NAME¶
Mail::Box::Thread::Node - one node in a message thread
INHERITANCE¶
Mail::Box::Thread::Node
is a Mail::Reporter
SYNOPSIS¶
my $node = Mail::Box::Thread::Node->new;
$node->addMessage($message);
...
DESCRIPTION¶
The "Mail::Box::Thread::Node" maintains one node in the linked list of
threads. Each node contains one message, and a list of its follow-ups. Next to
that, it refers to its own ancestor and contains information about the
trustworthiness of that relationship.
To complicate things a little, because the thread-manager can maintain multiple
folders, and merge there content, you may find the same message in more
folders. All versions of the same message (based on message-id) are stored in
the same node.
METHODS¶
Constructors¶
- Mail::Box::Thread::Node->new(OPTIONS)
- You will not call this method yourself. The
Mail::Box::Thread::Manager object will call it to construct
"Mail::Box::Thread::Node" objects. Either a "message"
or a "messageId" must be supplied.
-Option --Defined in --Default
dummy_type undef
log Mail::Reporter 'WARNINGS'
message undef
messageId undef
trace Mail::Reporter 'WARNINGS'
- dummy_type => CLASS
- Indicates the class name of dummy messages. Dummy messages
are placeholders in a Mail::Box::Thread::Manager data structure.
- log => LEVEL
- message => MESSAGE
- The MESSAGE which is stored in this node. The message must
be a Mail::Box::Message.
- messageId => MESSAGE-ID
- The MESSAGE-ID for the message which is stored in this
node. Only specify it when you don't have the message yet.
- trace => LEVEL
The thread node¶
- $obj->addMessage(MESSAGE)
- Add one message to the thread node. If the node contains a
dummy, then the dummy is replaced. Otherwise, the messages is added to the
end of the list.
- $obj->expand([BOOLEAN])
- Returns whether this (part of the) folder has to be shown
expanded or not. This is simply done by a label, which means that most
folder types can store this.
- $obj->isDummy()
- Returns true if the message is a dummy. A dummy is a
"hole" in a thread which has follow-ups but does not have a
message.
- $obj->message()
- Get the message which is stored in this thread node. NOTE:
the same message may be located in many folders at the same time, and
these folders may be controlled by the same thread manager.
In scalar context, this method returns the first instance of the message
that is not deleted. If all instances are flagged for deletion, then you
get the first deleted message. When the open folders only contain
references to the message, but no instance, you get a dummy message (see
Mail::Message::Dummy).
In list context, all instances of the message which have been found are
returned.
example:
my $threads = $mgr->threads(folders => [$draft, $sent]);
my $node = $draft->message(1)->thread;
foreach my $instance ($node->message) {
print "Found in ", $instance->folder, ".\n";
}
print "Subject is ", $node->message->subject, ".\n";
- $obj->messageId()
- Return the message-id related to this thread node. Each of
the messages listed in this node will have the same ID.
The thread order¶
- $obj->followUps()
- Returns the list of follow-ups to this thread node. This
list may contain parsed, not-parsed, and dummy messages.
- $obj->followedBy(THREADS)
- Register that the THREADS are follow-ups to this message.
These follow-ups need not be related to each other in any way other than
sharing the same parent.
Defining the same relation more than once will not cause information to be
duplicated.
- $obj->follows(THREAD, QUALITY)
- Register that the current thread is a reply to the
specified THREAD. The QUALITY of the relation is specified by the second
argument. The method returns "undef" if the link is not accepted
in order to avoid circular references.
The relation may be specified more than once, but only the most confident
relation is used. For example, if a reply (QUALITY equals
"REPLY") is specified, later calls to the follow method will
have no effect. If "follows" is called with a QUALITY that
matches the current quality, the new thread overrides the previous.
- $obj->repliedTo()
- Returns the message(s) to which the message in this node
replies. In scalar context, this method will return the message to which
the message in this node replies. This message object may be a dummy
message.
If the message seems to be the first message of a thread, the value
"undef" is returned. (Remember that some MUA are not adding
reference information to the message's header, so you can never be sure a
message is the start of a thread)
In list context, this method returns a second string value indicating the
confidence that the messages are related. When extended thread discovery
is enabled, then some heuristics are applied to determine if messages are
related. Values for the STRING may be:
- •
- 'REPLY'
This relation was directly derived from an `in-reply-to' message header
field. The relation has a high confidence.
- •
- 'REFERENCE'
This relation is based on information found in a `Reference' message header
field. One message may reference a list of messages which precede it in
the thread. The heuristic attempts to determine relationships between
messages assuming that the references are in order. This relation has a
lower confidence.
