confused about message downloading and sychronization
I'm new to TB- in the past I have always used a simple web interface. My server is on an IMAP server (Dreamhost)
I've read the "Configuration Options for Downloading Messages" page, but either don't understand it or it doesn't give enough details.
I want to download all my messages stored on my server to my laptop- not just the headers. I'd like to preserve the existing folder configuration that I have on my server. I don't want TB to ever delete any message unless I specifically tell it do so, preferably with confirmation.
My goal is to download all my currently stored messsages and folders, then once I know they are safe on my harddrive I will selectively delete many of them from the server.
I'm not understanding how to make TB do that. It seems it is only downloading headers and I can't see how to make it download the entire message. Also, I don't quite want what I think it considers sychronization- if I delete a message on the server I don't necessarily want TB to delete that message locally. How else could I archive my messages locally?
in other words, I want all my messages to be stored locally, and only some of them left on the server.
For instance, I place three emails into a folder on my server. I quit that connection, then invoke Icedove on my laptop. If I click on that folder it then retrieves and displays those three emails (or just the headers?).
If I then quit Icedove and return to my web based email and remove those three emails from the server, I expect those three emails to stay on my local machine. Yet when I invoke Icedove again, it sees that the three emails are gone from the server and subsequently removes them from display....
So, does this mean that the messages were never actually retrieved locally? Or is Icedove removing the local copies in order to synchronize with the server?
Here are the settings I am using:
under "Copies & Folders" -> keep message archives in: "Archives folder on": Local Folders"
under "Synchronization & Storage" ->"Message Synchronizing" -> keep messages for this account on this machine. I have all the folders checked under "Advanced"
under "Disk Space" -> Synchronize all messages regardless of age. And "Don't delete any messages". It doesn't give me an option to not use synchronization.
Thanks if you can help, Keith
Chosen solution
Matt- thanks so much!
Your info really helped. This is what worked for me:
Rigth-click on Local Folders, then create local folders to match those on server.
While online, select server folder, ctrl-A to select all messges, right-click for pull-down menu for "copy to", then copy to desired local folder.
After I did that, I also went through selected server folders, ctrl-A to select all, then clicked "Archive", which moved the mail off the server into the Archive, sorted by year date. This was scary at first, because I didn't realize they wouldn't display until after Icedove was restarted! Very un-Linux like, but I guess not uncommon in the Windows world.
So I wound up with two copies of most of my mail- one in a local folder and one in the Archives. Which is fine for the few MB of messages I have.
I will mark this thread as solved.
Thanks again! Keith Ostertag
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Also, I should have said- I am using Icedove (on Debian/Linux) and I assume it is identical in functionality and features to Thunderbird.
Ok, IMAP is totally synchronized, Thunderbird/IceDove defaults to full synchronization (or it did for me) The simple pointer is make folders available for offline use. Forget the terminology. So if you go File > offline > work offline and then click on mails they will just display.
Selectively deleting mail either in Thunderbird on on the server will reflect in the other. That is how IMAP works. If you are wanting a separate non synchronized store, one of the easiest and quickest ways is to go offline and use the import export tools https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/ to export the entire account to MBOX file with structure.... then reimport the same files to local folders. This will break the link to the IMAP server and make stand alone copies of the account contents.
Thank you Matt!
As I'm unfamiliar with how these things work, I've gotten halfway then stuck again...
I downloaded the importexporttools addon as you suggested, and it appears I've been able to create a local copy of all my folders. Actually, I've done it several ways, so I have different types of formats accidentally created-
keith@t520:~/mail_archive$ ls -ahl
total 1.3M
drwxr-xr-x 4 keith keith 4.0K Mar 8 10:48 .
drwxrwxrwx 92 keith keith 20K Mar 8 10:28 ..
-rw------- 1 keith keith 1.2M Mar 8 10:30 Inbox
drwx------ 2 keith keith 4.0K Mar 8 10:30 Inbox.sbd
drwxr-xr-x 5 keith keith 4.0K Mar 8 10:48 jrdo5svz.default-20140308-1048
All my folders from the server are subfolders of Inbox. The "Inbox.sbd" seems to have all my subfolders, and reports sizes, so I think the messages are all in there. But I don't know how to check that.
I don't know how to access them. And I don't know what you mean by "then reimport the same files to local folders".
I am unfamiliar with MBOX terminology and structure. Which of the above are MBOX files? If any.
I've tried, while "offline", using several of the "import" commands, but no joy. I've tried File > Open Saved Messages, and several of the "import" commands from the Tools>ImportExportTools> menu with no luck.
Could you explain a little more?
Thanks, Keith Ostertag
Keith, Checking your mail is available for you to read while offline is the easiest way to tell if you have a full offline synchronization of your mail. That is the extent of it in this context.
The 1.2M inbox file will be an MBOX file,
In Thunderbird use the view menu (Alt +V) to ensure that folders is set to all. In the list to the left you will now (if not before) see "Local Folders" with it's inbox send etc. This is not part of your IMAP account and mail located there is not affected by IMAP synchronization. As a matter of fact moving mail there deletes it from the IMAP server, copying does not.
Having seen the size of your mail (I assume 1.2M is indicative) there is no need for the import export tools (sorry) just select all all the contents of a folder (Ctrl + A) and right click and select copy to and choose a location under Local folders (You can create your own folders there beforehand.)
Now my change of heart re Import/Export. Copying and moving masses of mails in an IMAP situation can cause the synchronization to basically loose the plot. But a couple of Thousand mails should not be sufficient to cause an issue. The import export tools is a work around where the mail leaves Thunderbird and returns to the new location without synchronization.
Chosen Solution
Matt- thanks so much!
Your info really helped. This is what worked for me:
Rigth-click on Local Folders, then create local folders to match those on server.
While online, select server folder, ctrl-A to select all messges, right-click for pull-down menu for "copy to", then copy to desired local folder.
After I did that, I also went through selected server folders, ctrl-A to select all, then clicked "Archive", which moved the mail off the server into the Archive, sorted by year date. This was scary at first, because I didn't realize they wouldn't display until after Icedove was restarted! Very un-Linux like, but I guess not uncommon in the Windows world.
So I wound up with two copies of most of my mail- one in a local folder and one in the Archives. Which is fine for the few MB of messages I have.
I will mark this thread as solved.
Thanks again! Keith Ostertag