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Gmail Labs Adds Advanced IMAP Controls
Posted by Gina Trapani at 10:51 AM on October 10, 2008
Google adds another opt-in feature to its roster of Gmail Labs experiments: Advanced IMAP Controls, a way to selectively decided which of your Gmail labels are available to your IMAP client plus other tweaks. With the new feature enabled, go to the Labels tab under your Gmail account's Settings area to select and de-select "Show in IMAP" on a per-label basis. Google describes a few other "obscure" IMAP features you can configure, as well.
The IMAP protocol allows messages to be marked for deletion, a sort of limbo state where a message is still present in the folder but slated to be deleted the next time the folder is expunged. In our standard IMAP implementation, when you mark a message as deleted, Gmail doesn't let it linger in that state — it deletes (or auto-expunges) it from the folder right away. If you want the two-stage delete process, after you've enabled this Lab, just select 'Do not automatically expunge messages' under the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab in Settings.
Similarly, most IMAP systems don't share Gmail's concept of archiving messages (sending messages to the [Gmail]/All Mail folder rather than [Gmail]/Trash). If you'd prefer that deleted messages not remaining in any other visible IMAP folders are sent to [Gmail]/Trash instead, Advanced IMAP Controls lets you set your preferences this way. In the 'IMAP Access:' section of the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab, find the 'When a message is deleted from the last visible IMAP folder:' option. Select 'Move the message to the Gmail Trash.' If you want to take it one step further, you can select 'Immediately delete the message forever.'
Enable advanced IMAP controls in the Labs area; click the beaker on the top right bar inside your Gmail account to get there.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
bachya
Posted 1:05 PM 10/10/08
UGGGHHHH, whatever, man. When mobile platforms (or whatever) can design an interface that's comparable to Gmail, then IMAP from Gmail makes sense. Until then, does everyone agree that any Gmail-to-other-platform conversion is kind of a let down?
(does that make any sense?)
bachya
MyTQuinn
Posted 1:33 PM 10/10/08
Getting the delete/archive functionality straightened out is something I'll appreciate on my Blackberry, but due to limitations of the Blackberry client, the rest of it is something I see little use for.
MyTQuinn
caedus
Posted 1:31 PM 10/10/08
@bachya: what are you talking about? I have my google apps on my blackberry, my mac desktop, my mac laptop (both imap) with no problems whatsoever. I used to run it with outlook and thunderbird before i ditched them
caedus
dequeued
Posted 1:54 PM 10/10/08
While I am glad they did this, most imap clients will let you "locally unsubscribe" to server side folders.
It is really annoying on clients that can't or aren't configured though, because usually email is counted twice, once in your "all mail" folder, and once in your inbox.
dequeued
kg4dni
Posted 2:08 PM 10/10/08
@caedus: how do you your labels stay the same?
kg4dni
crayak
Posted 2:53 PM 10/10/08
@bachya:
I think I know exactly what you're talking about. I like Gmail because of its interface, functionality, and ease of use. Using other e-mail apps just makes me want to go back to Gmail its not the same experience. I'd love to see a stand alone Gmail application, or something that mimics the Gmail interface.
crayak
bver100
Posted 3:34 PM 10/10/08
Oh wow, sorry, was looking on the google labs page, not gmail labs
For future people like me: [mail.google.com]
bver100
bver100
Posted 3:33 PM 10/10/08
Is anyone having problems finding the actual project link? I see the gmail blog references it, and lh also, but i can't find the "Advanced imap" link on the labs page!
bver100
louisd
Posted 6:14 PM 10/10/08
Beautiful, no more "all mail" doubling up all the attachments already stored in all the other folders in Mail.app
louisd
Jai
Posted 7:42 PM 10/10/08
Yet another feature brought out into labs yet they STILL haven't fixed the Google Apps support for GMail Labs. Google seriously needs to get its priorities straight.
Jai
jaduncan
Posted 8:14 PM 10/10/08
@Jai: Google Apps can run labs. I know, I do it.
jaduncan
jackhynes
Posted 11:18 PM 10/10/08
I'm still waiting for IMAP import. They managed POP import a while ago, now if I could only get my university mail into my Gmail inbox.
jackhynes
xxdesmus
Posted 11:11 PM 10/10/08
very handy stuff :)
xxdesmus
caedus
Posted 11:30 PM 10/10/08
@jaduncan: me too
caedus
BorisTheBrave
Posted 11:25 PM 10/10/08
@jackhynes: I just load both IMAPs into Thunderbird and drag and drop from on to the other. Not that that helps on a continuous basis, but it is the easiest way to import/export stuff.
