mailto:kennybgnett.no

$VER: AddProcmail 1.2 (17.7.97)

Copyright (C) 1997 by Digital Surface/Kenneth "Kenny" Nilsen.
All rights reserved.

NEWS:

   o   Only search for duplicates when adding from newsgroups
   o   More settings
   o   Fixed bug with searching new header files (no search performed).
   o   Improved text
   o   Resource links to Procmail archive, FAQ and info (see below)

INTRODUCTION

   o   Are you sick of getting spam emails ?
   o   Doesn't an email to postmaster/abuse stop it ?
   o   You can't preview emails before download to kill unwanted mail ?
   o   You don't want to be online to kill unwanted emails - correct ?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then this will might be
the solution for you.

If your ISP mailserver uses Procmail to deliver emails to you, and the
account you have is at the same server as the email server, you can use a
file in your $HOME dir called '.procmailrc'. This is a filter file that can
sort, forward, copy, a.s.o., all e-mails you get. You don't even have to be
online to activate it - it's all done automatically locally at your ISP's
machine at every new e-mail that arrives for you. You can also use Procmail
to remove unwanted emails and that is what this package is based on.

This script will automagically create a .procmailrc header file if you don't
already have one. When you get an e-mail or news message that you don't want
to receive in e-mail in the future you just invoke the script. It will then
format and add the domain of the current message header as an entry in the
.procmailrc file on your disk. The entry tell Procmail to send these
messages to /dev/null (ala NIL:) next time you get email from this domain in
your $HOME dir at your ISP. it will be handled while you're not there as
well. Next you can optionally upload the updated .procmailrc file to your
account.

I have experienced that this has reduced spam mail to about zip-zero at my
account. I may get a spam mail once a week or less from a new domain, but it
gets added to the .procmailrc file immediatly and then emails from this
domain cannot be downloaded by Thor (or YAM, Elm, Pine for that matter if
you use those instead..) in future. Also a big thanks to Petter Nilsen/
Ultima Thule for providing me with more than 700+ domains used in the
.procmailrc file in the archive.


USAGE:
------

1) Install the script 'AddProcmail.thor' in Thor:Rexx/
2) Edit the header in the arexx script (see right below here)
3) Assign the script to a function key in Thor for convinient use

---
/*
**	$VER: AddProcmail.thor 1.2 (17.7.97)
**
**	© by Kenneth 'Kenny' Nilsen - Freeware
**	mailto:kennybgnett.no
**	http://www.bgnett.no/~kenny/
**
**	Add an entry to the .procmailrc file and upload to server.
**	Also initializes new header file if one don't already exists.
**	Must be invoked from Thor!
*/

/* Please modify the next variables */

/* Please enter the name on your email conference. When this is detected
*  the search routine is disabled. This is because, if you get a spam
*  email it is "guaranteed" not in the filterfile. However, I usually add
*  spam domains when I see them in newsgroups as well since they are likely
*  to end up in email too later. You cannot filter newsgroups therefor you
*  need to check if the entry already exists in the email filter to avoid
*  duplicates */

EmailConf = "EMail"

/* Next entry tells this script the path to where the .procmailrc
*  file exists. Change this to suit your system. The filename is not
*  needed since the script adds it automatically. You MUST end the path
*  with a column (:) or slash (/) */

ProcPath = "txt:.net/"

/* If you want to upload the .procmailrc file automatically from this
*  script you should set this bool to true (1) else set it to 0 if you
*  don't want to be asked if you want to upload the file. Script is
*  aborted at this stage if false. The script uses NComm to upload. */

Upload   = 1

/* Enter the phonebook entry name here if you have set the above
*  bool to true. The name must match exact the one you have in the
*  NComm phonebook. The phonebook entry should invoke an upload script
*  to login, upload and exit automatically. See provided example
*  script for NComm on how you can do it */

BBSEntry = "to update .procmailrc"

/* If you don't want this script to search for duplicates then set this
*  flag to 1 - search is only activated when adding from a newsgroup */

EmailFlag=0
---

You may have to change the following lines in the .procmailrc header:

---
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/opt/bin
MAILDIR=$HOME/Mail
LOGFILE=$HOME/log.procmail
---

From: FAQ Editor <faq-editorii.com>

1]  To find out if procmail is on your system and what the full path to
    it is, type one of the following commands:

      Shell      Command
      =====      =======
      csh        which procmail
      sh or ksh  type procmail
      various    whereis procmail
      various    where procmail

Ask your netadmin for details!

