333846 - offline IMAP doesn't sync subfolders

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(MailNews Core :: Networking: IMAP, defect)

Description

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

I've thought that if I choose IMAP folders to be available offline that the messages get synced all the time while I'm online.
I've read that in some bug comment also. But the only folder which is really made available offline is the INBOX. All the subfolders are only fetched if I trigger to go in offline mode.

Comment 1

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

forgot to mention:
This is Thunderbird 1.5 and I didn't find a better component for the offline stuff.

That's the comment I've meant which indicates that what I expect is available:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=312793#c52

Comment 2

[JoSH Lehan]

The "Inbox-only" message body download is an annoying issue, that's for sure.

Thunderbird has a (braindead) default behaviour of only downloading HEADERS, thus forgetting to also download the BODIES, of all folders, *except* the Inbox.

Isn't it frustrating to see a count of new messages displayed, in other folders, but be completely unable to read them?

Somebody did post a workaround, though, in bug 329229.  There's a hidden setting you can toggle, mail.server.serverXX.autosync_offline_stores, that will expand the automatic message body download to include ALL checked IMAP folders, not just the Inbox!

Comment 3

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

Thanks for the hint.
The feature you mentioned got introduced in bug 302386 and is basically what I want.

But I think that the user interface should be revised.
I don't get the use case for "Make the messages in my Inbox available when I'm working offline" aka download_bodies_on_get_new_mail.
Either this should be removed or replaced with the new preference to sync mail bodies for the whole account IMO?

Comment 4

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

In the light of the new online/offline detection code planned this might need UI changes anyway.

Comment 5

[Willie]

I'm glad to see that someone (David Bienvenu) is assigned to this problem.  How's the progress been coming along, David?

Comment 6

[Bob]

I am very interested in this feature as well.  I really think that TB needs a way to "Make message available in ALL folders for offline use" that would work like the equivalent one for INBOX.  In fact, there should be a per folder setting for this as well (it could go in the same dialog as you get when right clicking a folder and selecting "Properties", right below the option "check this folder for new messages").

I tried the mail.server.serverX.autosync_offline_stores hidden pref and it only goes half way.  It only sync's if the folder is opened while online.  This does you little good if you lose your online connection suddenly and you want to look at an email in a folder you have not opened for a while.  I think the sync should happen with every check of the IMAP server for new mail.

I realize that these operations would be disk and bandwidth expensive but for a computer with a big disk and a fat pipe it is not a big deal.  I really want my local folders to be a complete backup of what is on the IMAP server.  Note that Eudora has this and many of my colleagues use it, in part, for this feature (it is a per folder setting only on Eudora).  They are worried that with the TB/Eudora merge they may lose this very nice feature.  I, on the other hand, like TB but have to keep remembering to do the "download/sync" think neurotically.

Is this feature planed for TB 3?

Comment 7

[Brian Kennelly]

(In reply to comment #6)
> 
> I tried the mail.server.serverX.autosync_offline_stores hidden pref and it only
> goes half way.  It only sync's if the folder is opened while online.  This does
> you little good if you lose your online connection suddenly and you want to
> look at an email in a folder you have not opened for a while.  I think the sync
> should happen with every check of the IMAP server for new mail.
> 

Set "mail.imap.use_status_for_biff" to false to make TB select, and synchronise, each folder when checking for new messages.  With autosync, you will also get the bodies.

Comment 8

[Bob]

(In reply to comment #7) 
> 
> Set "mail.imap.use_status_for_biff" to false to make TB select, and
> synchronise, each folder when checking for new messages.  With autosync, you
> will also get the bodies.
> 

Yes, that works!  So the feature has been there all along but this is the first mention of it in any bug report or anywhere on the internet (and I searched for a solution).  This may be the MOST obscure combination of settings I've ever seen:-)

Now all that needs to be done is to put a few hooks into preferences to set these in a easy way (ideally so they can be set per folder or for all folders).

Comment 9

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Does the sync model of TB3 trunk now accommodate this? 
And does this match what's wanted for bug 425723?

Comment 10

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Wolfgang ^^^ ?

Comment 11

[Wolfgang Rosenauer [:wolfiR]]

(In reply to comment #9)
> Does the sync model of TB3 trunk now accommodate this?

I think so. Not sure if every config cornercase is handled but TB3 seems to do the right thing basically.

> And does this match what's wanted for bug 425723?

I think that bug 425723 is mainly about the same issue.

Comment 12

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Resolving WFM for now.