After tomorrow's 0.99.8 release I think it's time for a new config file format. It could be made backwards compatibile with the old format, but there would be new tree-like categories. I was thinking something like this:

global settings

protocols = imap

"foo.server.org" is just descriptive name

settings inside server { .. } will override global ones.

groups (namespace, login settings, auth settings) aren't replaced

unless same name is used.

server foo.server.org { imap_listen = 1.2.3.4 ssl_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/foo.cer

default namespace (no name)

namespace { type = private mail = mbox:~/mail }

Have to quote so '#' won't be thought out as comment.

I think quoting should work everywhere actually..

namespace "#maildir" { type = private inbox = yes # this namespace contains INBOX mail = Maildir:~/Maildir }

override global auth default

auth default { auth_mechanisms = plain digest-md5 auth_realms = foo.server.org auth_userdb = ldap /etc/dovecot-ldap.conf auth_passdb = ldap /etc/dovecot-ldap.conf } }

server bar.server.org { imap_listen = 1.2.3.5 ssl_cert_file = /etc/ssl/certs/bar.cer

namespace { type = private #mail = #autodetect }

shared mailboxes between users

eg. user/timo.sirainen/some-shared-folder

namespace user { type = user mail = /home/%u/mail/shared } }

server baz.server.org { imap_listen = 1.2.3.6 ssl_disable = yes

Only Courier-like INBOX namespace

namespace INBOX { type = private } }

common namespace between all instances

namespace shared { type = shared mail = mbox:/var/lists:INDEX=~/mail/.shared/ }

auth default { auth_mechanisms = plain auth_userdb = passwd auth_passdb = pam }