STATUS on a NoSelect mailbox

We've always gone on the assumption that you should be able
to ask for STATUS on any mailbox returned in a LIST
response.  The new Gmail IMAP implementation doesn't seem to
play that way -- they have a base NoSelect mailbox that's
returned from LIST but that returns NO on STATUS:

   A3 LIST "" "*"
   * LIST () "/" "INBOX"
   * LIST () "/" "Trash"
   * LIST (Noselect) "/" "[Gmail]"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/All Mail"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Drafts"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Spam"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Starred"
   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Trash"
   A3 OK Success 

   A6 STATUS [Gmail] (UIDVALIDITY)
   A6 NO Invalid folder: [Gmail] (Failure)

Is this acceptable server behavior?
_______________________________________________
Imap-protocol mailing list
Imap-protocolu.washington.edu
https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listin
fo/imap-protocol

UW imapd has always returned NO if you attempt a STATUS
command on a 
NoSelect name.  Thus, I consider such behavior acceptable
and correct.

The idea of "NoSelect mailbox" is the problem;
that's an oxymoron. 
IMHO, a mailbox, by definition, does not have NoSelect
associated with 
its name.

Following that reasoning, LIST does not return mailboxes,
but instead 
returns names; and that the names that do not have NoSelect
are 
mailboxes.

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007, Dan Karp wrote:
> We've always gone on the assumption that you should be
able to ask for 
> STATUS on any mailbox returned in a LIST response.  The
new Gmail IMAP 
> implementation doesn't seem to play that way -- they
have a base 
> NoSelect mailbox that's returned from LIST but that
returns NO on 
> STATUS:
>
>   A3 LIST "" "*"
>   * LIST () "/" "INBOX"
>   * LIST () "/" "Trash"
>   * LIST (Noselect) "/" "[Gmail]"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/All Mail"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Drafts"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Sent
Mail"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Spam"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Starred"
>   * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Trash"
>   A3 OK Success
>
>   A6 STATUS [Gmail] (UIDVALIDITY)
>   A6 NO Invalid folder: [Gmail] (Failure)
>
> Is this acceptable server behavior?

-- 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.
_______________________________________________
Imap-protocol mailing list
Imap-protocolu.washington.edu
https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listin
fo/imap-protocol

On Wed Oct 24 13:34:05 2007, Dan Karp wrote:
> We've always gone on the assumption that you should be
able to ask  
> for STATUS on any mailbox returned in a LIST response. 
The new  
> Gmail IMAP implementation doesn't seem to play that way
-- they  
> have a base NoSelect mailbox that's returned from LIST
but that  
> returns NO on STATUS:
> 
> 
I'm in agreement with Mark, but I would point out that in
this case,  
GMail is behaving badly:


>    A3 LIST "" "*"
>    * LIST () "/" "INBOX"
>    * LIST () "/" "Trash"
>    * LIST (Noselect) "/"
"[Gmail]"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/All
Mail"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Drafts"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Sent
Mail"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Spam"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Starred"
>    * LIST () "/" "[Gmail]/Trash"
>    A3 OK Success 
> 
That [Gmail] heirarchy point shouldn't be listed here - as
Mark says,  
it's not a mailbox, therefore shouldn't match.

It should be returned for LIST "" "%",
but not LIST "" "*".

Dave.
-- 
Dave Cridland - mailto:davecridland.net - xmpp:dwdjabber.org
  -
acap://acap.dave.cridland.net/byowner/user/dwd/bookmarks/
  - http://dave.cridland.net/
Infotrope Polymer - ACAP, IMAP, ESMTP, and Lemonade
_______________________________________________
Imap-protocol mailing list
Imap-protocolu.washington.edu
https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listin
fo/imap-protocol

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007, Dave Cridland wrote:
> That [Gmail] heirarchy point shouldn't be listed here -
as Mark says, it's 
> not a mailbox, therefore shouldn't match.
>
> It should be returned for LIST ""
"%", but not LIST "" "*".

I disagree.  It depends upon the semantics of the underlying
mail store.

In some mail stores, such as Cyrus, there is no such
physical object as a 
"directory" (which is typically what a NoSelect
name is); that is, a 
bucket that holds mailboxes and other directories.  In
others, such as the 
ones typically exported by UW, there is such a physical
object.

IMAP does NOT, repeat NOT!! dictate the semantics of the
server's mail 
store; rather, it provides a means to export the mail
store's semantics.

-- 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.
_______________________________________________
Imap-protocol mailing list
Imap-protocolu.washington.edu
https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listin
fo/imap-protocol