Outlook Express and IMAP folders

[Aleksandar Milivojevic]

Marc G. Fournier wrote:
> 
> G'day ..
> 
>   Just setup Outlook Express w/ IMAP on the remote mail server, and 
> whenever we send out an email, I get an error to the effect of:
> 
> "Some of hte messages in your Outbox Folder could not be copied to your 
> Sent Items Folder.  Your message could not be uploaded to the IMAP server"
> 
>   I've checked the server side itself, and the sent-mail folder does 
> exist ... and we're running alot of Eudora instances without similar 
> problems, so figure there must be somethign I'm missing for OE ...

In Outlook Express, folder for storing sent email is hard coded as top 
level folder "Sent Items".  User can not change it.  Since in Cyrus 
INBOX is the only top level folder user can have (default configuration, 
but read on), Outlook Express can't create it.  Outlook is even worse 
(but at least there's an workaround that can be done on the client side 
in case of Outlook, no such luck with Outlook Express).

Workaround for Outlook Express is to use "altnamespace: 1" in 
imapd.conf.  When this option is used, Cyrus will present folders under 
INBOX as top level folders to IMAP client.  This will, of course, affect 
all other IMAP clients *and* Sieve scripts.  If your users already have 
some Sieve scripts in place, do not use this option.  You will break all 
the scripts.  Changing it can also break filters in email clients (if 
some of your users created them).

For example, if user has rule "save all messages from ma and pa to 
"INBOX.ma-and-pa" (either in Sieve or in email client), and you change 
the setting of altnamespace, filters will simply stop working. 
"INBOX.ma-and-pa" will sudenly become "ma-and-pa".  In some cases, this 
might even result in lost email (if the filter scripts are really badly 
written).

So before you simply turn it on, think about it.  Or you may get (very) 
angry calls.

Another side-effect of using altnamespace is that you will no longer be 
able to make subfolders of INBOX.  If IMAP client attempts to create 
"INBOX.foobar", it will be presented back as "foobar" to IMAP client.

Read discussion of altnamespace option in imapd.conf man page for more 
details.

If it is an option for you, I would suggest scrapping Outlook Express 
and/or Outlook and start using some other decent email client.  There 
are many around.

-- 
Aleksandar Milivojevic <amilivojevic at pbl.ca>    Pollard Banknote Limited
Systems Administrator                           1499 Buffalo Place
Tel: (204) 474-2323 ext 276                     Winnipeg, MB  R3T 1L7
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