IMAP: only download headers
Jon Drukman
headers and not the bodies? I have some folders which get automated
mails, up to 100 per hour, and it takes a while to download the messages
when I open the folders. Usually I don't care about the bodies at all
anyway.
-jsd-
gNeandr
header?
Telmo Amaral
> On 15.02.2007 19:28 schrieb »Jon Drukman«
>> Is there a way to set an IMAP account to ONLY download the
>> message headers and not the bodies? I have some folders
>> which get automated mails, up to 100 per hour, and it takes a
>> while to download the messages when I open the folders.
>> Usually I don't care about the bodies at all anyway.
>>
> ONLY the header?
I think you're right: a message body is downloaded via IMAP only
when the message is viewed, either in the message pane or in a
message window. Also, messages are stored locally only for those
folders that are selected for offline use (right-click folder,
select Properties, and see the Offline tab).
Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo
For me, I'll never be able to get a handle on this imap crap. I have
several aim.com accounts. I was using FreePops to access these accounts
like a pop3 account. Well, the aim.com part of FreePops stopped. About
a month later, they still hadn't updated the aim.com part, so I decided
to set up my aim accounts as imap ones. I tried the first three. One
of them had over 200 messages and each one had an attachment, and
downloaded about 100 megs worth of something. I assumed the messages
were being downloaded to my hard drive. But, when I selected all the
messages, and moved them to a folder in Local Folders, the messages were
downloaded again. Another 100 megs. This is where I don't understand
imap. Why would the messages be downloaded twice? Thats useless. On
the three accounts, with 100 megs each, that was nearly 600 megs of
downloads. I still had another 10 accounts to do, and they each had
around that much of messages. I gave up and switched over to web2pop.
Download it only once with them.
--
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Please do not email me for help. Reply to the newsgroup only. Thanks
Nir
> For me, I'll never be able to get a handle on this imap crap. I have
> several aim.com accounts. I was using FreePops to access these
> accounts like a pop3 account. Well, the aim.com part of FreePops
> stopped. About a month later, they still hadn't updated the aim.com
> part, so I decided to set up my aim accounts as imap ones. I tried
> the first three. One of them had over 200 messages and each one had
> an attachment, and downloaded about 100 megs worth of something. I
> assumed the messages were being downloaded to my hard drive. But,
> when I selected all the messages, and moved them to a folder in Local
> Folders, the messages were downloaded again. Another 100 megs.
> This is where I don't understand imap. Why would the messages be
> downloaded twice?
"An IMAP account normally only downloads headers to the hard disk when
checking for new mail. Your account would have an "Inbox.msf" file but
no "Inbox" file. When you read a message it is fetched from the server
unless its already cached in memory. If you want to maintain a local
synched copy of a remote folder use "Tools -> Account Settings ->
Offline & Disk space -> Offline -> Select folders for offline use". That
will store/update a copy of the selected remote folder as an mbox file,
which you can only see when working offline"
["http://kb.mozillazine.org/IMAP:_advanced_account_configuration"]
Brian Heinrich
If you don't have a local store set up, only headers should be downloaded.
In the Config Editor, make sure that
|user_pref("mail.imap.new_mail_get_headers", true);| and
|user_pref("mail.imap.mime_parts_on_demand", true);|.
/b.
--
People are stupid. /A/ person may be smart, but /people/ are stupid.
--Stephen M. Graham
Telmo Amaral
>> gNeandr wrote:
>>> On 15.02.2007 19:28 schrieb »Jon Drukman«
> For me, I'll never be able to get a handle on this imap crap.
> the first three. One of them had over 200 messages and each
> one had an attachment, and downloaded about 100 megs worth of
> something. I assumed the messages were being downloaded to my
> hard drive. But, when I selected all the messages, and moved
> them to a folder in Local Folders, the messages were downloaded
> again. Another 100 megs. This is where I don't understand
If the 200 messages were downloaded the first time, then the
corresponding folder was most probably selected for offline use,
and you're right: moving them to a local folder shouldn't have
implied a second download. Now, if somehow meanwhile the index
file for that folder (an .msf file, like that mentioned in Nir's
reply) got corrupted, that would explain the second download. I've
experienced this, for example after operating-system crashes that
happened to corrupt mail index files. It's very annoying. Now,
whether or not a corrupt index file should be reason enough for
Thunderbird to repeat the download of a full IMAP folder, that's
beyond my knowledge...
gNeandr
My understanding is, the OP has moved the msgs down to his PC/local
environment. There are two questions:
1. does he need or must he have the org-msgs on the IMAP server?
