[Tickets #11983] Re: limit synced mailboxes by user preferences

[noreply at bugs.horde.org]

BITTE NICHT AUF DIESE NACHRICHT ANTWORTEN. NACHRICHTEN AN DIESE  
E-MAIL-ADRESSE WERDEN NICHT GELESEN.

Ticket-URL: http://bugs.horde.org/ticket/11983
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  Ticket           | 11983
  Aktualisiert Von | jmozdzen at nde.ag
  Zusammenfassung  | limit synced mailboxes by user preferences
  Warteschlange    | Synchronization
  Version          | Git master
  Typ              | Enhancement
  Status           | Feedback
  Priorität        | 1. Low
  Milestone        |
  Patch            | 1
  Zuständige       |
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jmozdzen at nde.ag (2013-01-20 21:12) hat geschrieben:

>> I have a fairly large mailbox structure, plus access to various
>> shared folders. When I synchronize with a remote device, I therefore
>> generate tons of traffic and load, especially on the "small" remote
>> device.
>
> Currently, it sends all "subscribed" folders in the FOLDERSYNC  
> request. The rationale is that if you have subscribed to the folder,  
> you are interested enough in it to want to see it on the device.

When on the road, I usually only need to see if I have new mail and  
optionally reply to it. Some other folders will be required, too, like  
"Sent" and "Trash".

> Note that sending the folder via FOLDERSYNC does not necessarily  
> mean it pushes that folder, just that it is available on the device  
> for viewing. On most of the clients I test, the email is lazy loaded  
> into folders other than the INBOX - it only polls the server when  
> you view the folder. Some devices will THEN push to that folder for  
> some time after it is loaded. Other clients have settings that allow  
> you to pick and choose the folders you want pushed vs just available.

It's my observation too that only messages in the INBOX are actually  
pushed to the remote device. But with about 1083 folders (number  
increasing), already processing the list of available folders causes a  
significant slow-down on my remote...

>> On the other hand, my remote device won't let me access
>> folders not under my INBOX at all, and I definitely don't need all
>> the sub-folders as available through the web interface.
>
> Curious as to what client this is. I've never seen a client limit  
> folders to those only under INBOX.

It's the default client on WebOS 2.x (HP Pre3).

>> As I have been unsuccessful to create a second IMAP user with access
>> to the same INBOX, but only few of the folders below, I have created
>> a patch to ActiveSync that allows a user to (currently) select
>> - only to sync folders below and including the INBOX
>> - limit the nesting level of the folders synced
>
> This of course will only work for IMAP servers that are  
> structured/configured in this way. My server does not place folders  
> under INBOX at all. I have a few hundred mailboxes (of course not  
> all subscribed) and most are at the same level as the INBOX.

Yes, I had anticipated that situation - being able to select which  
folders to sync, similar to selecting which calendars and address  
books to sync, would cover that.

>> The according preferences are settable via the standard preferences
>> dialog, per user.
>>
>> A future enhancement may be to explicitly select folders to
>> include/exclude during email sync.
>
> I'd rather not go that route. I feel that this is a client  
> responsibility. Also, filtering the folders that are returned via  
> FOLDERSYNC responses could screw up search results

I fully agree to that position, and as I mentioned above, even I would  
have preferred to go a different route... a sufficient solution would  
have been if I could have used IMAP subscriptions and a second account  
- that would have been a favorable solution. But unfortunately I  
couldn't get that to work, probably to my insufficient knowledge of  
the details of the Cyrus IMAP server.

That's when I thought that a client-side subscription model,  
implemented on the ActiveSync part (rather than the final mobile  
client) ought to help... and the long time it seems to take to process  
the results of a folder sync, I decided to code a filter option for  
that call. But of course, there may be (and your reply says there  
*are*) side effects I couldn't foresee.

Do you see a different, better place to implement such a filter? I'd  
be willing to give this another try.

BTW: After running this filter on my server/account, processing time  
and data transfer volume have already decreased. But I see many  
instances of supposedly "filtered" folders in the ActiveSync debug  
log, there still is much work left to actually reduce the handling to  
only those folders I actually want to see on the remote :/