Python script that marks Gmail messages as not new

February 21, 2009 8:03 AM

Python script that marks Gmail messages as not new
I use the Google Notifier, which turns red when you have new mail. Problem is, it won't stop being read unless you actually go to Gmail in a browser or mail client and do something about those new messages, even if those new messages aren't particularly important. So, here's a simple script that'll connect with IMAP and make those messages "not new" so Google Notifer can stop being red and distracting. A friend and I found it useful, so I thought I'd toss it out there.
posted by ignignokt (4 comments total)

I'm not trying to be a dick here, but why do you have gmail notifier installed if it's annoying and not useful to you?
posted by mathowie at 8:04 AM on February 21, 2009

Google Notifier is useful to me because then I don't have to actively go to Gmail to know that I have new mail. I do want to be notified that I want new mail. I just don't want to have to actually go to my inbox once I've been notified. If Notifier had some "mark all as read" or "stop reminding me" command, it'd be perfect for me.
posted by ignignokt at 9:21 AM on February 21, 2009

I'm not trying to be a dick here, but why do you have gmail notifier installed if it's annoying and not useful to you?

It's also useful for Safari users who want to have gmail open when clicking on mailto: links. Firefox has that feature built-in, but currently Safari needs Notifier.
posted by terrapin at 7:10 PM on February 22, 2009

I was sort of confused about the behavior of this thing in Mac OS. If I launch markasread.py, it apparently gets repackaged as markasread.app? Which is then happy to run, so I guess that's fine. But it caught me by surprise.
posted by grobstein at 7:30 PM on April 21, 2009