[quote user="Joerg"]

[quote user="Euler GERMAN"]...  I don't see David H. compiling a "fix" version of Pegasus Mail just for that, and I don't know how easy or complex it would be to accomplish.
[/quote]

From time to time I think we (or the forums admin) should create a sticky thread, where all suggested improvements, little bugs as well as wishes should be collected for David and his developer crew [:D] On the other hand I'm aware that such a list could increase rapidly because everybody would add anything.

[/quote]

I think that's the whole idea behind this forum.[:D]

From time to time I have to create a new local Pmail user in our Mercury/Pmail network environment. And everytime I do this I get problems with the max. length and special characters of the new username to be accepted by Pmail. The Mercury help file is stating the following in this regard:

Username
The name the user will give to identify himself to Pegasus Mail or Mercury. By default, this is also the user's address. Usernames cannot contain spaces and must be less than 50 characters in length. Usernames should contain only the letters A…Z, the digits 0…9 and the special characters '.' (period) and '_' (underscore).

But Pmail is accepting only usernames which do not exceed 8 characters/digits in length. This is everytime annoying since I have to create now a shorten username (which differs from the planned e-mail address) and additional a new entry in SYNONYM.MER database with the right assigned e-mail address to that shorten username. [:'(]

Methinks this is a "limitation" brought from the Netware/DOS days and shall be greatly extended in forthcoming v5. The username is also the name of the mailbox directory Pegasus Mail will look for in your installation directory. The fact that the Username field is 8-char limited and Help states it could go to 64 is a mystery to me. Maybe it was written having the planned feature in mind.

Anyway, I'm not sure if this limitation could be overcome by editing the program's control files like PMAIL.USR and desired PMAIL.INI. As far as I know, v4.7x has full long path R/W capabilities.

But when using Pmail in connection with Mercury, like we do, Mercury is arranging the mailboxes for all users, means I'm able to create a new mailbox/user with Mercury without the 8 character limitation. But in that case Pmail is not able to access this new user mailbox. This is strange.

As soon as I rename the new (long) mailbox name in Mercury, observing the 8 character limit, Pmail is immediately able to access. I thought, Mercury and Pmail are using the same limitations, but it seems they don't.

Hi Joerg,

Remember pconfig & pconfig32?  Use pconfig32 to check the Home mailbox root directory to see if it is configured with the ~8 or ~N option.  A ~8 might be the problem.

[quote user="Brian Fluet"]

Hi Joerg,

Remember pconfig & pconfig32?  Use pconfig32 to check the Home mailbox root directory to see if it is configured with the ~8 or ~N option.  A ~8 might be the problem.

[/quote]

Brian, just checked mine: C:\PMAIL\MAIL\~N

The problem is in Pegasus Mail username definition. Might be a limitation from de dialog box only, not the program itself. I'd try hack Pegasus Mail control files when I find a spare time. I think it might work, but I'm unsure how the User management would cope after the hack.

pconfig32 returns "~8" for the home mailboxes. What does it mean, only the first 8 characters of the username will be used? Could I change it to ~N in order to use longer usernames? I never used pconfig32 until now, but don't want to cause problems when changing the configuration.

In case longer usernames would work, we could save the synonym.mer database where our short usernames are being translated into real e-mail addresses.

My understanding is the ~8 limits usernames to 8 characters whereas ~N allows long names.  I would avoid spaces and special characters in long names though.

As for switching from ~8 to ~N, I don't think it should be a problem.  Your current short names will continue to work.  It should just allow for usage of long names going forward. 

The pconfig & pconfig32 utilities only create a new PMAIL.CFG file so you can restore the previous one.  Even better, copy pconfig32.exe to a temporary location and run it with a blank configuration directory field.  It will create the new PMAIL.CFG in the directory from which pconfig32 was run.  You can then copy it into \Pmail\Programs when you are ready. 

Be advised that PMAIL.CFG is one the few Pmail configuration files that shouldn't be manually edited.

Brian,

As far as I remember correctly you are also using a synonym.mer database, isn't it? Or are you using already longer names?

Mercury allows a dot "." in usernames / mailbox names, as stated in my first post above. It would tempt me into changing the usernames from user initials to the correct mail address (without domain part), means from e.g.   "jd"   to   "j.doe" since our mail addresses are always built from initialfirstname.lastame@domain.com

I use short names that are the same as user local LAN domain names so synonym.mer is in use.