2. where he stores the 'local' representation of the msgs?
For me, with my IMAP accounts I don't want the msgs to download
automatically .. that's what IMAP bring in .. by nature!
Is see the msgs on the IMAP, that's fine and a lot of them are deleted
without reading, head-line is enough! Very often!
If I decide to have a local 'copy' of the msgs (and normally I don't
need the 'server' copy) I move that msgs from IMAP to 'Local Store' and
an appropriated sub-folder .. and everything is fine! If it's a big-one
I can download first .. so what?
Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo
> Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo wrote:
>> Telmo Amaral wrote:
>>> gNeandr wrote:
>>>> On 15.02.2007 19:28 schrieb »Jon Drukman«
> ...
>> For me, I'll never be able to get a handle on this imap crap.
>> ... I decided to set up my aim accounts as imap ones. I tried
>> the first three. One of them had over 200 messages and each
>> one had an attachment, and downloaded about 100 megs worth of
>> something. I assumed the messages were being downloaded to my
>> hard drive. But, when I selected all the messages, and moved
>> them to a folder in Local Folders, the messages were downloaded
>> again. Another 100 megs. This is where I don't understand
>> imap. Why would the messages be downloaded twice? ...
>
> If the 200 messages were downloaded the first time, then the
> corresponding folder was most probably selected for offline use, and
No, that setting was unchecked.
> you're right: moving them to a local folder shouldn't have implied a
> second download. Now, if somehow meanwhile the index file for that
> folder (an .msf file, like that mentioned in Nir's reply) got corrupted,
> that would explain the second download. I've experienced this, for
> example after operating-system crashes that happened to corrupt mail
> index files. It's very annoying. Now, whether or not a corrupt index
> file should be reason enough for Thunderbird to repeat the download of a
> full IMAP folder, that's beyond my knowledge...
I left all the settings as the default, and that is what happened.
Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo
> Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo wrote:
>
>> For me, I'll never be able to get a handle on this imap crap. I have
>> several aim.com accounts. I was using FreePops to access these
>> accounts like a pop3 account. Well, the aim.com part of FreePops
>> stopped. About a month later, they still hadn't updated the aim.com
>> part, so I decided to set up my aim accounts as imap ones. I tried
>> the first three. One of them had over 200 messages and each one had
>> an attachment, and downloaded about 100 megs worth of something. I
>> assumed the messages were being downloaded to my hard drive. But,
>> when I selected all the messages, and moved them to a folder in Local
>> Folders, the messages were downloaded again. Another 100 megs.
>> This is where I don't understand imap. Why would the messages be
>> downloaded twice?
> "An IMAP account normally only downloads headers to the hard disk when
> checking for new mail. Your account would have an "Inbox.msf" file but
> no "Inbox" file.
thats what I thought.
> When you read a message it is fetched from the server
> unless its already cached in memory. If you want to maintain a local
> synched copy of a remote folder use "Tools -> Account Settings ->
> Offline & Disk space -> Offline -> Select folders for offline use". That
> will store/update a copy of the selected remote folder as an mbox file,
> which you can only see when working offline"
>
no, that setting was unchecked.
> ["http://kb.mozillazine.org/IMAP:_advanced_account_configuration"]
I would click on the first account and open it up [expand it], the
messages were being downloaded. How do I know? Because the bytes
received in Zone Alarms was going like crazy. Then I would select all
and copy or moved them to a folder within Local Folders and the messages
were being downloaded again. Again as indicated by ZA. When it was
finished, I collapsed that account, and went to the next one, and the
same thing happened. This happened to the three accounts. I didn't
bother to set up the others.
I used all default settings and worked on one account at a time.
Brian Heinrich
<snip />
> I used all default settings and worked on one account at a time.
IMAP accounts normally don't create a local store; you have to tell the
client to do so, which will avoid the issue you experienced.
POP /v/ IMAP /v/ Web mail arguments are endless, and there are
(dis)advantages to each.
IMAP is most useful if you need to access your e-mail from multiple
locations or wish to access your e-mail from anywhere, either with an e-mail
client or through a Web interface. It can also serve as a good back-up to
your e-mail.
As an added bonus, because IMAP implies manipulating e-mail at the server
level, server-side filtering is an inherent part of IMAP.
YMMV depending on your e-mail needs.
