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Contributing to NaSMail

If you use NaSMail and want to improve it, you can contribute by fixing bugs or adding new features. You can create or update plugins and translations. Even if you can't code, you can write documentation about installing or using NaSMail. Feedback about missing features is welcome.

Some ideas

Create set of icons for core scripts and image_buttons plugin

We want to replace current NaSMail images with set of icons, that share same theme. Icons must have clear copyright information. They must be licensed under GPL. Required icons:

• Special folder icons (Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Spam/Junk, Trash, Ham, other special folders).
• Normal folders.
• Unselectable folders
• Collapsed/not collapsed icon
• Message status (read, unread, answered)
• Attachment, flag and priority icons
• Menu line icons. Compose, Address book, Folders, Options, Search, Help, Read mail (link to INBOX), Fetch Mail, PGP, LDAP directory, Calendar

Current code uses 16x16px images for folder icons, 7x7px images for collapsing links, 18x12px images for message status. Menu bar images don't have common size. 32x32px size is recommended.

Rewrite help system from xml to gettext.

• No variable file loading
• Use separate gettext domain. Don't include help strings in nasmail.po
• Plugins should be able to register information about own options.
• Optional: display short help information (popups) in option pages

Rewrite address book management page

• Same style as mailbox listing
• Controls displayed address book fields and order with one user level setting
• Sorting by nickname, first name, last name, fullname, email, label
• Listing display only one address book. Users can switch between address books
• Optional: address book search that is not called from message compose window
• Optional: advanced search methods in file, db and ldap backends

Kerberos support

If you want bigger challenge, try adding Kerberos authentication support to NaSMail. Code modifications should not break backwards compatibility with existing authentication methods. Use of Kerberos must be documented with setup examples and troubleshooting guides.

Not Todos

Before you propose some idea about code changes to NaSMail developers, remember that some ideas won't be accepted. We won't make any code changes that add CSS tags, skin/template support or AJAX scripting to core scripts.

We don't have to add CSS tags, if we don't use them. Scripts won't support CSS tags and skins, because it makes code vulnerable to people who take our code and restrict use of their changes. If those people want to skin current NaSMail code, they must modify scripts protected by GPL. NaSMail is free only when distributed modifications remain free.

AJAX scripting might provide better interaction with interface, but it is compatible only with limited set of browsers and can increase load on server. If some AJAX feature is added to NaSMail core scripts, it must have alternative that works on browsers without JavaScript support.