Re: [gentoo-user] Evolution Doesn't Filter Incoming Mail

[Iain Buchanan <iaindb@netspace.net.au>]

On Wed, 2008-07-16 at 16:27 +0100, Richard wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> I use Evolution as my mail client. I receive Gentoo mailing list email
> at my GMail address, and access this email in Evolution over IMAP.
> 
> I want Gentoo mailing list messages to go into a Gentoo mailing list
> folder in Evolution, and so I've setup an incoming mail filter to take
> all mail with a sender or recipient address matching '@lists.gentoo.org'
> and move it to my Gentoo mailing list folder.
> 
> Despite ticking the 'Apply filters to new messages in INBOX on this
> server' check-box in the Evolution Account Editor, I have to highlight
> new email and click 'Apply Filters' in Evolution's 'Message' menu so
> that Evolution will actually move them to the desired folder.
> 
> Can anyone help with this?

Yes and no!  I can explain why, but I don't know the workaround. - there
are various "bits" of info set on each email in IMAP folders (eg,
"unread", "replied to", "important", etc) and there's one (forget the
name) lets say "accessed".  MUA's use this accessed bit to decide
whether or not to do processing, such as filtering, on each email.
Evolution would filter a message and then set "accessed".  It does this
so that next time, it doesn't filter it again (I presume).  It is
typical for IMAP servers that do their own filtering to set this
accessed bit on each message also, even if it stays in the inbox.  (I
don't know if there's a gmail setting for this type of thing).

The same happens on my cyrus IMAP server, because I have sieve rules
going through my mails on the server-side.  Therefore evolution sees the
messages as already accessed, and doesn't touch it (unless you
specifically say "filter").

I've put this together from bits and pieces of experience, so it's
probably not technically correct, but I hope you get the general idea :)

cya,
-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

"It is easier to fight for principles than to live up to them."
-- Alfred Adler