263327 - No way to delete mail from pop server with "Leave messages on server"

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Frank]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041004 Firefox/0.10.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20041004 Firefox/0.10.1

There is no easy way to delete (specific) messages from the POP3 server when
"Leave messages on server" is being used, without deleting these messages from
the Inbox.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:

Comment 1

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 47297 ***

Comment 2

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

Reopening, I shouldn't have duped this.

Comment 3

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

This is a front end bug, altho any fix for it probably could be ported fairly 
easy between the two programs.

Comment 4

[Christian Eyrich]

But it's related to bug 47297. I set it as depends on that to make this relation
visible there.

Comment 5

[Gorka]

These should be a 1.0 blocker.
I's a basic and very important functionality for those who have mail at work and
home for example. All mail programs (at least Eudora, The bat,...) have it.
Just my 0.02$

Comment 6

[Frank]

I could try to set "blocking-aviary1.0" to "?" to request this, but I don't
think it will be honoured. This bug depends on bug #47297 and that has been
flagged "-". See the discussion in the comments of that bug.

To *me* this is one of the reasons not the switch from Eudora to TB...

Comment 7

[kaeptn00]

This is a "blocker" for me, too. I really would like to be able to download only
headers and then be able to delete messages from the server either manualy or by
rule.

Currently I have a test mailbox which is set to "Fetch headers only" and "Leave
messages on server" without any of the deleting rules set.

When I delete the message from my inbox and then from my trash, the message gets
deleted from TB but remains on the server. Even worse, I can not download the
message again. It is somehow being flagged as "read" and TB does not fetch it
again even though it is still there.

So for me it should work as follows:
- Mails on the server should be able to be deleted by:
  - Filter rule (sender blacklisted, subject, whatever)
  - Option rule (when deleted from trash, others?)
  - Manualy (menu option "Delete message(s) from server")

- Mails still on the server but flagged as "read" (see above) should be
downloaded again (Header only, all - whatever applies).

In short: TB should be able to handle all what may happend to a remote inbox.

Comment 8

[stefano g]

that is something I miss from Outlook Express for OS 9.
just keep the important messages on the mail server - still archive those that I
dont want to delete.

it shouldn't be too complicated to fix this.
sg

Comment 9

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

*** Bug 259754 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10

[Jacy]

I think this is absolutely essential.  It looks to have been discussed at some length in 2004/2005, http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=70532&postdays=0&postorder=asc&postsperpage=15&start=0 and I think it is amazing that it hasn't been addressed.  The discussion of whether or not the feature is entirely appropriate to POP is immaterial; the fact is that many people have existing email accounts that only support POP, not IMAP, and switching is not something they can just do on a whim.  Many other email clients that could be considered TBs most relevent peers support some sort of user-managed delete-from-server.  Forcing users into a model where they either must leave messages in their *local* inbox until they want them deleted from the server; or forgo deleting them from the server is an untenable position.  Taking some sort of position for "this is how POP should work" is completely unfriendly to users, especially users who are used to using other email software where they can organize their local email in folders and delete them from the server at their leisure (usually using a "delete from server when deleted from trash" option).  The technology is clearly available since other software can implement this feature for POP accounts; the lack of it severely impacts TBs usefulness to me.

Comment 13

[Jean-Marie COUPRIE]

There is a complicated method to do the job with existing function :
You create a one shot filter (you delete it after use) that will select just this message choosing action delete "from the server" and you run the filter. If this does not work there is a bug in filter processing to be filed !

For developers : Can you introduce some switches in the filter processing to replace the search for messages filling the conditions by the right click on this message and creating en entry in the menu "apply filter on this message" that will open a second menu proposing a list of filters.
 It is far more powerful that the requested enhancement because each user can define different actions or list of actions that already exist for filters...

Comment 14

[Jean-Marie COUPRIE]

This is an 7 years old bug with 17 votes and nothing done during 2 years. It is time to enter a crash program to solve it !

Comment 15

[Steve Kelem]

Okay, it's 8.5 years. The "Delete from POP server" option is missing from the Message Filter choices. It used to be there. If I manually edit the msgFilterRules.dat file, it seems to work.

Please put the option back in the Message Filter construction window.

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

It does seem inconsistent that we offer an account option to "keep" messages on the pop server after download, but not have UI to later delete them.

And, pop is still very heavily used. https://stats.thunderbird.net/#telemetry

Comment 18

[Anje]

Currently, there is the option 'Leave message on server' which then enables additional options including 'For at most x days'
I have Support Forum user who says selecting the 'For at most 1 days' does not delete off server.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1390573