Discussion:
Per-folder (per-mailbox) message expiration with control from client side — is it possible?
Lev Serebryakov
2014-09-14 20:41:37 UTC
Permalink
I'm migrating from ?old skool? solution with one mail client (MUA) on
one computer, which retrieves mail via POP3, sorts it and manages it
locally to installation when there are several MUAs on different
devices, accessing mail via IMAP4, and all sorting and management
should be server-side.

Sorting is ?easy?: sieve. Here are some nuisance (like, if I want to
rename folder/mailbox I need to edit script manually. BTW, it looks
like that such thing could be done automagically, as language is very
simple and find all references to mailboxes is not too hard task), but
it works.

But is here good solution for expiration? I have abut 50 folders
(mailboxes) and rules are very different for them. They are mostly
time-based (like "last 30 days"), but some folders are count-limited
("last 2000 messages") and some folders should have time limit but
non-read messages could not be deleted at all.

Ok, Thunderbird almost could do it (it doesn't have ?don't remove
unread messages? option), but I don't want to have any meaningful
configuration in MUAs, as each of it could be non-active for long time.

Only thing I could find about expiration in dovecot documentation is
"doveadm expunge" and helper "Expire" plugin, but it looks like very
low-level solution for admins, it could not be managed from client
side without direct ssh access to server and it is, in general, very
inconvenient.

Is here any better solution, maybe, 3rd party one?

- --
// Black Lion AKA Lev Serebryakov
Robert Schetterer
2014-09-15 07:26:40 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lev Serebryakov
I'm migrating from ?old skool? solution with one mail client (MUA) on
one computer, which retrieves mail via POP3, sorts it and manages it
locally to installation when there are several MUAs on different
devices, accessing mail via IMAP4, and all sorting and management
should be server-side.
Sorting is ?easy?: sieve. Here are some nuisance (like, if I want to
rename folder/mailbox I need to edit script manually. BTW, it looks
like that such thing could be done automagically, as language is very
simple and find all references to mailboxes is not too hard task), but
it works.
But is here good solution for expiration? I have abut 50 folders
(mailboxes) and rules are very different for them. They are mostly
time-based (like "last 30 days"), but some folders are count-limited
("last 2000 messages") and some folders should have time limit but
non-read messages could not be deleted at all.
Ok, Thunderbird almost could do it (it doesn't have ?don't remove
unread messages? option), but I don't want to have any meaningful
configuration in MUAs, as each of it could be non-active for long time.
Only thing I could find about expiration in dovecot documentation is
"doveadm expunge" and helper "Expire" plugin, but it looks like very
low-level solution for admins, it could not be managed from client
side without direct ssh access to server and it is, in general, very
inconvenient.
Is here any better solution, maybe, 3rd party one?
i am not sure what exact you searching for
if youre on linux try look here

http://www.athensfbc.com/imap_tools/details.html
http://imapsync.lamiral.info/

thunderbird also has plugins like

https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/addon/awesome-auto-archive/

however i would prefer doveadm expunge via ssh or cron etc

you might also try external sieve plugin to execute doveadm expunge etc
via some parameter perhaps as global rule
Best Regards
MfG Robert Schetterer
--
[*] sys4 AG

http://sys4.de, +49 (89) 30 90 46 64
Franziskanerstra?e 15, 81669 M?nchen

Sitz der Gesellschaft: M?nchen, Amtsgericht M?nchen: HRB 199263
Vorstand: Patrick Ben Koetter, Marc Schiffbauer
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender: Florian Kirstein
Lev Serebryakov
2014-09-15 09:50:25 UTC
Permalink
i am not sure what exact you searching for if youre on linux try
look here
http://www.athensfbc.com/imap_tools/details.html
It looks like good toolset, but not solution,
http://imapsync.lamiral.info/
thunderbird also has plugins like
https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/addon/awesome-auto-archive/
I'm searching for solution like this, but running on server (from
cron, by example) but I want configure it from client, like I
configure sieve from Thunderbird. Best solution will be to translate
Thunderbird native settings to some server solution, as typing long
folder (mailbox) names by hands (and I have hierarchy with depth of
5!) is error-prone, so it is better to have GUI for configuration
which shows real folders (mailboxes). It is place where I prefer
clicking to typing.
however i would prefer doveadm expunge via ssh or cron etc
It is solution too, but see part about configuration.

- --
Black Lion AKA Lev Serebryakov
Robert Schetterer
2014-09-15 10:08:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lev Serebryakov
i am not sure what exact you searching for if youre on linux try
look here
http://www.athensfbc.com/imap_tools/details.html
It looks like good toolset, but not solution,
http://imapsync.lamiral.info/
thunderbird also has plugins like
https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/addon/awesome-auto-archive/
I'm searching for solution like this, but running on server (from
cron, by example) but I want configure it from client, like I
configure sieve from Thunderbird.
like this

https://github.com/thsmi/sieve/blob/master/nightly/README.md
https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/addon/sieve ?

Best solution will be to translate
Post by Lev Serebryakov
Thunderbird native settings to some server solution,
you mean some auto translation from thunderbird "local" filter rules to
server sieve rules ?


some other TB filter stuff is here

https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/search/?q=filter&appver=&platform=


as typing long
Post by Lev Serebryakov
folder (mailbox) names by hands (and I have hierarchy with depth of
5!) is error-prone, so it is better to have GUI for configuration
which shows real folders (mailboxes). It is place where I prefer
clicking to typing.
roundcube , horde-ingo has online gui sieve editors
Post by Lev Serebryakov
however i would prefer doveadm expunge via ssh or cron etc
It is solution too, but see part about configuration.
you may look too at

http://linux.die.net/man/5/imapfilter_config
i am not sure that an "exact" solution exists to what you ask for, guess
you have to to find a workaround practice or code something by your own


Best Regards
MfG Robert Schetterer
--
[*] sys4 AG

http://sys4.de, +49 (89) 30 90 46 64
Franziskanerstra?e 15, 81669 M?nchen

Sitz der Gesellschaft: M?nchen, Amtsgericht M?nchen: HRB 199263
Vorstand: Patrick Ben Koetter, Marc Schiffbauer
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender: Florian Kirstein
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