Re: [EXIM] exim-3.0 and convert4r3

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Author: Marc Haber
Date:  
To: exim-users
Subject: Re: [EXIM] exim-3.0 and convert4r3
On Mon, 17 May 1999 15:54:45 +0100 (BST), you wrote:
>You have stumbled upon something that convert4r3 cannot handle
>correctly. It treats each item in host_reject as one item. Because you
>are using macros, it hasn't got it right.


I think it should be made clear in README.UPDATING that convert4r3
doesn't gracefully handle macros. Also, I think it would be great if
convert4r3 would print a message on stderr if it encounters macros
during the conversion run.

>What you should have is
>
>host_reject = !192.168.130.34 : !127.0.0.1 : !192.168.130.0/24
>
>(Since the first is just a special case of the third, you don't really
>need it at all, come to think of it.)


Sure, I don't need it, but I think it's elegant and helps keeping
things more clearly in a more complex setting.

>I'm afraid I can't see any convenient way of packaging this up as a
>macro. Sorry, I just hadn't considered this case!


No problem.

Just some thoughts about fixing this:

(1)
Introduce parenthesis handling:

host_reject = ! (LOCALHOST:LOCALNET).

This would promptly lead to the next case that isn't supported and
will only stop if full logic (including AND and OR) has been
implemented.

(2)
Adding some extra semantics: If a host-list or a domain-list entry has
the format ${boolean-expression}, the expression is evaluated and an
entry matches if the expression returns true. This is the most
flexible way to do it. Also, it does not make the syntax incompatible
and it does not impose a performance penalty to configurations that
don't use that feature.

>> Also, convert4r3 added numerous transport options to some of my
>> directors. What is that for? I immediately commented them out again
>> and things didn't break? Adding them automatically might cater for
>> some esoteric situations, but I don't think it's useful to have that
>> added by default.
>
>"Numerous" should have been two to aliasfile and three to forwardfile.


ack.

>Adding them by default was to make your configuration look like the new
>default configuration file. I removed the implicit defaults for these
>options because I didn't think anybody used them, and I now feel that
>making the settings explicit is much better.


I concur.

>If you use aliases or forwarding to pipes, files, or autoreplies, you
>need these settings.


I think that should be documented with convert4r3 that administrators
should review these changes and might want to remove the new options.

Greetings
Marc

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