Telmo Amaral
> Telmo Amaral wrote:
>> Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo wrote:
>>> Telmo Amaral wrote:
>>>> gNeandr wrote:
>>>>> On 15.02.2007 19:28 schrieb »Jon Drukman«
...
>> corresponding folder was most probably selected for offline
>> use, and
>
Hmm, here's another possible explanation, though it would need to
be confirmed by somebody who knows better how the junk filter
works. I think I've experienced more or less what you describe,
right after setting up a new IMAP account in Thunderbird: when I
clicked on those folders UNchecked for offline use, their headers
would be downloaded and then the full messages would be downloaded
as well (as attested by the progress info on the status bar). I
clicked 'Stop the current transfer', but the download would be
resumed when I clicked on the folders again. This would stop
happening if I turned off the adaptive junk-mail detection. So, my
hunch is that, as soon as the headers are fully downloaded and
being displayed, Thunderbird wants to download the bodies as well,
in order to train the junk filter and properly mark the messages.
However, the messages are being downloaded only for that training
purpose and being directly discarded - which explains why in your
case they were fully downloaded again when you decided to store
them locally...
Brian Heinrich
As far as I've ever been able to tell, what you're suggesting is accurate.
Telmo Amaral
Wait: I'm not so sure that these "unwanted" downloads were
actually resumed! You see, according to Mnenhy, in my folders
UNchecked for offline all the recent messages have an unknown junk
status (even though I have the adaptive filter enabled). So, this
might be the solution: when one of these mass downloads starts,
click ''Stop the current transfer" on the toolbar and hopefully it
won't happen again...
Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo
Ahhh, interesting. I checked my junk status and they were turned on.
So, maybe that might have been the reason everything was downloaded
twice. Oh well, I'm not using imap now. As I said, I went to web2pop
and I'm happy with that.
Nir
> I used all default settings and worked on one account at a time.
>
"Why would the messages be downloaded twice? " - thats because of basic
nature of IMAP account. to change it, "maintain a local
Nir
well, I'm able to reproduce your problem.
probable reason: when TB in online state , every message in IMAP will be
treated as server side content , even message bodys are locally stored.
probable solution: download all body of messages for offline use. now
file > offline > work offline.
now copy/move messages from IMAP folder.
Please note : reverse method doesn't have same effect in offline mode.
Chris Barnes
> POP /v/ IMAP /v/ Web mail arguments are endless, and there are
> (dis)advantages to each.
>
> IMAP is most useful if you need to access your e-mail from multiple
> locations or wish to access your e-mail from anywhere, either with an
> e-mail client or through a Web interface. It can also serve as a good
> back-up to your e-mail.
>
> As an added bonus, because IMAP implies manipulating e-mail at the
> server level, server-side filtering is an inherent part of IMAP.
>
> YMMV depending on your e-mail needs.
A very good synopsis.
My millage is such that I use IMAP (via ssl) for all my accounts.
But then again, I run my own mail server.... (fedora, postfix, & dovecot).
--
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Chris Barnes AOL IM: CNBarnes
ch...@txbarnes.com (also MSN IM) Yahoo IM: chrisnbarnes
Peter Potamus the Purple Hippo
Thanks. Next time when I have lots of bandwidth left, I'll test in
offline mode and see what happens.
DevilsPGD
<nir...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>probable reason: when TB in online state , every message in IMAP will be
>treated as server side content , even message bodys are locally stored.
IIRC, increasing TB's cache helped substantially with regards to
avoiding re-downloads within the same session.
--
Insert something clever here.
Brian Heinrich
> Brian Heinrich wrote:
>> POP /v/ IMAP /v/ Web mail arguments are endless, and there are
>> (dis)advantages to each.
>>
>> IMAP is most useful if you need to access your e-mail from multiple
>> locations or wish to access your e-mail from anywhere, either with an
>> e-mail client or through a Web interface. It can also serve as a good
>> back-up to your e-mail.
>>
>> As an added bonus, because IMAP implies manipulating e-mail at the
>> server level, server-side filtering is an inherent part of IMAP.
>>
>> YMMV depending on your e-mail needs.
>
> A very good synopsis.
>
> My millage is such that I use IMAP (via ssl) for all my accounts.
> But then again, I run my own mail server.... (fedora, postfix, & dovecot).
One of these days I'll break down and figure out how to set up my own local
mail server -- I have one account (that, really, doesn't need to be an IMAP
account, since it's primarily for mailing lists and the like) on which I'd
really like to run SpamAssassin.