Poll time: IMAP client-side default match (was: Imap split, does not work (of course))

[Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org>]

Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> But now I have to ask you: What did you mean to express by saying:
>
> (nnimap-split-methods
>  (("INBOX.toto" "")))

Oh, you meant that you wanted all the mail to be moved to INBOX.toto?
That's certainly reasonable, and, as you've found out, doesn't work.

And it's not documented why it doesn't work, because it not working is
experimental, and I forgot about it.

The issue is this: When using non-IMAP splitting, Gnus really needs to
have a "default split", or a catch-all rule at the end.  If it doesn't
exist, Gnus makes one.  Otherwise Gnus would have nowhere to put the
mail it pulls down from, say, POP3, and which matches no (other) rules,
and the mail would be lost.

On IMAP, on the other hand, Gnus can just leave the mail in INBOX, and
no harm would be done.  (And I think that's what IMAP users expect.)

So the problem is: If you have a split that you're using both for POP3
and IMAP, then POP3 one needs a default split, while the IMAP shouldn't
have one.

Gnus deals with this by special-casing the IMAP case.  It simply ignores
"" (catch-all) rules.

We could deal with this by:

1) Just document that IMAP client-side splits ignores the catch-all
rule.

2) Something else.  Ideas are welcome.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen