Topic: IMAP subfolders possible?

[vladmen]

I am trying to set up subfolder structure as follows:

FOLDER1
     FOLDER1A
            FOLDER1A1
     FOLDER2A
            FOLDER2A1
and so on

The interesting thing, if I do it in Outlook Express it works until I do "RESET LIST", which is supposed to reread the folder structure, but instead I end up with only FOLDER1. If I do it in IMP3, then I'm getting message that subfolder is created, but it is not shown in the folder list.
The folder structure is actually created, but the .mailbox file is getting only upper level folders shown.

Any help is appreciated

[Jason Judge]

I find the same behaviour with Eudora as I (and you) do with OLE.

The problem, I am absolutely convinced, is with the SME server. I have NEVER had any explanation of why the IMAP folders don't work. I have NEVER been convinced by anyone that they have ever worked properly with SME. I have NEVER got them working correctly with SME.

Something is wrong with SME IMAP folders, and it seems never to have been fixed since SME (E-smith) 4 onwards.

Come on someone - convince me I'm wrong. I would like to recommend SME to my clients, but the IMAP folder handling is lousy. It just does not work. And that is a big problem with an otherwise excellent product.

-- Jason

[Michiel de Jager]

Hello there, I have the same problem.

Is there anyone who knows how to fix this.
It is a quite a big problem to me, because my users work with sub/sub/sub folders
all the time, and if I want to change to SME I must get a workaround or something.

Please help!!!


Greetz,
Michiel

[Jason Judge]

IMO the IMAP server is buggy. I get the same or similar problems no matter what e-mail client I try. It is supposed to support multi-level folders and both folders and files in folders.

My solution is to use many top-level folders with thousands of e-mails in each. It's not ideal and is beginning to burst at the seams, but on the whole it works.

Perhaps SME 5.5 has some fixes? I don't know.

-- Jason

[Michiel de Jager]

Well, I am running 5.5, but its no better.

Jason Judge wrote:
>
> IMO the IMAP server is buggy. I get the same or similar
> problems no matter what e-mail client I try. It is supposed
> to support multi-level folders and both folders and files in
> folders.
>
> My solution is to use many top-level folders with thousands
> of e-mails in each. It's not ideal and is beginning to burst
> at the seams, but on the whole it works.
>
> Perhaps SME 5.5 has some fixes? I don't know.
>
> -- Jason

[Rich Lafferty]

Jason Judge wrote:
>
> IMO the IMAP server is buggy. I get the same or similar
> problems no matter what e-mail client I try. It is supposed
> to support multi-level folders and both folders and files in
> folders.

It does not support both folders and files in folders. A folder should contain
either mail or more folders, but not both.

(It's a maildir-modified wu-imapd. Wu-imapd usually speaks mbox, so
the idea of a folder containing both mail and other folders doesn't work --
an mbox folder is a file, but folders-containing-folders are directories.
While maildirs happen to be directories, the constraint still exists in the
IMAP server.)

Cheers,
--Rich

[Jason Judge]

It does not support both folders and files in folders. A folder should contain
either mail or more folders, but not both.

With respect - this is not how it is supposed to work. Each mail message on SME 5.1.2 is a single file on the server. This means folders can contain both sub-folders and messages. If this particular version of wu-imapd does not suport this structure then it is indeed trully mangled - no wonder it does not work properly!

If the folders-and-messages option has been removed, then it should report this over the IMAP interface so the mail clients know this. I suspect this could be a source of error: in OLE I can create a folder and within that folder I can put another folder and a message. SME allows me to create such a structure and looking from the filesystem the structure of directories and message files is perfectly valid.

If the server consequently refuses to hand over the file that is tucked into the same directory as the folder or refuses to hand over sub-folders 'because it is not supported' when it sees a message and a folder in the same main folder, then this could also be a source of problems.

So - do you think there is a prospect to getting this fixed? I took a long look at it myself a while ago, but I couldn't understand what Mitel had done to customise the IMAP server and I couldn't tell if the bugs (and I choose that work carefuly) were in the original (fairly old) IMAP server or the customisations.

It's a shame, 'cause it's 98% there...

-- Jason

[Jason Judge]

What I didn't mention was that the IMAP problems occur whether I attempt to mix files and folders or very carefuly keep them separated.

-- Jason

[Charlie Brady]

Jason Judge wrote:
 
> What I didn't mention was that the IMAP problems occur
> whether I attempt to mix files and folders or very carefuly
> keep them separated.

Please all suspected bugs in detail to bugs@e-smith.com.

Thanks

Charlie

[Charlie Brady]

Charlie Brady wrote:

> Please all suspected bugs in detail to bugs@e-smith.com.

Let's try that again ...

Please *report* all suspected bugs in detail to bugs@e-smith.com. If you have a fix as well - even better, send that along as well.

Thanks

Charlie

[Jason Judge]

Charlie,

It's something I have never been able to pin down tightly enough as there are so many variables: the IMAP server, Mitel customisations to it, user directory permissions, IMAP clients - they all contribute somewhere to the overall effect.

If anyone here is able to read IMAP logs, then I will send those in for analysis. I can mark up in the log the points where I create directories and mail messages, refresh the folder list and where errors occur. Would this be any use?

-- Jason

[Dan Brown]

IMO, if it happens on an unmodified Mitel server, it should be reported to bugs@e-smith.  Even if it isn't with code they wrote, they need to know.

[Jason Judge]

Okay - I've raised one problem ('unknown error' with OLE after moving or copying a message between two IMAP folders).

Depending on the outcome, I will raise others and supply whatever log files etc. are needed. I appreciate Mitel will not know about real problems unless they are reported and would like to do what I can to help resolve them.

-- Jason

[Michiel de Jager]

I have sent a mail to bugs@e-smith today, now just wait what they have to say.
But that doesn't mean the discussion has to be closed, it might just lead to
the "golden tip" (hopefully)

Dan Brown wrote:
>
> IMO, if it happens on an unmodified Mitel server, it should
> be reported to bugs@e-smith.  Even if it isn't with code they
> wrote, they need to know.

[ralph]

Hi everybody affected,

has anyone tried to change uw-imap against courier ?

In my case on one of my mailservers ( not sme, but courier ) it works very smart.
IMO courier is to be preferred to uw due to its folder behaviour and support for ACLs ( for those who íntend to use bynari client ;->> ).

There is a how-2 in the contrib how-2 section which worked for me last night on 5.1.2 !

regards,

Ralph