That's it.

You may change the behaviour of Procmail. I think redirecting unwanted
email to /dev/null is the best solution (default behaviour) to avoid
mail-loops, wasting bandwith and such. You can automate it to send a copy
of the message to an abuse or something as well (read the man files of
Procmail for more information on this - see links below).

NOTE that the search routine assume that there is four lines for each entry.
If you change the number of lines each entry creates you must also modify
the search routine. Please do not add comments between the entries after the
first one.


Good resources for Procmail:
----------------------------

ftp://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/pub/packages/procmail/procmail.tar.gz

http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/mail/filtering-faq/faq.html
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/ftp/linux/distributions/slackware/contents/procmail
http://www.math.fu-berlin.de/~guckes/procmail/

Author of the Procmail binary is Stephen R. van den Berg <srbcuci.nl>


USAGE WITH NCOMM:
-----------------

I have provided an example NComm script that can be used in conjunction with
the arexx script. You must probably modify it quite much to suit your ISP
login proceedure. It is just meant as an example on how you can automate the
login procedure. Personally I am always watching the proceedure so I haven't
added support for NO CARRIER and so on in the Ncomm script.

Add a new phonebook entry in NComm and call it "MyBBS" (where MyBBS is
anything you want to call it..). Set path and name on script in the Script:
entry of the phonebook. Set your ISP password in the Password: entry of the
phonebook and finally save.

Modify the arexx script (Addprocmail.thor) where BBSentry = "MyBBS" and
set Upload = 1. Next time you add a new entry you will be asked if you want
to upload the new modified script. If you select "Upload" the arexx script
will invoke Ncomm (start it if it isn't already started) and dial the
"MyBBS" which again starts the Ncomm script (too complicated hu?).

Note that you can easily make this arexx script work with f.ex. Term by
writting a simple arexx script. If you do I would like to distribute it with
future versions of AddProcmail. Please send contribution (which will be
credited) to the e-mail address above.


EXTRAS
------

I have provided a .procmailrc file with several hundreds (700+) domains that
will be stopped before you get them in your e-mail. Almost every entries are
collected by Petter Nilsen (thanks Petter!). Converted to .procmailrc file
by myself.


NOTES:
------

- You will need telnet or shell login access to your ISP to use Procmail.
  AddProcmail is of no use if your ISP doesn't use Procmail.
- You will also need your account to be on the same place where the mailserver
  is (AFAIU).
- I am not a Unix expert nor a Procmail expert. Please refer to the man
  files of Procmail(rc) and/or your Internet provider with questions about
  how and if you can get Procmail to work with your system. Simply ask your
  ISP adm. if you can use .procmailrc files with your email address to
  filter emails. They should be able to inform you if you can or not.
- Check resource references above for more information on Procmail.


COMMENTS
--------

Feel free to comment this package or send suggestions.

	mailto:kennybgnett.no (Kenny)

 PERMSSN    UID  GID    PACKED    SIZE  RATIO     CRC       STAMP          NAME
---------- ----------- ------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------ -------------
[generic]                 3761    8629  43.6% -lh5- 1ef1 Aug 23  1997 addprocmail/AddProcmail.readme
[generic]                 5504   31483  17.5% -lh5- 14f7 Jul 17  1997 addprocmail/extras/.procmailrc
[generic]                  322     640  50.3% -lh5- 0b3f Jun 25  1997 addprocmail/ncomm/UpdateProcmailrc.script
[generic]                 2881    7492  38.5% -lh5- 40b0 Jul 17  1997 addprocmail/thor/rexx/AddProcmail.thor
---------- ----------- ------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------ -------------
 Total         4 files   12468   48244  25.8%            Aug 24  1997