GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 579065
Automatically synchronize remote mail locally is not working
Last modified: 2009-10-01 07:01:39 UTC
Please describe the problem: When selecting "Automatically synchronize remote mail locally" in the IMAP account settings, it has no effect and does not automatically synchronize remote mail locally. As a consequence, search applications like Beagle are not able to index emails unless each folder is marked separately in its properties. There is also no option to mark all or a group of folders to change that particular property, which could be a valid work-around when considering accounts with hundreds of folders. Steps to reproduce: 1. Edit the preferences of an IMAP account 2. Set "Automatically synchronize remote mail locally" checkbox to selected 3. Select File -> Download messages for offline use or "Work Offline". Actual results: Only the folders marked explicitly in its properties with "Copy folder content locally for offline operation" get synchronized, as it already is done when "Automatically synchronize remote mail locally" is not checked in the IMAP account preferences. Expected results: All folders in the IMAP account should be synchronized, whether they have "Copy folder content locally for offline operation" set in the folder properties or not. Does this happen every time? Yes. Other information: It has been discussed in Bug 549573 but disregarded since it is a separate issue, therefore I am posting it as a separate bug.
Confirming on 2.26.1.1
This bug is present from, at least, evolution 2.22.3.1 as you can read from my post made on launchpad https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/evolution/+bug/331478 A possible workaround to this bug is, when the connection is still active, to go to off-line mode, then at this point evolution asks to you if you want to sync all your folders (I think this option should be only useful if you haven't the option "automatically synchronize remote mail locally" set), and you have to reply "sync". The problem about this workaround is that I have realized that many emails synced (downloaded) in the past, as sayd before, aren't anymore readable (evolution says that it's not possible to recover the email). After some tests (always with evolution 2.22.3.1), I have discovered that the emails downloaded (as I did a "manually" sync) disappear in the filesystem. In fact in my Ubuntu folders, in the filesystem, after the syncing I had over 1030 mails but some days after I only had about 500 emails (but in Evolution I could still read over 1030 emails), so this is why may emails cannot be recovered (that is because Evolution cannot find them in filesystems so it has to download them again).
*** Bug 588044 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Still present in 2.27.2.
Created commit 1fd7afd in eds master (2.27.4+) There was a typo in the property name used in an account setup. ("offline_sync" should be "sync_offline".) Just re-setup your account and it should start to work (maybe next start, might be other bug, though).
I am using 2.27.4.1 but this bug still exists there.
At this point I think the bug should be re-opened for additional debug.
(In reply to comment #6) > I am using 2.27.4.1 but this bug still exists there. Did you setup your IMAP account again? It's enough to check/uncheck the "Automatically synchronize remote mail locally" in account preferences. Please check whether the account in /apps/evolution/mail/accounts contains "offline_sync" or "sync_offline". You can do that with this, for example: (a) gconftool-2 --get /apps/evolution/mail/accounts | grep sync_offline (b) gconftool-2 --get /apps/evolution/mail/accounts | grep offline_sync The (a) should show all accounts where you've this optin checked. The (b) show result in empty string. If it returns something, then please re-setup that account. Also, the 2.27.4.1 is an Evolution version, I suppose. Please ensure you've 2.27.4 evolution-data-server, as the change was done there. Thanks.
