Creating and using a subfolder for read mail

I am using the mutt mail client connected to an imap server (running
bincimap).

On the server, I have a maildir directory structure as follows:

~/Maildir/cur
~/Maildir/new
~/Maildir/tmp

I have existing mail messages in ~/Maildir/cur

When I connect to the imap server from my mutt mail client, I can see
and read the squillions of existing mail messages:

mutt -f imap://neptune

From the mail client, I want to move messages to a subfolder for
processed or read mail, so that the messages no longer appear in the
primary message list.

How do I do this?

I am new to mutt and imap, so I don't really know how to use these yet.
(I am used to "Outlook Express" style POP3 mail.)

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley,
393 Quinton Road West,
Quinton, BIRMINGHAM.
B32 1QE.

On Jul 27, 1:47 pm, markhob...@hotpop.donottypethisbit.com (Mark
Hobley) wrote:
> I am using the mutt mail client connected to an imap server
> (running bincimap).
>
> On the server, I have a maildir directory structure as follows:

How the IMAP server stores stuff is (or should be) irrelevant to the
IMAP client.


> From the mail client, I want to move messages to a subfolder for
> processed or read mail, so that the messages no longer appear in
> the primary message list.
>
> How do I do this?

So, you want mutt to do something automatically for you. Have you
checked the mutt documentation or the mailing lists that support it?
If your installation of mutt didn't include its documentation then you
should complain to the people that installed or packaged it.


Philip Guenther

In comp.mail.imap Philip Guenther <guenther@gmail.com> wrote:

> So, you want mutt to do something automatically for you. Have you
> checked the mutt documentation or the mailing lists that support it?

No. I want to move the mails manually through mutt. The messages don't
have to be automatically moved.

> If your installation of mutt didn't include its documentation then you
> should complain to the people that installed or packaged it.

I type:

man mutt

This page is useless and does not tell me how to operate the client.

I do a Google search for mutt +"processed mail" folder

This returns 17 results, none of which relates to creating a "Processed
Mail" folder, as far as I can tell.

Ok, I jump on the Mutt website, and I find a section called folders.

I find a table containing an entry as follows:

"personal folders" If you get a lot of mail, it's better to have several
folders to keep messages separate for different uses (by topic, sender,
recipient, subject). However, you use them by specifying the pathname
each time, there is no mutt-internal management for those. Make up your
mind about a folder structure before they get overloaded (bad overview &
performance for too big folders).

Hmmm. I am still no wiser to solving this.

There are some notes on the page that say:

Mutt keeps eMails in folders (collections of individual eMails), which
you can use to "change" to (for viewing) or to "save/ move/ copy" to in
the UI, or specify in configuration files as targets of operations.

and

The "inbox" is provided by the system at a specific place. Default
location is $MAIL of shell-environment. Unless mutt is compiled to
assume "inbox" in your $HOME dir, it will probably be something like
"/var/spool/mail/USER".

I am using imap mail, not a local mail spool.

I find a page UseIMAP which says:

To use IMAP with mutt, here's a sample ~/.muttrc file:

# Automatically log in to this mailbox at startup
set
spoolfile="imap[s]://[<username>[:<optional_password>]@]<server>/INBOX"
# Define the = shortcut, and the entry point for the folder browser
(c?)
set folder="imap[s]://[<username>@]<server>/INBOX"
set record="=Sent"
set postponed="=Drafts"

The above config works for people who have subfolders below
(inside/nested) the INBOX folder.

I haven't got a ~/.muttrc file at the moment, so I guess that I need to
create one:

set spoolfile="imap://markassword@neptune/INBOX"
set folder="imap://markassword@neptune/INBOX"
set record="=Sent"
set postponed="=Drafts"

Ok, I did that. Now I just type:

mutt

and wahhey ... I am looking at mail in my INBOX.

I still don't understand how to create the "Processed Mail" folder
though.

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley,
393 Quinton Road West,
Quinton, BIRMINGHAM.
B32 1QE.

In comp.mail.mutt Mark Hobley <markhobley@hotpop.donottypethisbit.com> wrote:
> I am using the mutt mail client connected to an imap server
> (running bincimap).
>
> When I connect to the imap server from my mutt mail client, I can see
> and read the squillions of existing mail messages:
>
> mutt -f imap://neptune
>
> From the mail client, I want to move messages to a subfolder for
> processed or read mail, so that the messages no longer appear in the
> primary message list.
>
> How do I do this?

"move" is "save", see muttwiki-faq + '?' help.

Normally you simply specify the target folder and mutt creates it unless
it exists.
With IMAP this is as simple, for you have to specifically create the
folder ahead of time.
When you're in the "save" prompt, give your imap-path, then hit
TAB-TAB. In this folder-browser mode hit '?' for its help.

Some of this maybe be described on the muttwiki, too.

--
© Rado S. -- You must provide YOUR effort for your goal!
EVERY effort counts: at least to show your attitude.
You're responsible for ALL you do: you get what you give.

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:47:13 +0100, Mark Hobley wrote:

> From the mail client, I want to move messages to a subfolder for
> processed or read mail, so that the messages no longer appear in the
> primary message list.

The mutt variable "folder" is the default location for mailboxes (or folders
if you prefer). So to save you typing the whole IMAP URL every time, you
could do:

set folder="imaps://server/" (imaps or imap, depending on if it's secure or
not)

Then saving messages to a new mailbox is as simple as pressing 's', then
typing = (to indicate it's under the 'folder' path) and the name. e.g.

s, =test.foo

Hope that helps,

--
Paul