If you switched to the initialfirstname.lastname convention you would still need synonym.mer correct?  Left side of synonym.mer entries requires the domain name part?

Folks,

as said yesterday I tried to fake the User management dialog, and I'm glad to say I have succeed, at least in part. Here is a step by step procedure:

1. Within a running Pegasus Mail session I clicked the Addresses > User management > New... option to open the User details dialog box.
2. Then I typed "test_" into the Username field and a long description into the Personal name field, then OK, Close, etc. The \MAIL\test_ directory was properly created, as the "U;test_;Long name description" entry into \MAIL\PMAIL.USR control file. The mailbox directory (i.e. \MAIL\test_) was populated with two files: PMAIL.INI and the welcome .CNM as expected. Other control files and folders were created on user's first run.
3. test_ user's PMAIL.INI file has this section:
   [Pegasus Mail for Windows - Run Info]
   Program version                  = Version 4.73.639, Mar 30 2018
   Language resources               = Standard UK English resource set
   Time and date run ended          = Wed, 15 Jan 2020 10:12:12
   Running in standalone mode?      = Y
   Internal username                = test_
   Working home mailbox location    = C:\PMAIL\MAIL\test_
   New mailbox location             = C:\PMAIL\MAIL\test_
   LAN-based SMTP gateway status    = Disabled, not preferred, not 'use always'.
   MHS status                       = Disabled, not preferred, not 'use always'.
   MHS directory path               = /
   MHS operating mode               = SMF-70
4. I then ran Pegasus Mail with the command line winpm-32.exe -i test_ it all did well. I then shut it down.
5. I opened \MAIL\PMAIL.USR file and edited test_ to test_test_. The \MAIL\test_ directory was also renamed to \MAIL\test_test_, and of course all test_ strings into PMAIL.INI were also replaced by test_test_. Pegasus Mail ran OK with the winpm-32.exe -i test_test_ command line, that is it accepted a Username 10-char long which corroborates my first assumption that the problem is restricted to the dialog's length constraint.
6. Better yet: from within Pegasus Mail I called the User management dialog and there was the edited test_test_ Username and long description. Trying to edit it I could not extend its length, but I could shorten it to test_test, a 9-char string! And here is the "in part" of my previous assertion: the new 9-char Username was properly set in both \MAIL\test_test Windows directory, and also in \MAIL\PMAIL.USR control file, but NOT inside user's PMAIL.INI file where the Run Info remained like this:
   [Pegasus Mail for Windows - Run Info]
   Program version                  = Version 4.73.639, Mar 30 2018
   Language resources               = Standard UK English resource set
   Time and date run ended          = Wed, 15 Jan 2020 10:12:12
   Running in standalone mode?      = Y
   Internal username                = test_test_
   Working home mailbox location    = C:\PMAIL\MAIL\test_test_
   New mailbox location             = C:\PMAIL\MAIL\test_test_
   LAN-based SMTP gateway status    = Disabled, not preferred, not 'use always'.
   MHS status                       = Disabled, not preferred, not 'use always'.
   MHS directory path               = /
   MHS operating mode               = SMF-70
   

All in all I think this may be considered a "minor bug" that may be already sorted out. And while this fixing (or new) release come to us it can be hacked with a text editor and some work. HTH.

Mmh, I would think Mercury is completing the domain part automatically.

I remember, when I forgot to add a new user in synonym.mer, Mercury has sent our its e-mails as jd@domain.com instead of j.doe@domain.com, means Mercury has created a full address including domain part.

I  believe that we are dependent on synonym.mer to associate the domain mailbox with the local mailbox.  IIFC, this was associated with the removal of all "local" entries in the MercuryD POP3 accounts information.  I don't know whether domain part is required in synonym.mer though.  I have it included in all of my entries.

Hi Euler,

Many thanks for your effort. Don't know whether we (Brian and me) could take-over your procedure 1:1 to our Pmail/Mercury installation since the user management will be carried out from Mercury. Maybe when changing anything in Pmail's user management (where all of my 20 local users appear as well), Mercury will take-over the changes.

