56188 - Deleting folders on IMAP does not work with some IMAP servers

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(MailNews Core :: Backend, defect, P3)

Description

[urracht]

Deleting folders on IMAP, specifically, the fact that it deletes them by moving
them to the trash can, does not work with some IMAP servers.

For example, the imap server that comes with RedHat 6.2 (imap-4.7-5.rpm) uses
directories to represent folders.  Therefore a folder can either contain
messages (i.e. it is a text file) or other folders (i.e. it is a directory).

The ``Trash'' folder is a text file.  Therefore, when you delete some other
folder, it tries to create ``Trash/OtherFolder'', but the name Trash is already
used by the text file.

Mozilla should have a preference for this, or better yet, detect this and
recover gracefully (``Mozilla cannot move this folder to the Trash.  Would you
like to delete it permanently -- WARNING: All Messages Will Be Lost?'').

Steven

Comment 1

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

Confirming due to my assessment of the sanity of the reporter :-)

Gerv

Comment 2

[Keyser Sose]

Reporter is this still a problem in the latest nightlies?

Comment 3

[urracht]

I just tried it on March 13/2001 (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux 2.2.17-14 i686;
en-US; 0.8.1) Gecko/20010313), and it still occurs.

Comment 4

[Gregory Labzovsky]

To owner attention. It is not a bug at the moment. Mozilla just was not properly
configured. There is an option in Edit->Mail/News Account Settings->Server
Settings->Advanced->Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and
messages. This option should be disabled in the described case. In this
situation folders get deleted permanently without moving to trash. 

Comment 5

[Karen Huang]

Is the problem still occurring? 

Comment 6

[Robert Martel]

Yes, I have Mozilla 1.2.1 using UW IMAP server - still seeing the "The current
command did not succeed.  The mail server responded: RENAME failed:  Can'tcreate
mailbox node /export/home/bob/Trash/:  File exists"  Error message.

Users don't much like leaving the "remove immediately" setting in place because
they are always afraid of deleting the wrong thing and miss the safety of the
trashcan.

Seeing this on linux,windows, and Mac

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

dupes?

Comment 8

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Robert, do you still see problem?   (reporter's address is dead)

Comment 9

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Robert doesn't see problem anymore.
=> WFM