[IronPen]

In Mail.app, and even Thunderbird, I find no working option for deleting mail from my Inbox on the IMAP server immediately (effectively moving it to the Trash folder) rather than marking them as deleted to be purged later. This is a major issue when watching an account checked my multiple people because even though I've deleted or moved a message, other users don't see that change in their mail client.

The option to delete a message immediately (again, moving it to the Trash/Deleted Messages folder, not deleting it immediately altogether) exists in Thunderbird, but it doesn't work. Mail.app will mark messages as deleted and hide them if you choose (in the View menu), then it will remove them when I quit Mail.app. Messages I move from one folder to another (say from my Inbox to another folder) are treated similarly. If I access the IMAP account using Entourage or Thunderbird, those messages I moved or deleted are still in the folder and Entourage shows them as 'Marked for deletion'. In fact, the messages will remain there until I quit Mail.app and then I see them immediately disappear in the other client. Entourage is the only IMAP client I've tried that synchs my changes tot he IMAP server immediately, but I don't want to use Entourage. So am I overlooking at setting somewhere in Mail.app? Is there an Applescript that will do what Mail.app effectively does when I quit the application? Yes, I know I can use CMD+K to delete messages marked as deleted, but that does not help with the moved messages issue. Rebuilding and synchronizing accounts doesn't work either. Ideas?

[cpac]

I'm not sure what's going on in your case, but I've used Mail.app with a couple of IMAP accounts (one .Mac, one was actually an Exchange account) and in both cases hitting Delete immediately moved the message to the trash.

You might check under account preferences>special mailboxes to see if there's some setting there that might help you.

[Randman]

You can go into trash and delete it from there and it will purge. Might also look for an AppleScript that will do it.

[IronPen]

Thanks. My IMAP server is an exchange account and it does not delete the mail immediately. In Mail.app Preferences under Accounts>Special Mailboxes there are Trash options. Both are checked, "move to Trash mailbox" and "Store deleted messages on the server" and the Permanently erase... option has options for one day old, one week old, one month old, or when quitting mail. As I mentioned, quitting mail purges deleted mail AND updates the Inbox to reflect that some messages aren't there any longer because they were moved to subfolders. And if there is an Applescript do to do this, I'd love to use it.

[cpac]

Originally posted by IronPen:
AND updates the Inbox to reflect that some messages aren't there any longer because they were moved to subfolders.

I guess this is what I don't get - I've never seen Mail.app indicate that a message had been marked for deletion, but was still in the InBox.

Whenever I hit "delete" it automatically moves the message into the trash; it never "marks" is to be moved later.

Is it in Mail.app that you're seeing this "marking?" or is that what you see in some other client when you delete a message with Mail.app?

[IronPen]

You're right. You will see the message in the Trash folder, but the cache or something retains it as 'marked for deletion' in the Inbox. I think what you're seeing is that the message is being marked for deletion (cached) in the Inbox, and copied or moved to the Trash folder. Also, there is an option in the View menu to Hide or Show deleted messages. This behavior may depend on how you have the Trash settings configured. But if you use Entourage or Outlook Express to view the mailbox you're deleting or moving mail from in Mail.app, you'll see what I'm talking about. Deleted mail is marked for deletion, and moved messages remain in the Inbox until Mail.app quits.

[cpac]

Originally posted by IronPen:
if you use Entourage or Outlook Express to view the mailbox you're deleting or moving mail from in Mail.app, you'll see what I'm talking about. Deleted mail is marked for deletion, and moved messages remain in the Inbox until Mail.app quits.

Ok.

You might want to see if you have the option to "keep account synchronized" turned on - this might force immediate updates on the server.

[SSharon]

How about a quick Command+K ? or Mailbox -> Erase Deleted Messages -> In all accounts.

This will erase them forever but it should get all mail clients to update immediately.

[IronPen]

Are you talking about the uption in the Advanced section of the account settings, Automatically synchronize changed mailboxes? This doesn't appear to work. Do I need something in the IMAP Path Prefix? If so, I wouldn't know what to put there. And CMD+K does remove/expunge messages marked as deleted, but it doesn't update the Inbox to reflect messages moved to subfolders. This is also evident using Outlook Web Access (OWA) in addition to Entourage, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc.

[cpac]

Originally posted by IronPen:
Are you talking about the uption in the Advanced section of the account settings, Automatically synchronize changed mailboxes? This doesn't appear to work.

No - I'm talking about the option in the Mailboxes menu (I think - I'm not at home to check exactly where it is).

[IronPen]

Originally posted by cpac:
No - I'm talking about the option in the Mailboxes menu (I think - I'm not at home to check exactly where it is).

Yes, I've done that too and it doesn't seem to do anything. What is that option for? Basically, I need an applescript that performs whatever action mail takes when it is quit. I haven't been able to find any account/mail preferences that work.

[cpac]

Originally posted by IronPen:
Yes, I've done that too and it doesn't seem to do anything. What is that option for? Basically, I need an applescript that performs whatever action mail takes when it is quit. I haven't been able to find any account/mail preferences that work.

Generally I think it makes sure that you have up-to-date cached versions of everything on the server (so you can look into folders and read old emails even when you're not connected to the net).

Well, I'm out of ideas, though I can tell you that I never came across that problem at all (maybe it's a server-side issue).

Good luck.

[IronPen]

It could be a server-side issue. I was checking that option at a while back, but seeing messages marked as deleted in Entourage and Outlook Express, and seeing that Entourage doesn't behave the same way using an IMAP setup, I began to think it's an application issue, and I still believe it is. Like I said, when I quit mail.app it updates Exchange and the other clients immediately pick it up. Weird. Too bad too, because I enjoy using mail.app. I really miss threaded messages.