[Dovecot] Trigger getmail via mail-client action?

[Gert Brinkmann]

Wouter Van Hemel wrote:

>> it to be run. The ideal solution for me was to invoke getmail when the 
>> "Get Mail"-Button of the mail client is pressed. Is this possible? 
>> Perhaps there is something like a connection- or refresh-trigger in 
>> dovecot?
> 
> I'm not sure if I understand your question. If you run dovecot on an 
> internal machine, you can just let it run in the background, while 
> 'getmail' does or doesn't get new emails. As long as 'getmail' knows how 
> to put the emails in the correct place, i.e. a mailbox monitored by 
> dovecot, there should be no problem as this is exactly what happens on 
> any other machine with the MTA/MDA delivering and IMAP daemon serving 
> email.

Yes, all this is true and I did understand it. The thing is that the 
command "getmail" (or alternatively "fetchmail") has to be started from 
time to time so that new mails are pulled from the pop3 server into my 
"~/Maildir"-ectory that is monitored by dovecot.

My idea is that dovecot somehow could recognize when the user does press 
the "Get Mail" Button in the mail client (the mail client connects to 
dovecot). If this is the case dovecot could start an external command on 
each such an event. In my case I would let it invoke "getmail".

The advantage was that a) getmail is not invoked to often but only if I 
really want it to check for new mails and b) If I am waiting for a mail 
I do not have to wait for the next "getmail"-execution to see new 
incoming mails.

If dovecot cannot initiate some action on such an "Get 
Mail"-Button-Press-Event I alternatively have to include such a button 
into my window manager's toolbox or menu to call the command getmail 
directly.

Thank you,

Gert