BorisTheBrave
155
Posted 11:52 PM 10/10/08
I wish they would fix gmail so that when I read something on my blackberry, it will be marked as read in my gmail account. That's the biggest drawback to gmail. Other mail services don't do that.
Backya, I disagree about the interface and the merits of imap. I want to be notified instantly. I don't wanna have to login to some website on my mobile device everytime I need to check my mail. It is way too tedious.
155
thelouisguy
Posted 11:51 PM 10/10/08
If this feature could be expanded to the web interface, that would be great! I would like to have "hidden" labels; labels that would not show up in my labels sidebar. The labels I am de-selecting from IMAP are the labels I would like to remove from view since they are either old or just for categorization purposes, not for day-to-day labeling.
thelouisguy
lencurrie
Posted 11:43 PM 10/10/08
@lencurrie:
I guess I should add that I do wish there were an easy way to 'archive' the new email arriving in my inbox now that I don't have the 'all mail' folder.
lencurrie
lencurrie
Posted 11:42 PM 10/10/08
Awesome idea.. oddly enough I was just thinking the other day that it would be handy to not have all the IMAP folders in my outlook.. and here they introduce the labs features that enables that. Very handy indeed.
lencurrie
sw4383
Posted 12:21 AM 11/10/08
@kg4dni:
I think he is using the Gmail app on his Blackberry, which isn't true push e-mail. It checks the server every 15 minutes. For some, this is plenty. (non-business users, those that see e-mail as a tool at its best and a distraction at its worst)
I personally don't like maintaining two sets of contacts on my Berry for e-mail and phone or I would use that solution.
sw4383
CJ
Posted 12:17 AM 11/10/08
@155: I think it may be your IMAP client which has the problem, as I use SnapperMail on my Tungsten without any issues. I read a message, and it is marked read in Gmail.
Yes, I'm using a Palm device instead of the Blackberry. Company cutbacks hurt. This one still smarts.
CJ
leafsfan81
Posted 12:28 AM 11/10/08
@155:
There is a delay with BIS & BES on IMAP'ed Gmail. At times it can be instant, or it could take up to 10-15 minutes to get a message. I've seen it in the forums all across the way. I really don't think that there is much RIM or your Wireless Provider can do to help you.
I understand your argument about needing / wanting to be notified of an e-mail the instant you get it. Those that are in the work force (running a small business, in sales, or provide tech support after hours) need that sort of thing. Besides, the mail client on the Blackberry is just too damn smooth (read: simple) to need or want to install another application on the device. Unless, of course, it is a Gmail app and it offers true push e-mail much in the same fashion as the service you get with BIS & BES.
leafsfan81
leafsfan81
Posted 12:23 AM 11/10/08
@caedus:
Me three - but there isn't anything truly compelling for me to enable labs for.
leafsfan81
simpsim
Posted 2:15 AM 11/10/08
Wish they would implement push, then iphone and blackberry users would benefit completely.
simpsim
A3sthetix
Posted 3:18 AM 11/10/08
This is great for iPhone users. I can't stand looking through folders I don't use daily on my iPhone. Very nice improvement. Hopefully they'll be heading off-line with Google Gears at some point.
A3sthetix
nocturnal99
Posted 6:31 AM 11/10/08
@155: "I wish they would fix gmail so that when I read something on my blackberry, it will be marked as read in my gmail account."
I've gotten this to work, actually. Search for "GMail IMAP Blackberry" to see how to set up your blackberry to access Google via IMAP instead of POP. Note, however, that while mark-as-red propogates from the blackberry to GMail for me, it doesn't go the other way...
nocturnal99
nocturnal99
Posted 6:30 AM 11/10/08
@thelouisguy: Agreed!
nocturnal99
nocturnal99
Posted 6:29 AM 11/10/08
@BorisTheBrave:
Well, if you're going to load into Thunderbird, you can always just leave Thunderbird open and create a rule to move it from one IMAP folder to another. Rather than Drag-and-Drop, it would do it for you.
Can't test this; not on a machine with Thunderbird at the moment, but I remember that rules in Thunderbird worked on IMAP (unlike Outlook Express, for example, which won't process rules on IMAP).
nocturnal99
anacaona
Posted 3:26 PM 11/10/08
@thelouisguy:
a workaround i use is the sublabels function - for example ain label name could be "archive" and all the other labels "archive/project1" (the slash turns it into a sub label, in an IMAP client turns into a subfolder)
anacaona
anacaona
Posted 1:14 PM 14/10/08
What about The Chat? Has anyone been able to tick the chat box and download chat archives via IMAP? I've googled this regularly over the past few years (my chats are often richer than my emails) so was pretty excited when i saw above screenshot, a tad disappointed when the option wouldn't work for me.
anacaona