I get account details in both conditions as I have both sync_offline and offline_sync in config. Initially when I started evolution after upgrading to 2.27.4, Synchronize remote mail locally option for my account was disabled(which I had enabled previously). I enabled this option again and then tried to go offline and selected synchronize when asked. So do I have to remove and add account again? Or I can tweak the settings of existing account so that it start working for offline? I have following packages. evolution-data-server-lang-2.27.4-6.2 evolution-sharp-debuginfo-0.21.1-17.32 evolution-data-server-devel-2.27.4-6.2 evolution-sharp-0.21.1-17.32 evolution-data-server-2.27.4-6.2 evolution-lang-2.27.4.1-6.2 evolution-2.27.4.1-6.2 evolution-debuginfo-2.27.4.1-6.2 evolution-devel-2.27.4.1-6.2 evolution-data-server-debuginfo-2.27.4-6.2
(In reply to comment #9) > I get account details in both conditions as I have both sync_offline and > offline_sync in config. Initially when I started evolution after upgrading to > 2.27.4, Synchronize remote mail locally option for my account was > disabled(which I had enabled previously). That's correct, as I tested it, it's enough to change state of the option and confirm the change (clicking OK in the account editor window). As you did. So far so good. > I enabled this option again and then tried to go offline and selected > synchronize when asked. Hmm, I do not recall being asked for synchronization. Anyway, the way how this works is that any new message you receive in the account is after initial fetch fetched completely from the server, thus when you go offline later it's ready for use. It should work that way at least, and it seemed with my quick tests. > So do I have to remove and add account again? Or I can tweak the settings of > existing account so that it start working for offline? I believe you've it setup correctly. > I have following packages. Packages seem fine, based on the version and the behaviour you described above. > I wonder, what do you expect to happen with this option, when you go offline, and what is it doing now?
Currently I have all mail summary. When I go offline, it asks to synchronize which synchronize each folder and download full mails so I can access them offline. Currently it does ask me for going offline but doesn't download mails for offline even after selecting synchronize. So I can't access those mails when I'm offline as there will be only summary downloaded not the full mail. If it keeps downloading mails in background(which doesn't happen I think) then it might be fine. But it still has same flow of synchronizing if button clicked to get all old mails downloaded( I understand that after enabling this option, new mails will be downloaded ) so I can access all mails offline. I hope this is not confusing. J
What I did is that I checked on my IMAP account "Automatically synchronize remote mail locally", then I confirmed the change and restarted evolution. I'm pretty sure you did the same. Then I waited to see new messages in evolution, but I did look at them, instead I went to offline mode, replying to the synchronize question to synchronize mails. It started to download all pending messages from one folder which I don't have marked for offline use (in folder preferences). This folder received new messages. I believe (and hope) that this works fine as long as you go in sync with offline, then it fetches only pending messages, thus should be (usually) quick operation. Try to do File->Download messages for offline usage, which should download in all pending folders in accounts configured for this. And then let's see.
Milan, could this be affected by the option selected for 'download IMAP headers'? The one letting you choose: fewest, basic "no mailing list filters", full headers. It's in IMAP headers tab of the account editor for accounts using IMAP. Ruchir could you also try this? Select "full headers".
(In reply to comment #12) > What I did is that I checked on my IMAP account "Automatically synchronize > remote mail locally", then I confirmed the change and restarted evolution. I'm > pretty sure you did the same. Then I waited to see new messages in evolution, > but I did look at them, instead I went to offline mode, replying to the > synchronize question to synchronize mails. It started to download all pending > messages from one folder which I don't have marked for offline use (in folder > preferences). This folder received new messages. > > I believe (and hope) that this works fine as long as you go in sync with > offline, then it fetches only pending messages, thus should be (usually) quick > operation. Try to do File->Download messages for offline usage, which should > download in all pending folders in accounts configured for this. And then let's > see. > Yes I started downloading pending mails with File->Download messages for offline usage. (In reply to comment #13) > Milan, could this be affected by the option selected for 'download IMAP > headers'? The one letting you choose: fewest, basic "no mailing list filters", > full headers. > It's in IMAP headers tab of the account editor for accounts using IMAP. > > Ruchir could you also try this? Select "full headers". > I enabled this option but what to expect after this change?
(In reply to comment #13) > Milan, could this be affected by the option selected for 'download IMAP > headers'? The one letting you choose: fewest, basic "no mailing list filters", > full headers. I doubt it. I have there "Basic headers (default)" and it works. The code seems to work as this: When new messages are recognized, then as soon as IMAP provider notifies about them they are downloaded fully, regardless of any other option.
Is the bug still present? It's some months that there haven't been any posted comments about this issue.
Unfortunately I can't test it because of bug #596829.