IMAP Message Synchronizing Not Working (SOLVED)

[KentonS]

Either IMAP Message Synchronizing is not working in Seamonkey 2.49.1, or I don't understand IMAP Message Synchronizing. (Both are equally possible.)

I have an IMAP account in Seamonkey Mail. Since it's on a laptop, I do not want messages in that account to be retained when I shut down Seamonkey, but I do want them restored when I connect to the Mail Server. (Is this what IMAP Message Synchronizing is all about?)

I've tried disabling Message Synchronizing, to no effect. I've tried enabling IMAP Message Synchronizing and unchecking all the the folders, also to no effect. In both cases all the messages left in the folders when I shut down Seamonkey are still present in all those folders after I've brought up Seamonkey Mail and before I log in to the IMAP Server.

Am I completely missing something here? Or is something - besides my brain - not working?

Thanks for any and all insights.

k

[DanRaisch]

IMAP Synchronization is about retaining copies of messages on the local computer.
How are you determining that messages are still present on startup?

[KentonS]

IMAP Synchronization is about retaining copies of messages on the local computer.
How are you determining that messages are still present on startup?

As I said, when I bring Seamonkey up - and before I log in to the email server - the messages are visible on my local computer. My expectation was that all the folders on my local computer would be emptied when I brought Seamonkey down and would remain empty until I logged in to the email server, at which time the messages would be downloaded to my local computer. Am I wrong in expecting this?

[DanRaisch]

I don't understand the reference to "log in to the email server." Have you not allowed SeaMonkey to store the password for the email account for automatic submission? If you have, SeaMonkey would automatically log into the account when the email window is opened.

[KentonS]

I don't understand the reference to "log in to the email server." Have you not allowed SeaMonkey to store the password for the email account for automatic submission? If you have, SeaMonkey would automatically log into the account when the email window is opened.

I have not. I automatically log on only to my personal accounts. I do not automatically log on to the IMAP account; that account is one that contains some sensitive business communications with a client and some of that client's clients. I log in to the IMAP server for that account only when I want to download and view messages. I enter the password only when I ask Seamonkey Mail to retrieve/synchronize/whatever the messages on that server.

[DanRaisch]

OK, that's clear now.

Are you referring to being able to view a list of messages in the right hand pane of the SeaMonkey email window? If so, if you click on one of those listed messages, does SeaMonkey display the message contents or does it ask for your password?

[KentonS]

OK, that's clear now.

Are you referring to being able to view a list of messages in the right hand pane of the SeaMonkey email window? If so, if you click on one of those listed messages, does SeaMonkey display the message contents or does it ask for your password?

Good question! And in fact, I checked last night to determine exactly that. Here's what I discovered:

• The Folder (left side) Pane displays all the folders associated with the account, along with the number of messages in each folder.
• The Thread (upper right) Pane displays all the messages in a selected Folder.
• The Message (lower left) Pane shows the content of the Message selected in the Thread Pane.

(I'm using the Classic View.)

Note that this is the situation before I logged on to the IMAP Server.

Note also that as soon as I clicked on a Folder in the Folder Pane, SeaMonkey requested the password to the IMAP Server, at which point I hit {Esc] to dismiss the Password Dialog. At that point all messages previously downloaded were visible in the Thread Pane and their contents were visible in Message Pane.

[DanRaisch]

Then it's likely that you have to delete the message files previously downloaded, before you disabled the synch function. Make sure that synchronization is disabled (unchecked) in SeaMonkey in the Account Settings->Synchronization & Storage dialogue. Close SeaMonkey and navigate to the profile folder ( http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_SeaMonkey ). Locate the folder IMAPMail and within that a sub-folder with a name referring to the account in question. Copy all files in that sub-directory with names matching the folders of the accounts AND which have no file name extension to another location or external drive. That is, copy files such as Inbox, Sent, Trash, etc. Then delete those files from the sub-directory. Restart SeaMonkey and you should find that while the list of messages remains, if you try to access one of the listed messages without logging into the account (submitting password) you will not find any contents.

[KentonS]

Then it's likely that you have to delete the message files previously downloaded, before you disabled the synch function. Make sure that synchronization is disabled (unchecked) in SeaMonkey in the Account Settings->Synchronization & Storage dialogue. Close SeaMonkey and navigate to the profile folder ( http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_SeaMonkey ). Locate the folder IMAPMail and within that a sub-folder with a name referring to the account in question. Copy all files in that sub-directory with names matching the folders of the accounts AND which have no file name extension to another location or external drive. That is, copy files such as Inbox, Sent, Trash, etc. Then delete those files from the sub-directory. Restart SeaMonkey and you should find that while the list of messages remains, if you try to access one of the listed messages without logging into the account (submitting password) you will not find any contents.

Hmm... I'm unable to disable (uncheck) Synchronization. It's a Radio Button, not a Check Box. My only choices are:

• Synchronize all messages locally regardless of age, OR
• Synchronize the most recent [__] [days].

I'll experiment around though and see whether new messages behave the way I want them to; if they do, I'll try the move-files thing.

That said, I'm starting to believe that the functionality I'm looking for just doesn't exist in SeaMonkey. Bummer, but life's just sometimes like that!

[DanRaisch]

That's not the option I was referring to. It's the "Keep messages for this account on this computer" checkbox as shown in this image.

[KentonS]

That's not the option I was referring to. It's the "Keep messages for this account on this computer" checkbox...

Oh, that one. Yeah... I have that one unchecked. That's the first thing I did. I even went into the Advanced screen and verified that all the folders were unchecked as well.

That said... I went into the ImapMail directory associated with the Account in my SeaMonkey Profile and cleared everything out. (Except msgFilterRules.dat; that seemed like one I'd want to keep.)

I then bounced SeaMonkey Mail and checked things out. Before supplying the IMAP Server password, nothing showed up any pane. Once I supplied the password, the Folder and Thread panes were populated, and clicking on a message in the Thread Pane caused its message contents to be displayed in the Message Pane.

After bouncing SeaMonkey again, the Folder and Thread panes were populated, but clicking on a message in the Thread Pane did not result in its message contents being displayed until a password was supplied.

And that's how it's worked ever since. While I would have preferred having the Thread Pane remain unpopulated until a password is supplied, the way it's actually working is acceptable; at least the message contents aren't available until after a password is supplied.

So, it's as you indicated: Changing the settings only affects the display of messages sent after Message is toggled off. It's necessary to clear old messages out by moving files as you described.

Thanks very much for sticking with me on this. I really appreciate it!

[DanRaisch]

You're welcome. The reason the list appears but not the message content (until the password is supplied) is that the list is generated from the .msf files that act as indexes. They don't contain the full message content, which, when synchronization is off, is only accessed by Thunderbird when connected to the server.

[KentonS]

... The reason the list appears but not the message content (until the password is supplied) is that the list is generated from the .msf files that act as indexes. They don't contain the full message content, which, when synchronization is off, is only accessed by Thunderbird when connected to the server.

Ah, OK. Now I get it.