296842 - Cannot create new IMAP folder within subfolder if "Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages" is selected

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Alex Schuilenburg]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4

Cannot create new IMAP folder within valid subfolder if "Server supports folders
that contain sub-folders and messages" is selected

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Set up IMAP account on UW server
2. Create a folder that allows sub-folders (e.g. demo/ - note ending in "/")
3. Right-click on new folder and observe menu option "New Folder"
4. Select IMAP Account properties -> server -> advanced and deselect the "Server
supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages" option
5. Repeat 3.  Note lack of "New Folder" option.

Actual Results:  
"New Folder" option only appears if the "Server supports folders that contain
sub-folders and messages" is checked.

Expected Results:  
New folder should appear in both instances.  The option just means that the
folder can contain *both* messages and folders, not that the folder cannot
contain subfolders.

Comment 1

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

This is an automated message, with ID "auto-resolve01".

This bug has had no comments for a long time. Statistically, we have found that
bug reports that have not been confirmed by a second user after three months are
highly unlikely to be the source of a fix to the code.

While your input is very important to us, our resources are limited and so we
are asking for your help in focussing our efforts. If you can still reproduce
this problem in the latest version of the product (see below for how to obtain a
copy) or, for feature requests, if it's not present in the latest version and
you still believe we should implement it, please visit the URL of this bug
(given at the top of this mail) and add a comment to that effect, giving more
reproduction information if you have it.

If it is not a problem any longer, you need take no action. If this bug is not
changed in any way in the next two weeks, it will be automatically resolved.
Thank you for your help in this matter.

The latest beta releases can be obtained from:
Firefox:     http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/
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Seamonkey:   http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/

Comment 2

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

This bug has been automatically resolved after a period of inactivity (see above
comment). If anyone thinks this is incorrect, they should feel free to reopen it.

Comment 3

[Alex Schuilenburg]

The problem still exists against the University of Washigton IMAP server

Comment 4

[Luis Miguel Lagoa Baptista Ferro]

I've upgraded from normal TB to the nightly build and i confirm that this bug still happens. I'm using as server the clarkconnect home/free server with it's IMAP setup and i used to be able to create directories in a folder that allowed sub-folders.

As of the build of last friday (the one i had before version 3 alpha 1 (20060527)), i stoped to have the possibility (it could be a bit before, not sure).

Please change status to new, severity to blocking at least... not beign able to create folders in imap server should trigger that kind of severity IMHO.

Comment 5

[Ole Holm Nielsen]

We can confirm this bug.  Thunderbird <= 1.5 (Windows, Linux) is broken with respect to subfolders, if and only if your IMAP server uses the mbox mailbox format. With mboxes a folder can only contain messages, or it can contain subfolders, but not both.
By default, Thunderbird thinks that a mailbox can contain both, so one must explain to users to manually uncheck the item "Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages".  Many would consider this a serious bug in Thunderbird.

The correct behavior would be for Thunderbird to autodetect whether or not the IMAP server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages, as explained in Bugzilla Bug 284933.

There are threads about this problem in the Dovecot IMAP server mailing list, for example
http://dovecot.org/list/dovecot/2005-March/006367.html
http://dovecot.org/pipermail/dovecot/2005-July/008168.html
so this nagging problem is known to a lot of people, but most people don't realize it's a bug in Thunderbird.

Comment 6

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

Reporter, does the issue still occur with the latest supported 2.0.0.x / Shredder trunk nightlies?

(1.5.0.x is now end-of-life and the latest supported Thunderbird version 2 is 2.0.0.16)

Comment 7

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESO INCO per lack of response to the last question. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.