[quote user="Euler GERMAN"] that the problem is restricted to the dialog's length constraint.[/quote]

But this is exactly the problem when handling up to 20 users like me. I'm not able to start different users always by using the command line "-i user". Therefore I have to create 20 different shortcuts n my desktop. Instead of this I start winpm-32.exe without additional user option to get Pmail's user dialog box, where I'm able to choose the user I would like to start. That's why this dialog box should work with longer names, too.

[quote user="Brian Fluet"]I  believe that we are dependent on synonym.mer to associate the domain mailbox with the local mailbox.  IIFC, this was associated with the removal of all "local" entries in the MercuryD POP3 accounts information.  I don't know whether domain part is required in synonym.mer though.  I have it included in all of my entries.[/quote]

Interesting, we have still the associated "local user" entries in place within the POP3 definitions. I thought, Mercury D has to know where any retrieved mails have to be put into (which user malibox). Only our public mailboxes have no local user, but instead of this there are some Alias definitions available.

[quote user="Joerg"]Interesting, we have still the associated "local user" entries in place within the POP3 definitions. I thought, Mercury D has to know where any retrieved mails have to be put to. Only our public mailboxes have no local user, but instead of this there are some Alias definitions available.[/quote]

Another IIRC... the removal of the "local" entries was how we resolved the problem of auto-forwards being sent with a From: of "localuser@domain.com" instead of "domainuser@domain.com".   I could be mis-remembering though.

[quote user="Joerg"]But this is exactly the problem when handling up to 20 users like me. I'm not able to start different users always by using the command line "-i user". Therefore I have to create 20 different shortcuts n my desktop. Instead of this I start winpm-32.exe without additional user option to get Pmail's user dialog box, where I'm able to choose the user I would like to start. That's why this dialog box should work with longer names, too.  [/quote]

I didn't pick up on this being the specific problem until just now.  I don't see any way to solve it either.  I picture a single shortcut that executes a script which prompts for the username but that would not provide a pick list, at least not with the limited scripting skills that I have.

[quote user="Brian Fluet"]Another IIRC... the removal of the "local" entries was how we resolved the problem of auto-forwards being sent with a From: of "localuser@domain.com" instead of "domainuser@domain.com".   I could be mis-remembering though.[/quote]

I remember this. But we didn't change this because those auto-forwardings (e.g. out-of-office replies) should intentionally use a wrong sender address localuser@domain.com instead of user's real internet mail address to avoid that spammers get a confirmation for an used address automatically. Other problems with other auto-forwards we didn't experience in this regard.

[quote user="Joerg"]I remember this. But we didn't change this because those auto-forwardings (e.g. out-of-office replies) should intentionally use a wrong sender address localuser@domain.com instead of user's real internet mail address to avoid that spammers get a confirmation for an used address automatically. Other problems with other auto-forwards we didn't experience in this regard.[/quote]

I see your logic with this.  It's rare for me to have spam reach the user mailboxes so auto-replies to spammers wasn't a concern.  Resolving the issue of auto-replies being sent with an invalid From: address was my focus.

I guess an unknown remains whether the lack of a "local" entry in MercuryD affects the requirement of synonym.mer entries.

[quote user="Joerg"]

Hi Euler,

Many thanks for your effort. Don't know whether we (Brian and me) could take-over your procedure 1:1 to our Pmail/Mercury installation since the user management will be carried out from Mercury. Maybe when changing anything in Pmail's user management (where all of my 20 local users appear as well), Mercury will take-over the changes.

[quote user="Euler GERMAN"] that the problem is restricted to the dialog's length constraint.[/quote]

But this is exactly the problem when handling up to 20 users like me. I'm not able to start different users always by using the command line "-i user". Therefore I have to create 20 different shortcuts n my desktop. Instead of this I start winpm-32.exe without additional user option to get Pmail's user dialog box, where I'm able to choose the user I would like to start. That's why this dialog box should work with longer names, too.

[/quote]

Hi Joerg,

I agree my solution isn't practical. It is more like a proof of concept, I think. I know you're running a system well bigger than a home LAN, and that it is not feasible, nor desirable to treat every workstation personally. With that in mind, why not use some sort of script to overcome this nuisance? AutoIt would handle this very easily. As a matter of fact it was created to do just things like this — installing automation — before evolve to a full-blown script language.

I don't see David H. compiling a "fix" version of Pegasus Mail just for that, and I don't know how easy or complex it would be to accomplish.