Show categories in e-mail notifications

[downey (Michael Downey)]

@codinghorror

The email headers already include these list meta fields.

@codinghorror I’m not sure about @nukeador but my concern with the default headers currently in place is that a new List-Id is generated for each topic, which makes it impossible for users to create filters based on that List-Id:

List-Unsubscribe: <https://discourse.example.org/my/preferences>
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated
List-Id: <topic.618.discourse.example.org>
List-Archive: https://discourse.example.org/t/some-topic/618

Ideal usefulness:
List-Id: <category.discourse.example.org>

Next useful:
List-Id: <discourse.example.org>

Least useful:
List-Id: <topic.618.discourse.example.org>

[nukeador]

You are both right, I didn’t see that. And yes, list-id should be the category instead of the topic number to be useful for filtering.

[codinghorror (Jeff Atwood)]

Ok, @techapj can you make that change to include category / subcategory there as indicated?

[downey (Michael Downey)]

Also, IMHO, Precedence: list needs to be in there as well as a default. Without that, we get “out of office” bounce-backs that turn into uncategorized topics on our Discourse site.

[codinghorror (Jeff Atwood)]

Where is that header documented? @techapj fine to add that header, but maybe not for things like email confirmation of accounts, etc.

[downey (Michael Downey)]

@codinghorror

Where is that header documented?

RFC 3834 - Recommendations for Automatic Responses to Electronic Mail in section 3.1.8. It’s interesting, because I just took it out a short while ago when I saw those other headers were now standard. It wasn’t an hour passed that I got an Outlook-generated OOO message responding to a digest, with someone’s phone number posted to our Discourse site.

(So I put it back in, for now.)

[codinghorror (Jeff Atwood)]

Good to know, I wasn’t aware of that one. We’ll add it!

[techAPJ (Arpit Jalan)]

@nukeador

list-id should be the category instead of the topic number to be useful for filtering.

https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/2860

@downey

Precedence: list needs to be in there as well as a default.

https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/2861

[downey (Michael Downey)]

It’s funny, now that List-Id is unique by category, we probably won’t even use categories in email subjects…

@downey

If the category were specified in the subject line or an e-mail header, those people, could then automatically filter and sort notifications.

But plenty of people love their [BRACKETS] so this is still a Good Thing.

2 (biggest) lists left to move for us … fingers crossed.

[codinghorror (Jeff Atwood)]

Luckily you can edit email subject site setting to taste to customize your email subject, right? Thanks @techAPJ!

[downey (Michael Downey)]

OK, I’ve tested everything I can on this. Subject lines, List-Id, Precedence, everything seems to be working as I’d expect.