- •
- 'GUESS'
The relation is a big guess, with low confidence. It may be based on a
subject which seems to be related, or commonalities in the message's
body.
More constants may be added later.
example:
my $question = $answer->repliedTo;
my ($question, $quality) = $answer->repliedTo;
if($question && $quality eq 'REPLY') { ... };
- $obj->sortedFollowUps([PREPARE [,COMPARE]])
- Returns the list of followUps(), but sorted. By
default sorting is based on the estimated time of the reply. See
startTimeEstimate().
On the whole thread¶
Some convenience methods are added to threads, to simplify retrieving
information from it.
- $obj->endTimeEstimate()
- Returns a guess as to when the thread has ended (although
you never know for sure whether there fill follow messages in the
future).
- $obj->ids()
- Returns all the ids in the thread starting at the current
thread node.
example:
$newfolder->addMessages($folder->ids($thread->ids));
$folder->delete($thread->ids);
- $obj->numberOfMessages()
- Number of messages in the thread starting at the current
thread node, but not counting the dummies.
- $obj->recurse(CODE-REF)
- Execute a function for all sub-threads. If the subroutine
returns true, sub-threads are visited recursively. Otherwise, the current
branch traversal is aborted. The routine is called with the thread-node as
the only argument.
- $obj->startTimeEstimate()
- Returns a guess as to when the thread was started. Each
message contains various date specifications (each with various
uncertainties resulting from timezones and out-of-sync clocks). One of
these date specifications is used as the timestamp for the message. If the
node contains a dummy message the lowest timestamp of the replies is
returned. Otherwise the estimated timestamp of the node's message is
returned.
- $obj->threadMessages()
- Returns all the messages in the thread starting at the
current thread node. This list will not include dummies.
example:
my @t = $folder->message(3)
->threadStart
->threadMessages;
- $obj->threadToString([CODE])
- Translate a thread into a string. The string will contain
at least one line for each message which was found, but tries to fold
dummies. This is useful for debugging, but most message readers will
prefer to implement their own thread printer.
The optional CODE argument is a reference to a routine which will be called
for each message in the thread. The routine will be called with the
message as the first argument. The default shows the subject of the
message. In the first example below, this routine is called seven times.
example:
print $node->threadToString;
may result in
Subject of this message
|- Re: Subject of this message
|-*- Re: Re: Subject of this message
| |- Re(2) Subject of this message
| |- [3] Re(2) Subject of this message
| `- Re: Subject of this message (reply)
`- Re: Subject of this message
The `*' represents a missing message (a "dummy" message). The
`[3]' presents a folded thread with three messages.
print $node->threadToString(\&show);
sub show($) {
my $message = shift;
my $subject = $message->head->get('subject');
length $subject ? $subject : '<no subject>';
}
- $obj->totalSize()
- Returns the sum of the size of all the messages in the
thread.
Error handling¶
- $obj->AUTOLOAD()
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->addReport(OBJECT)
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->defaultTrace([LEVEL]|[LOGLEVEL,
TRACELEVEL]|[LEVEL, CALLBACK])
- Mail::Box::Thread::Node->defaultTrace([LEVEL]|[LOGLEVEL,
TRACELEVEL]|[LEVEL, CALLBACK])
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->errors()
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->log([LEVEL [,STRINGS]])
- Mail::Box::Thread::Node->log([LEVEL
[,STRINGS]])
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->logPriority(LEVEL)
- Mail::Box::Thread::Node->logPriority(LEVEL)
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->logSettings()
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->notImplemented()
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->report([LEVEL])
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->reportAll([LEVEL])
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->trace([LEVEL])
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->warnings()
- See "Error handling" in Mail::Reporter
Cleanup¶
- $obj->DESTROY()
- See "Cleanup" in Mail::Reporter
- $obj->inGlobalDestruction()
- See "Cleanup" in Mail::Reporter
DIAGNOSTICS¶
- Error: Package $package does not implement $method.
- Fatal error: the specific package (or one of its
superclasses) does not implement this method where it should. This message
means that some other related classes do implement this method however the
class at hand does not. Probably you should investigate this and probably
inform the author of the package.
SEE ALSO¶
This module is part of Mail-Box distribution version 2.105, built on May 07,
2012. Website:
http://perl.overmeer.net/mailbox/
LICENSE¶
Copyrights 2001-2012 by [Mark Overmeer]. For other contributors see ChangeLog.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as Perl itself. See
http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html