[Alpine-info] more details, is Gmail Access

[Karen Lewellen via Alpine-info]

Hi all,
some have asked me off list the process I had done to use gmail
in alpine.
A few things I want to share about my personal situation.
First, I do not actually use Linux on my desktop.  Nor am I using
Alpine on my desktop.  Instead I am using an ssh package for DOS
into a service called shellworld.  This service itself uses
Ubuntu.  From there I am using a more conventional ssh process
into the place where my alpine client and its gmail configuration
is provided.
For that reason, at the end of these steps, I am going to share
how my source had alpine configured in Linux, the way it was
compiled.  This person is also using an edition of alpine just
past what I have, 2.6, not 2.5.  However 2.5 is, at least for me
working just fine.  I will add an extra note or two from myself
in the provided instructions.  Lastly, I had this done Last
November..hopefully gmail has not removed some of these doors.
Here you go.

  If you go to
  Gmail settings
  then
  See all settings
  then
  Forwarding and POP/IMAP
  then
  IMAP Access

  there is an option to enable IMAP, but in the client
configuration instructions (link at the bottom of that section)
it says "In the coming weeks, the option to 'Enable IMAP' or
'Disable IMAP' will no longer be available. IMAP access is always
enabled in Gmail, and your current connections to other email
clients aren't affected. You don't need to take any action."

  So it looks like you may not actually need to enable IMAP, but I
did anyway.

Karen: so did the person building this for me. Again this was
last fall.


  Also worth noting that, at least currently, if Auto-Expunge is
set to "on" in this section, deleted messages are only archived,
not deleted.  Further options become enabled if you turn off
auto-expunge.

  I had to enter my password again after clicking save changes.

  Here are the steps I followed to test alpine with gmail just now
- google asks you to confirm your identity by re-entering your
password at certain points.

  Sign into gmail.com
  choose Google Account
  choose  Manage your google account
choose Security
  choose 2-step verification
  Turn on 2-step verification - this will involve receiving a text
message or using an authenticator app.  I can't see any way
around this.

Karen: there is, or was for me, a third option.  Google will call
you and provide a code on the phone.  Personally helpful as I
cannot access text messages.

At bottom of section choose Backup Codes
  Save or print the list of codes
  Go back to 2-step verification page
  At bottom of page choose the option next to App Passwords
Enter a name for the app you are setting a password for, for
example alpine
choose create
  Screenshot or write down and/or copy to clipboard the code shown
Karen:  this step is very important, you will need the alpine
specific app code later.


Choose done

Start alpine (I'm assuming it's new and unconfigured)

  Press S for setup
  Press L for collection lists
  Press A for add collection
  Fill in:

  Nickname: for example gmail
  Server: imap.gmail.com:993/ssl/user=youraddress at gmail.com
  Press Ctrl+X to save changes

  Alpine will ask you to set a master password

and the password for gmail
  The password you should enter for gmail here is the app password
you copied earlier when telling Gmail you will use alpine.
  You can press Shift+Ctrl+V to paste if you copied it into the
clipboard earlier.  It doesn't matter about the spaces in between
character groups, google ignores those.
Press Enter
  Press Y to save to disk for future use when asked.

  press E to exit setup

  Press S for setup again
  Press C to configure alpine

  Fill in:

  Personal Name:  Your name as it should appear in "From"

  SMTP Server (for sending):
smtp.gmail.com:587/tls/user=youraddress at gmail.com

  Press E to exit setup
  Y to save changes

  Alpine needs to be restarted for changes to take effect, so press
Q to quit alpine
  Y to confirm

  Restart alpine

  Press L for folder list

  Choose gmail or whatever Nickname you entered earlier

  INBOX option is your inbox
  Gmail option shows other folders - all mail, sent, bin, drafts 
and so forth.

  Go back to main menu

  Press C to compose message

  Write yourself or someone else a message

  Press Ctrl+X to send

  Paste or fill in the app password when asked

  Press Y when asked to save the password to disk for future used
  After that, you shouldn't need to enter the app password again.

Karen: I can confirm that once all these steps are followed,
other than the master password process specifically for alpine,
things go smoothly.  Let me place below the notes provided on
this person's specific alpine compile, as stated it is a step
beyond the one used on the mail server I am reaching via ssh.
My source uses Debian 12.

on Debian, Alpine was built with the following options:
CFLAGS=-g -O2
-ffile-prefix-map=/build/alpine-091TRh/alpine-2.26+dfsg=.
-fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=format-security
LDFLAGS=-Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now
CPPFLAGS=-Wdate-time -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2
./configure --includedir=${prefix}/include
--mandir=${prefix}/share/man \
   --infodir=${prefix}/share/info
--libdir=${prefix}/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu \
   --with-date-stamp=Thu Jun 9 05:12:53 UTC 2022



Karen:
hope all this helps.

Kare