[MM3-users] Re: Postorius claims 2 messages held when there are none - out of sync

26 Jun 2023

      --On Monday, June 26, 2023 2:32 PM -0700 Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net>
wrote:
...
On 6/26/23 11:53 AM, Ken Alker wrote:
...
Is the var/messages hierarchy also where all the archived emails are
stored for future viewing via the web interface?
No. They are stored in the hyperkitty_email and hyperkitty_attachment
tables in the database.
What else is stored in /var/messages, if not archives?  I see 4711 messages
in that directory (which I presume would be as many messages are in the
archive database).  If there is a write-up on this, feel free to point me
to it.  I found
<https://docs.mailman3.org/projects/mailman/en/latest/build/lib/mailman/model/docs/messagestore.html>
but this isn't really answering my question.
...
...
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Also, there is a long thread at
https://lists.mailman3.org/archives/list/mailman-users@mailman3.org/thr
ea d/UWCUQYU7Q5X5LWNII57ZZ4DDXE4DEFX7/ and maybe others that might be
relevant.
I have never used the mailman shell before, but based on the referenced
thread I learned to do this (note that the thread also taught me how to
rewrite it to narrow down to just the list with issues so I didn't
delete held messages in other lists, if my case):
for verification:
 venv) mailman@speedy:~/web/logs$ mailman shell -l
sbarc-list@lists.netlojix.com
Welcome to the GNU Mailman shell
Use commit() to commit changes.
Use abort() to discard changes since the last commit.
Exit with ctrl+D does an implicit commit() but exit() does not.
The variable 'm' is the sbarc-list@lists.netlojix.com mailing list
>>> requests = IListRequests(m)
>>> first = True
>>> for request in requests.held_requests:
...     key, data = requests.get_request(request.id)
...     if first:
...             first = False
...             print(m.list_id)
...     print (f"""

... Sender: {data['_mod_sender']}
... Subject: {data['_mod_subject']}
... Date: {data['_mod_hold_date']}
... Reason: {data['_mod_reason']}
... """)
...
...
and then to delete the two messages:
 (venv) mailman@speedy:~/web/logs$ mailman shell -l
sbarc-list@lists.netlojix.com
Welcome to the GNU Mailman shell
Use commit() to commit changes.
Use abort() to discard changes since the last commit.
Exit with ctrl+D does an implicit commit() but exit() does not.
The variable 'm' is the sbarc-list@lists.netlojix.com mailing list
>>> requests = IListRequests(m)
>>> first = True
>>> for request in requests.held_requests:
...     key, data = requests.get_request(request.id)
...     if first:
...             first = False
...             print(m.list_id)
...     print(f'request id: {request.id}, deleting')
...     requests.delete_request(request.id)
...
sbarc-list.lists.netlojix.com
request id: 27, deleting
request id: 28, deleting
>>>
The result of this, however, was that the web interface still claimed I
had two held messages.  I wasn't sure if there was some cron-type
"sweeper" process I had to wait to auto-run or if I had to manually do
something to create an update.  I then realized that the sample script
had a ' >>> commit ()" ' at the end, which I'd missed.  So, I
re-entered  the script (but it didn't spit out that it deleted anything
this time)  and got an error when I did the commit.
Was this in the same mailman shell interaction or a new one? What was
the error?
I am pretty sure I started over entirely (ie. exited via ctrl-D and
restarted).
It was a syntax error, but in reviewing, I see now that I'd copied the
example exactly, and I included the trailing quote mark.  After some
experimentation and reading, I see now that that should not have been there.
...
...
  So, I figured the messages HAD
been delete and the commit wasn't really necessary.  When I went back
to  the web interface, the number of held messages was at 0 and I no
longer  get the original error when clicking on "Held messages", so my
issue is  solved. But this does leave me with some educational questions:

Did I affect something somehow with my "commit", or was there a job
that cleaned things up (if so, what job)?

I'm not sure of the sequence of events, but I think you probably looked
in Postorius before you quit mailman shell and then you quit mailman shell with ctrl-D which did an implicit commit.
I didn't think so, but I'll certainly buy that.  So, I'm assuming by this
you are implying that there is no helper function that needed to run and
the number of held messages should have dropped to zero immediately upon a
refresh of the web page?
...
...

Is the "commit" even necessary (I saw it in someone else's script in
the thread)?

It is necessary to explicitly commit() or quit with ctrl-D to actually
update the database.
Got it.  Thanks.  That explains why I didn't see any deletions when I
re-ran the script the second time (after likely exiting with ctrl-D first).
...
...

Is there a way to save a script and then execute it via shell rather
than typing it in every time (it appears from the examples that people
are typing them in every time, which is super tedious; I didn't paste
for fear of doing something damaging, but maybe that would work)?

Yes, you can save a script in the bin/ directory in your venv and run it
with mailman shell -r. See mailman shell --details.
...

Are the request.id's of the messages dynamic/changing, or are they
fixed for life?  I thought I'd delete based on exact request.id without
looping but I was afraid maybe they were changing over time and that
this wouldn't be a good idea.  Might be nice to know for the future.

The request.id is constant for that request object. The request object is
fixed for a specific held message request. I.e., a specific held
message's request object and its request.id and other attributes are
fixed until that request is handled.
So if I run the script, exist the shell, then come back in again, I can't
rely on the request.id being the same?  I'd need to re-run the script and
get a new request.id?