Exporting private messages to email program

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:01 pm

Does anyone know how to do this, in one go?

I'm using Kontact as my email program. (SuSE)

The phpBB community forum's search function doesn't seem to work, and i was daunted by the thousands of threads there.

Matt Gregory · Post by **Matt Gregory** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:14 pm

I would recommend getting a Google mail account and putting the stuff you want to save in there. You can then import your Gmail mail into your local mbox whenever you want. I'm not sure how to export message automatically, though.

Diebert van Rhijn · Post by **Diebert van Rhijn** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:57 am

That's quite a project Kelly!

You could bug Kevin about installing a MOD for phpBB like "Export PMs to XML".

But then if you have the XML file on your disk you'll have to convert it to mbox format or something your mailprogram eats with some shell or perl.

A quicker way would be to just crawl the box using a webcrawler (like eg httrack) limiting the URL's to the ones containing privmsg.php (important otherwise you end up backing up the whole board and that would take a long while). Make sure you keep logged in using the cookies.txt.

If you know scripting even could make a shell script looping around a wget or curl command. Make sure you remain logged in again here too.

Crude example in Perl (untested)

Code: Select all

use LWP::Simple;
for (my $a = 1; $i <= 10000; $i++) {
 $content = get("privmsg.php?folder=inbox&mode=read&p=$a"); 
# check if message exists; 
# strip content to file;
}

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:09 am

I'd like to keep private messages. The mailbox size in the forum is quite small. Hence my request to export them to an email program.

What do others do when the box is full? Delete?

Solutions:

- Kevin or forum-owner adds a new Profile Preference called "Export / forward Private Messages to [email address]"

[Forum-owner's input needed here]

- enter the mail address of the private messages into an import function of a local email program, and import in one chunk

[What is the address?]

- increase the size of the private messages mailbox

[Forum-owner's input needed here]

- cut-and-paste into one or more email messages

[ineffective use of computer]

- Linux only: learn Perl first, then either use an application to get files, or convert XML to mailbox for local mail program (once this preference is created by a forum-owner)

[time-consuming and platform-dependent]

.

Katy · Post by **Katy** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:23 am

Kelly Jones wrote: What do others do when the box is full? Delete?
.

usually when I go through I can find that something just doesn't matter anymore. Otherwise I just start copy/pasting stuff into Word. Not ideal, but *shrugs*

Elizabeth Isabelle · Post by **Elizabeth Isabelle** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:38 am

Yeah, I usually delete - there were only a few pieces that needed to be saved. A few accidentally got deleted, but that's okay. Having too much stuff - even cyberstuff - isn't necessary.

Diebert van Rhijn · Post by **Diebert van Rhijn** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:41 am

Kelly Jones wrote:I'd like to keep private messages. The mailbox size in the forum is quite small. Hence my request to export them to an email program.

What do others do when the box is full? Delete?

The bottom line of this issue is not a technical issue at all and used to be quite a common problem in the corporate email business: the tendency of people to use simple communication programs as storage place or mail archive.

Of course email programs have developed over time to facilitate archiving to off-line storage for reference, which is keeping mailboxes tidy. But messaging does not fulfill the same function as email or discussion boards and are therefore often set up in a more limited way, though some message boards do have an export function to XML, HTML or XLS files.

My conclusion however: instead of using a tool which was not designed for the purpose you expect from it (extensive communication of in depth topics), you should really consider changing behavior and take private discussions to email, perhaps even set up a special email address for the purpose. And leave messaging for what it's supposed to do: sending short messages of a more practical nature or short-term relevance.

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:11 am

Diebert van Rhijn wrote:instead of using a tool which was not designed for the purpose you expect from it (extensive communication of in depth topics), you should really consider changing behavior and take private discussions to email

This is true.

I offer my email address, but can't force people to accept and continue a dialogue there. Until they do begin using email, i'm forced to use it.

Once the box gets near full, it'd be handy to export.

.

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:04 pm

Until they do begin using email, i'm forced to use it.

That's not right. I choose, i am never forced to do anything. If an insane gunman holds a gun to my head, then my conscious responses are steered by my choices.

If a person prefers to discuss something in-depth, that may take more than a few replies, then they are likely to use email. It is likely that if they don't, then they're time-wasters whom i should offer my paw rather than a hand.

It is a waste of time dealing with gullible children. It is better to treat everyone as adults, then they will grow-up.

.

Tomas · Post by **Tomas** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:37 pm

I'm stayin' with web-tv (MSN), hotmail, and good ol' yahoo acct. tho yahoo has a Web Beacon tracker thingy :-(

Never had a Private Message as far as i know. Not pay any mind when ascribing to Forum via Web-tv @ yahoo acct. Web-tv has all the firewalls needed plus six users availibility - all for $11.95 per month. Only employ four tho.

Ramble On - Led Zeppelin

Tomas (the tank)
VietNam veteran - 1971

Dan Rowden · Post by **Dan Rowden** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:21 am

Kelly Jones wrote:I'd like to keep private messages. The mailbox size in the forum is quite small. Hence my request to export them to an email program.

What do others do when the box is full? Delete?

Yes, that's exactly what I do.