dovecot - Nov 2022 - compiled sieve files svbin ?

Hi,

I have recently started using claws mail to manage my user sieve scripts 
using server dovecot-sieve_1%3a2.3.13+dfsg1-2_arm64.deb

I originally edited ~/.dovecot.sieve to hold my script and I recall that 
~/.dovecot.svbin was automatically generated on first use. (either that 
or I have forgotten that I had used sievec)

Later I used claws mail to generate sieve scripts but they were written 
into directory

~/sieve/

In experimentation I changed ~/.dovecot.sieve into a link to my 
principal script ~/sieve/main.sieve

The oddity now is that sieve seems to be working when there is no 
compiled version

Should I expect a compiled .svbin version to be generated from claws 
client? Or generated by first run of the sieve server on the user 
account? Or should I manage the scripts with claws, but log in to the 
server later to generate the .svbin versions?

In any event what effect does not having a .svbin version have on 
typical small installation?

-- 
Jeremy

> The oddity now is that sieve seems to be working when there is no 
> compiled version
It could be that you have actually a compiled sieve script svbin file 
somewhere else thats referenced in dovecot config perhaps in global, 
before, after or default and thats the one working otherwise probably 
your per user and claws mail is working just fine or its your 
default/global being treated as a per user and auto compiled while it 
should be already precompiled.
> 
> Should I expect a compiled .svbin version to be generated from claws 
> client? Or generated by first run of the sieve server on the user 
> account? Or should I manage the scripts with claws, but log in to the 
> server later to generate the .svbin versions?
It depends on your mail client, if it supports pigeonholes then it can 
rely on its managesieve server to generate svbin, write to and read 
sieve scripts. Compiling per user scripts manually doesnt seem to be the 
right way, I recommend to look for better mail client.
> In any event what effect does not having a .svbin version have on 
> typical small installation?
Svbin file its required for global/default sieve script while svbin file 
for per user its going to be generated by e.g. managesieve during 
runtime i.e. sieve for per user will not work if pigeonholes fails to 
generate its svbin.

Typically, principal script i.e. global/default script which every email 
is going to be sieved through, must be configured in dovecot config and 
pre compiled in same location with identical name, while the per user 
i.e. sieve script which have to reference the per user script file 
beside an active link file symlinking the user script, and its svbin 
will be dynamically compiled in new email event in pigeonholes powered 
email server.

Reference
https://doc.dovecot.org/configuration_manual/sieve/configuration/#basic-configuration