Description: This is a small application that changes email signature file from time to time. It uses a MYSQL database or a Text-file database.
Can be used as a console app or as normal app (with User Interface). If you use it as a console ("kmysignature --stdout") app, you must configure it the first time using the User interface.
This application is simple. It Just mix some user data such name and email with a "quote" from the database to give you a diferent signature each time. And you only need to tell your mail software to get the signature from that file. Configuration is easy, just provide the database name, user, password, server, table name, and the name for the field to be used, or the text file where the "quotes" are stored. Also need to provide the file name (and path) for your signature and a time interval for changing the signature.Last changelog:
Version 0.6: Released November 29, 2006 - Added a global accelerator, for using with a webmail, just CTR-Shift-Space and CTR-V to paste it. - Added a configuration window for the global Accelerator.
April 23, 2006. Harry Auschner has made a package for Debian, tested on Debian Unstable with Kde 3.5.2. Thanks Harry!
Version 0.5: Released on April 22, 2006. -New Option "stdout" added. This allows sending the signature to the standard output and then terminates, no UI is loaded. -New way to configure time period, now you can select time units (seconds, minutes, hours).
Version 0.4: Released on March 28, 2006. -Configuration dialog layout is better now. -Added a new option to let the user choose a "separator" string between the personal info and the message. -Added new options to let the user only to display a message without the personal info, or display only entered data. -An erroneous behavior when "personal info" fields are blank, now no more "" is inserted if no email is provided or a blank line if no name is entered.
I discovered your KMySignature application. It is almost exactly what I am looking for, congratulations on it. I also do not like Ksig as there is no documentation and no options, either! I really do not see what it is for.
However, to use it with Gmail, I'd like to be able to click the KMySignature icon and have it paste the signature in the cursor's location. As I see that you use Gmail too, you may also find this handy.
Will you consider this possibility? Thank you.
Hi,
Looks like a nice app. However, your screenshots seem to show the wrong signature format. Signatures have a standardised start marker, which goes like "-- \n" (two ASCII minuses, a space, and a newline). Then, your actual signature goes after that. Now, KMySignature shouldn't actually include this marker, or probably any other dividing line at the top, since that's the mail/news client's job. Your signatures seem to show a dividing line at the top, and then something closer to a signature marker in the middle.
On another note, I've been looking for a signature tool which can insert contact text in a boxed-off area, while flowing a quote into the remaining space, to make it fit best. If you could make KMySignature do that, while still respecting newlines in the quote, it would be really great :)
Hi,
since version 0.4, things such that are configurable. You decide if want a line on top, a line (or whatever) in the middle, and if you want to show only a "quote".
The other thing you say about a "boxed-off area", you mean like a frame for your personal info?. I have been testing with kmail, and reading bugs and requests for html support in kmail signature (inserting), and seems not to be a fix for that :(, I mean, you cannot insert html formated signature unless you format it when writing your mail, which is what we are trying to avoid.
Oh, I don't mean anything HTML-based. I'm a strictly text mailer myself. Not that I've anything against HTML mail, but I haven't found a mail program that lets me write HTML so that it's rendered predictably; always too many blank lines or something.
Let me explain this way... currently, I'm using signify. It lets me divide a signature up horizontally and/or vertically in a grid, with random or fixed content in each square. However, when you have something on the top-left, and something on the right, the bottom-left is wasted. I'd like to be able to say "put these two lines of text in the top-left, and use the rest of the space for this quote." No HTML needed, just a signature tool that knows how to flow text into a box, allowing for a reserved area. So it might look at each line, and ask if there is a reserved area overlapping that line, and if so, cut the available space for the flowed text, but only on that line. On the next line, it would check again, and the reserved space might be somewhere different.
Well, I searched for Ksig documentation and the only thing i found was the --help. And in the help there are 2 options available --daily --random; which generates random signatures and daily signatures FROM HIS list.
Kmysignature generates random signatures mixing your personal data and a "quote". Quotes can be extracted from a MySQL database or ANY FILE that contains several quotes separated by a character (or string) like fortune files.
So I can see an advantage: You DONT need to WRITE your signatures like in Ksig (entering manually each one). In my case i have hundreds of quotes, imagine the work of entering each one to Ksig. And I could not find a way to import signatures from a file in Ksig. I only found the file that uses Ksig to save signatures, it is something like html, so still a nightmare.
In future version, i'll try to add support to return to standard output the signature and terminate with an option ("kmysignature --onlynow"), like Ksig does.
Just a small hint, where ksig can be used with kmail and a lot of signatures. I let kmail receive the signature from a scriptfile, where I echo all of my personal info with a random signature. Example:
This allows you to use hundreds of signatures without adding your personal data to each entry.
Yours is a nice contribution anyway ! Maybe more flexible :)
It is the same idea. Mine does exactly the same, except it sends the signature to a file where KMail can also get it from.
