installation?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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 the startup script for Evolution:
      </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>.  Of course, this will
        not work for systems which do not use ld.so.conf, such as
        HP-UX.
      </para>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        I get <computeroutput>make: *** No rule to make target
          `all-no-@BUILD_INCLUDED_LIBINTL@'</computeroutput>
          </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="faq-trouble">
    <title>Troubleshooting</title>
    <qandaset>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        I get <computeroutput>Cannot initialize the Evolution
          shell</computeroutput>.
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        I get <computeroutput>Cannot open composer window</computeroutput>.
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
      
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        I updated my Evolution, but my addressbook contacts are no
        longer there, what should I do?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Evolution reported an error when trying to retrieve from my
        local spool in <filename>/var/spool/mail/username</filename>.  Why?
          </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        Evolution doesn't have an external helper for moving mail,
        so <filename>/var/spool/mail/</filename> 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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Evolution crashes reporting that it couldn't allocate N
        billion bytes; how do I fix this?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        What is <command>killev</command> and why do I need to use it?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        What is <command>oaf-slay</command> and why do I need to use it?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="faq-debugging">
    <title>Questions about Bugs and Debugging</title>
    <para>
      Find a bug? Here's how to help us fix it!
    </para>
    
    <qandaset>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Where should I report bugs for Evolution?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Can I just use Bug-Buddy?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        Not yet.  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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        What is a stack trace (backtrace) and how do I get one?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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 include them in crash
        reports. Once we have <command>bug-buddy</command> working
        with our bug database, it will be much easier to do
        this. Until then, here's how:
      </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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1> 
  
  <sect1 id="faq-features">
    <title>Features</title>
    <para>
      Following is a list of questions about the features in
      <application>Evolution</application>.   
    </para>

    <qandaset>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        How can I remove a folder?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Why doesn't drag and drop between folders seem to work?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Can I read mail from a mailbox file created by some other
        application (e.g. Mutt) without importing mail from it?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        No, but it's a planned feature.
      </para>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Can Evolution sync to my Palm OS (tm) device?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        What is the difference between a virtual folder (vfolder)
        and a regular folder?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Can Evolution spell-check the messages while I compose them?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        I cannot see the images that are contained in some HTML
        mail message I am getting.  Why?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        Evolution currently doesn't support this, but it's a
        planned feature.  It will be an option: many people like
        to turn off the images because they use up bandwidth and can
            be used to spy on your email reading habits.
      </para>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
        Can I change the font that Evolution uses for compose and
        displaying mail messages?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <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>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
            How do I import my Outlook <filename>.pst</filename> files into Evolution?
      </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
            You cannot import these files directly into Evolution
            because the <filename>.pst</filename> format is a
            proprietry format. However, Mozilla Mail on Windows can
            convert them into the <type>mbox</type> format, which can
            then be imported by Evolution.
          </para>
      
      <para>
            To start importing your Outlook mail to Evolution, run
            Mozilla Mail on Windows and select the
            <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Import...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
            to begin. Then select that you wish to import Mail from
            Outlook. Once Mozilla has imported all your mail, reboot
            your computer into Linux.
          </para>
      
          <para>
            Mount your Windows partition in Linux and run Evolution to
            begin importing your mail. Select
            <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Import
        File...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to start importing. Set
            the file type to MBox (mbox) and click on
            <guibutton>Browse</guibutton> to select the mail you want
            to import.
          </para>
      
          <para>
            If you are the only user on Windows, the mail files will
            be stored in <filename>/mnt/c/windows/Application
          Data/Mozilla/Profiles/default/XXXX/Mail/imported.mail/</filename>
            where <filename>/mnt/c/</filename> is your windows
            partition mount point and XXXX is some collection of
            numbers and digits ending in <filename>.slt</filename>.
          </para>
      
      <para>
            If there is more than one user, the file will be in
            <filename>/mnt/c/windows/Profiles/USERNAME/XXXX/Mail/imported.mail/</filename>
            where USERNAME is your Windows username.
      </para>

      <para>
            For each mail folder in Outlook, Mozilla will convert the
            folder into one mbox file. To import all your mail, import
            all the files without a <filename>.msf</filename>
            extension.
      </para>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
      
      <qandaentry>
    <question>
      <para>
            If Mozilla can import <filename>.pst</filename> files, why can't Evolution?
          </para> 
    </question>
    <answer>
      <para>
        Mozilla on Windows accesses the <filename>.pst</filename>
        files through the <filename>MAPI.DLL</filename>, which is
        only avaliable on Windows.  <filename>MAPI.DLL</filename>
        is the only way to access <filename>.pst</filename> files
        and Evolution cannot use this DLL in Linux.
          </para>
    </answer> 
      </qandaentry>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1> 
</appendix>