Topic: IMAP connection question

[jim7jim]

Hello, I haven't been using IMAP all that long and I'm still trying to understand what it's limitations are. I have a user who came from an Exchange environment where he could move emails at will between his folders when offline and not connected to the server. That doesn't seem to be the case with IMAP on SME. From what I can tell, when manipulating IMAP email, one needs to be connected to the server. Can someone verify this is true with SME 8?

The user in question is having emails disappear in his various folders of the Outlook client but I can usually find them on the SME server. I think it's because he's trying to move and 'file' emails when he's offline. Thanks in advance. 

[janet]

jim7jim

With IMAP all message files are stored on the server, so you need to be connected if manipulating messages & folders etc.

The good point is that multiple email clients (eg smartphone, desktop, notebook, tablet etc) see the same changes.

[jim7jim]

Thanks for your response, Janet. Mobile devices are why we switched some users to IMAP. It does work nicely for those users who don't try to work offline.

[mmccarn]

Most IMAP clients will track your offline changes and 'synchronize' them to your server when you reconnect.

Thunderbird does this very well for me.  I have had problems with Outlook's IMAP implementation in the past, but I don't currently use Outlook/IMAP.

I would look for a setting in Outlook  about which folders to synchronize manually vs which to sync automatically.