how to preset account details in evolution on sled11?

[nvadekar]

I have tried to use evolution-gconf-tools-0.1.6-1.noarch.rpm to preset account details however it appears to be too old to work against modern versions of evolution, I get errors such as:

0804993D:~ # gconftool-2 --shutdown gconftool-2 --direct --config-source=xml:readwrite:/home/SledtesT/.gconf --load /tmp/evo-personalized.xml
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_concat_dir_and_key: assertion `*dir == '/'' failed
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_engine_set: assertion `key != NULL' failed
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_concat_dir_and_key: assertion `*dir == '/'' failed
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_engine_set: assertion `key != NULL' failed
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_concat_dir_and_key: assertion `*dir == '/'' failed
(gconftool-2:17342): GConf-CRITICAL **: gconf_engine_associate_schema: assertion `key != NULL' failed
**
GConf:ERROR:gconftool.c:3048:set_values: assertion failed: (error != NULL)
Aborted

so that failed.

so in it's place i have been considering simply using gconftool-2 --get and --set commands to manually populate the gconf evolution keys with my users account details. here is an example of an account that has been created in evolution on sled11, this is the dump of the gconftool-2 related key:

using: "gconftool-2 --get /apps/evolution/mail/accounts" we can see all account information and attempt to manipulate it

[<?xml version="1.0"?>
<account name="lookforme2@b" uid="1249455226.6522.0@080979DN" enabled="true"><identity><name>lookforme1</name><addr-spec>lookforme2@b</addr-spec><signature uid=""/></identity><source save-passwd="false" keep-on-server="false" auto-check="false" auto-check-timeout="10"><url>groupwise://lookforme2@lookforme3/;soap_port=7191;use_ssl=always</url></source><transport save-passwd="false"><url>groupwise://lookforme2@lookforme3/;soap_port=7191;use_ssl=always</url></transport><drafts-folder>mbox:/home/SledtesT/.evolution/mail/local#Drafts</drafts-folder><sent-folder>mbox:/home/SledtesT/.evolution/mail/local#Sent</sent-folder><auto-cc always="false"><recipients></recipients></auto-cc><auto-bcc always="false"><recipients></recipients></auto-bcc><receipt-policy policy="never"/><pgp encrypt-to-self="false" always-trust="false" always-sign="false" no-imip-sign="false"/><smime sign-default="false" encrypt-default="false" encrypt-to-self="false"/></account>

I can always scrape through this and pre-configure the account but I am wondering 2 things:

1) is there a better way?
2) can someone explain how the UID works here? I would be populating this key/value pair before any account wizard had run, i have no idea what values could be used for the UID, or can this key be populated with some information like user name, email address, groupwise plugin and mail server address, but the UID be left blank and evolution will determine one for you?

thanks,

Neal