408506 - cant read Gmail IMAP folders when name has parenthesis ()

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(MailNews Core :: Networking: IMAP, defect)

Description

[bob]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.2; SV1; Maxthon; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)
Build Identifier: 2.0.0.9

I have few folders/tags with "(" ")" in gmail IMAP. for example, "(unread)", "(wait to read)", "(important)". however, when I click on these folders, it just won't download any emails or header and they are empty all the time. 

other people said," It could also be useful to ask for a Thunderbird enhancement to create a preference to skip the quota check."

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. have "(test)" tag in gmail
2. use imap in thunderbird to open that floder
3. no email are showed and no error message either


Expected Results:  
I have tried outlook, outlook express, iphone ..etc they all work with gmail's "(xxxxx)" tag. so it will be great if you could look at it.

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Gmail IMAP presents "Tag in Gmail" as "mailbox name" to IMAP client.
And RFC 3501 defines mailbox name as follows.
> http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3501.html
>  mailbox         = "INBOX" / astring
>  astring         = 1*ASTRING-CHAR / string
>  ASTRING-CHAR   = ATOM-CHAR / resp-specials
>  ATOM-CHAR       = <any CHAR except atom-specials>
>  atom-specials   = "(" / ")" / "{" / SP / CTL / list-wildcards /
>                    quoted-specials / resp-specials
>  resp-specials   = "]"
>  string          = quoted / literal
>  quoted          = DQUOTE *QUOTED-CHAR DQUOTE
>  QUOTED-CHAR     = <any TEXT-CHAR except quoted-specials> /
>                    "\" quoted-specials
>  quoted-specials = DQUOTE / "\"
>  literal         = "{" number "}" CRLF *CHAR8
>                      ; Number represents the number of CHAR8s

Because "(" & ")" is defined as atom-specials, mailbox name has to be quoted by DQUOTE('"') when specified in IMAP command/response.
Does Tb correctly quote "(" & ")"? Does Gmail IMAP correctly quote "(" & ")"?

Get IMAP protocol log, and check protocol level flow first.
See Bug 402793 Comment #1 for getting IMAP protocol log.
If Tb's fault is involved, attach log file to this bug. (Never paste it.)

Comment 2

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

I can confirm this on linux/trunk, but it's not a gmail bug - I get it on a normal imap server too:(

I tried to create a subfolder of xtest, named "(parenthesis)" the log says:
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:CreateNewLineFromSocket: * LIST (\Noinferiors) "/" "INBOX"
-1297601648[a474b00]: ReadNextLine [stream=a143c08 nb=37 needmore=0]
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:CreateNewLineFromSocket: 7 OK Completed (0.000 secs 2 calls)
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:SendData: 8 create "xtest/(parenthesis)"
-1297601648[a474b00]: ReadNextLine [stream=a143c08 nb=27 needmore=0]
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:CreateNewLineFromSocket: 8 NO Invalid mailbox name
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:ProcessCurrentURL: entering
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:ProcessCurrentURL:imap://[e-mail]:143/discoverallboxes:  = currentUrl
-1297601648[a474b00]: 9e97c60:mail.24.fi:A:SendData: 9 lsub "" "*"

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #2)
> I tried to create a subfolder of xtest, named "(parenthesis)" the log says:
>(snip)
> SendData: 8 create "xtest/(parenthesis)"
>(snip)
> CreateNewLineFromSocket: 8 NO Invalid mailbox name

Sounds that server simply doesn't support "(" and/or ")" in mailbox name.
Magnus, same issue as original problem of comment #0 when Gmail IMAP? 

Comment 4

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #2)
> but it's not a gmail bug

To Magnus Melin:
Read Bug 402772, which is listed in Dependency Tree for Bug 402793("Show Resolved" required), please. Are sure that phenomenon of comment #0 has no relation to the Gmail IMAP's bug? Are you sure that problem of comment #0 is same one as you observed?

Comment 5

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Attachment: gimap log

Comment 6

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Yeah, that was probably another issue- please disregard comment 2. I attached a log for when I tried to view messages in the "(toread)" folder. 

Problem looks to be with QUOTAROOT - xref bug 363666.

Comment 7

[David :Bienvenu]

I believe that's a bug in gmail - they should be quoting the () in the folder name, or rather, returning the whole name in double quotes.

Comment 8

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

->INVALID then. I reported the bug to gmail. 
(Unfortunately that won't give me any notification when it gets fixed.)

Comment 9

[bob]

thanks. all. it sounds like it is a gmail bug.
Is there any quick fix in thunderbird such as changing the settings for this? anything I was thinking, I know gmail may not follow the standard way to do things; however, outlook and outlook express work too. Therefore, I just wonder if most of big players not follow the standard?

thanks

Comment 10

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #9)
> Is there any quick fix in thunderbird such as changing the settings for this?

No.
Workaround of Gmail IMAP bug is:
 To stop use of atom-specials in mailbox name of IMAP = Tag of Gmail
  a. Remove "(" / ")" from Tag of Gmail
  b. Change "(" / ")" to safe character such as "[" / "]" (Gmail uses these chars)

Comment 11

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

I notice this is now working.