MBOX-Line: From mrc+uw at Panda.COM  Tue Dec 29 12:44:18 2009
To: imap-protocol@u.washington.edu
From: Mark Crispin <mrc+uw@Panda.COM>
Date: Fri Jun  8 12:34:43 2018
Subject: [Imap-protocol] Childless noselect mailboxes
In-Reply-To: <1262114250.26478.864.camel@timo-desktop>
References: <1262106049.26478.745.camel@timo-desktop>
	<alpine.OSX.2.00.0912290938230.18442@hsinghsing.panda.com>
	<1262111858.26478.842.camel@timo-desktop>
	<alpine.OSX.2.00.0912291042070.18442@hsinghsing.panda.com>
	<1262114250.26478.864.camel@timo-desktop>
Message-ID: <alpine.OSX.2.00.0912291237311.18442@hsinghsing.panda.com>

On Tue, 29 Dec 2009, Timo Sirainen wrote:
>> [1] "tag CREATE foo/"
> Same as "CREATE foo".
>> [2] "tag DELETE foo" where foo is selectable and has a child?
> Leave foo as \Noselect, don't delete children.
>> [3] "tag DELETE foo/bar" where foo is \NoSelect and bar is the only
>> child?
> Delete both foo/bar and foo.

These behaviors are all fine.  In fact, this is how my new server behaves.

> I think my main question is: When server supports dual-use mailboxes, is
> it a good idea for it to not support creation of \Noselect mailboxes
> with "CREATE foo/"? If the server was internally capable of either
> creating it as \Noselect or selectable, which one would be better?

If "CREATE foo/" creates a selectable mailbox, I think that a client would 
be surprised if \NoSelect mailboxes without children appear.

> 1) Technically it's more featureful to create it as \Noselect.

I don't think that it's a matter of featurefulness or otherwise.  I think 
that it's a matter of whether or not the server has such a thing as 
directories (\NoSelect mailboxes which can be empty) as opposed to a flat 
namespace that has these funny so-called "hierarchy delimiters" in it.

I think that the worst possible thing would be to create a third 
situation, which is a server which has directories but doesn't create them 
with the explicit "create directory" command ("CREATE foo/").  However, 
that is just my opinion.  The IMAP specification permits it.

> 2) Users seem to be confused by \Noselect mailboxes.

Correction: crappy clients display \NoSelect mailboxes in a confusing way.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

