EmailDiscussions.com - View Single Post - Fastmail - Thunderbird folder and filter interactions

scrivener · 25 Jan 2017, 02:07 AM

I've recently started using Fastmail and it's working fine. I'm also a long-time Thunderbird user, have set up its basic connection to Fastmail, and that's working fine too, no problem so far.

Before creating any problems I want to improve my limited understanding of the interaction between Tbird and Fastmail's IMAP functionality. I don't have much experience with IMAP. (Until now I've mostly used Tbird with Pop3, though I also read a very simple Gmail account through it.) As I understand things....

Folders created on Fastmail's server side appear in Tbird (provided they are "subscribed" to, etc.) and folders created by Tbird appear on the Fastmail web interface. That's worked fine so far.

My question of the moment regards rules and filters putting messages into those folders. I make extensive use of Tbird's filters to sort messages into folders, and Tbird's filter system seems much easier to use for extensive sorting than Fastmail's rules system.

What I'm not sure of from searching around is if/how Tbird's filtering on the client side affects the distribution of messages in folders on the Fastmail web interface on the server side, and vice versa. I haven't been able to find a simple full explanation of this in one place. E.g., as I take it....

* Tbird filters messages as they come through the Inbox. If Fastmail's rules have already moved messages out of the Inbox to other folders (where they'd appear if Tbird didn't apply any filters at all) does Tbird still filter them and perhaps send them to a different folder? So the messages appear in different folders on Tbird than on the Fastmail web site? (Or in two different folders on Tbird?)

* Does Tbird's sending a message to a particular folder have any effect on where the message goes on the Fastmail side? (Like Tbird creating a folder creates a folder on the Fastmail side.)

In simplest terms, I guess what I'm asking is whether Fastmail's rules-sorting and Tbird's client-side filter-sorting on my computer are two independent operations, resulting in different distributions of messages on each side, or whether they affect each other, and if so how. (And if so, is there any clear explanation of how at one place? Pointer appreciated).

Thanks in advance for teaching me.

Considering the complexity of my Tbird filters I'd rather learn from you than the hard way.

25 Jan 2017, 02:07 AM	#1
scrivener Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 3	Fastmail - Thunderbird folder and filter interactions I've recently started using Fastmail and it's working fine. I'm also a long-time Thunderbird user, have set up its basic connection to Fastmail, and that's working fine too, no problem so far. Before creating any problems I want to improve my limited understanding of the interaction between Tbird and Fastmail's IMAP functionality. I don't have much experience with IMAP. (Until now I've mostly used Tbird with Pop3, though I also read a very simple Gmail account through it.) As I understand things.... Folders created on Fastmail's server side appear in Tbird (provided they are "subscribed" to, etc.) and folders created by Tbird appear on the Fastmail web interface. That's worked fine so far. My question of the moment regards rules and filters putting messages into those folders. I make extensive use of Tbird's filters to sort messages into folders, and Tbird's filter system seems much easier to use for extensive sorting than Fastmail's rules system. What I'm not sure of from searching around is if/how Tbird's filtering on the client side affects the distribution of messages in folders on the Fastmail web interface on the server side, and vice versa. I haven't been able to find a simple full explanation of this in one place. E.g., as I take it.... * Tbird filters messages as they come through the Inbox. If Fastmail's rules have already moved messages out of the Inbox to other folders (where they'd appear if Tbird didn't apply any filters at all) does Tbird still filter them and perhaps send them to a different folder? So the messages appear in different folders on Tbird than on the Fastmail web site? (Or in two different folders on Tbird?) * Does Tbird's sending a message to a particular folder have any effect on where the message goes on the Fastmail side? (Like Tbird creating a folder creates a folder on the Fastmail side.) In simplest terms, I guess what I'm asking is whether Fastmail's rules-sorting and Tbird's client-side filter-sorting on my computer are two independent operations, resulting in different distributions of messages on each side, or whether they affect each other, and if so how. (And if so, is there any clear explanation of how at one place? Pointer appreciated). Thanks in advance for teaching me. Considering the complexity of my Tbird filters I'd rather learn from you than the hard way.