inbox.MoveTo Folder does not move message out of inbox #160

vnwind · on 14 Mar 2015

Hi I am trying to move a message to a different folder using inbox.MoveTo(uid, matchFolder);. Here is my code:

foreach (var uid in matchedMsgList)
{                       
    var matchFolder = imapClient.GetFolder(folderName);
    if (matchFolder != null)
        inbox.MoveTo(uid, matchFolder);
}

However, the message shows up on both inbox and matchFolder under outlook. View the message detail and it is label as "Inbox" & "matchFolder"

How can I move the message out of Inbox completely? Or is it has something to do with my outlook program?

Thanks for your help

jstedfast · on 14 Mar 2015

If you look at the source code for the MoveTo() method, what you'll notice is that there are several code paths depending on the features that the IMAP server supports.

If the IMAP server supports the MOVE extension, then MailKit's MoveTo() method will use the MOVEcommand. I suspect that your server does not support the MOVE command or you probably wouldn't be seeing what you are seeing.

When the IMAP server does not support the MOVE command, MailKit has to use the COPY command to copy the message(s) to the destination folder. Once the COPY command has completed, it will then mark the messages that you asked it to move for deletion by setting the Deleted flag on those messages.

If the server supports the UIDPLUS extension, then MailKit will attempt to EXPUNGE the subset of messages that it just marked for deletion, however, if the UIDPLUS extension is not supported by the IMAP server, then it cannot safely expunge just that subset of messages and so it simply stops there.

My guess is that your server supports neither MOVE nor UIDPLUS and that is why Outlook continues to see the messages in your folder. I believe, however, that Outlook has a setting to show deleted messages with a ~~strikeout~~ (which you probably have disabled).

So to answer your question more succinctly: After calling folder.MoveTo (...);, if you are confident that the messages marked for deletion should be expunged, call folder.Expunge ();

jstedfast · on 14 Mar 2015

FWIW, if you follow the directions in the FAQ for getting protocol logs, it should show you in more detail what I'm talking about and will confirm (or deny) my explanation.

vnwind changed the title from Move.ToFolder to inbox.MoveTo Folder does not move message out of inbox on 14 Mar 2015

jstedfast added the question label on 14 Mar 2015