In Kmysignature you enter your personal info only once and yo never enter any "quote" if you want (you can use forune files, for example). And in KSig you must enter your "quotes" one by one (I still can't find a way to import fortune files to Ksig, so I decided to do it myself).
I like this app, but would be possible
put on the mail message only the text, without the fields for the name, email and the other stuff?
Jist like one more option.
Ratings & Comments
12 Comments
I discovered your KMySignature application. It is almost exactly what I am looking for, congratulations on it. I also do not like Ksig as there is no documentation and no options, either! I really do not see what it is for. However, to use it with Gmail, I'd like to be able to click the KMySignature icon and have it paste the signature in the cursor's location. As I see that you use Gmail too, you may also find this handy. Will you consider this possibility? Thank you.
Hi, Looks like a nice app. However, your screenshots seem to show the wrong signature format. Signatures have a standardised start marker, which goes like "-- \n" (two ASCII minuses, a space, and a newline). Then, your actual signature goes after that. Now, KMySignature shouldn't actually include this marker, or probably any other dividing line at the top, since that's the mail/news client's job. Your signatures seem to show a dividing line at the top, and then something closer to a signature marker in the middle. On another note, I've been looking for a signature tool which can insert contact text in a boxed-off area, while flowing a quote into the remaining space, to make it fit best. If you could make KMySignature do that, while still respecting newlines in the quote, it would be really great :)
Hi, since version 0.4, things such that are configurable. You decide if want a line on top, a line (or whatever) in the middle, and if you want to show only a "quote". The other thing you say about a "boxed-off area", you mean like a frame for your personal info?. I have been testing with kmail, and reading bugs and requests for html support in kmail signature (inserting), and seems not to be a fix for that :(, I mean, you cannot insert html formated signature unless you format it when writing your mail, which is what we are trying to avoid.
Oh, I don't mean anything HTML-based. I'm a strictly text mailer myself. Not that I've anything against HTML mail, but I haven't found a mail program that lets me write HTML so that it's rendered predictably; always too many blank lines or something. Let me explain this way... currently, I'm using signify. It lets me divide a signature up horizontally and/or vertically in a grid, with random or fixed content in each square. However, when you have something on the top-left, and something on the right, the bottom-left is wasted. I'd like to be able to say "put these two lines of text in the top-left, and use the rest of the space for this quote." No HTML needed, just a signature tool that knows how to flow text into a box, allowing for a reserved area. So it might look at each line, and ask if there is a reserved area overlapping that line, and if so, cut the available space for the flowed text, but only on that line. On the next line, it would check again, and the reserved space might be somewhere different.
A great little app ! To return the favour I made a debian package, which you can find here: http://harrys-home.gmxhome.de/kmysignature_0.5.-1_i386.deb Made (and tested only) on a Debian Unstable Box with KDE 3.5.2.
What are the benefits of this app vs. KSig?
Well, I searched for Ksig documentation and the only thing i found was the --help. And in the help there are 2 options available --daily --random; which generates random signatures and daily signatures FROM HIS list. Kmysignature generates random signatures mixing your personal data and a "quote". Quotes can be extracted from a MySQL database or ANY FILE that contains several quotes separated by a character (or string) like fortune files. So I can see an advantage: You DONT need to WRITE your signatures like in Ksig (entering manually each one). In my case i have hundreds of quotes, imagine the work of entering each one to Ksig. And I could not find a way to import signatures from a file in Ksig. I only found the file that uses Ksig to save signatures, it is something like html, so still a nightmare. In future version, i'll try to add support to return to standard output the signature and terminate with an option ("kmysignature --onlynow"), like Ksig does.
Just a small hint, where ksig can be used with kmail and a lot of signatures. I let kmail receive the signature from a scriptfile, where I echo all of my personal info with a random signature. Example:
#!/bin/sh echo "" echo "Blahbla" echo "" echo "Some Company" echo "Some Street 29-31" echo "66734 Zip-Town" echo "" echo "Tel. +49 (911) 22333-1" echo "Fax. +49 (911) 22333-2" echo "mailto: me@tld.de" echo "------------------------------" ksig --random
This allows you to use hundreds of signatures without adding your personal data to each entry. Yours is a nice contribution anyway ! Maybe more flexible :)It is the same idea. Mine does exactly the same, except it sends the signature to a file where KMail can also get it from. In Kmysignature you enter your personal info only once and yo never enter any "quote" if you want (you can use forune files, for example). And in KSig you must enter your "quotes" one by one (I still can't find a way to import fortune files to Ksig, so I decided to do it myself).
I like this app, but would be possible put on the mail message only the text, without the fields for the name, email and the other stuff? Jist like one more option.
Thanks, I will add this feature, come back soon.
Version 0.4 now has this feature, and some fixes.