Sorry I haven't updated this thread with my findings, and the dialogue on the beta list.
The duplicates are reproducable under certain circumstances, and David is looking into how to fix this both in short term and in the longer run.
My original message to the beta development below
David,
I've had many users complaining about getting duplicate messages. I've
always thought it was the webmail client, but sorry - it is Mercury - and
the behaviour is the same in both 4.5x as in 4.6. Finally I found out how
this works (sorry to have messed up my client mailbox very badly today)
I know I don't understand the inner workings that well, so forgive me for
faulty assumptions here.
Here it goes:
Some users share mailboxes, thus they have different settings in their pop3
client. Some of these also use Imap over the webmail client. To reproduce
the problem:
1. I created a new maildrop,
2. dropped a fresh Y#####.cnm file in it.
3. Went to the Imap client and synchronized the maildrop, thus leaving the
message on the server.
4. Poped the maildrop, with the setting to leave emails on the server,
... The filename changes to !#####.cnm
5. Go back to the Imap client and do a new synchronization,
... voila - you have another - identical message, but the first one is
marked as having been deleted from the server.
The error shows within _INBOX_.PNM which doesn't correlate the message with
the changed letter from Y to ! In recognizing the unique message but very
much the same message.
_INBOX_.PNM Round One:
V 1196293373
N 2
U 1 YZQPDYGN.CNM
_INBOX_.PNM Round Two:
V 1196293373
N 3
U 2 !ZQPDYGN.CNM
...
Now I can see that this is not so easy to fix... Since if I create a folder,
and move the message into this folder - the entire structure changes.
Meaning, the message is moved into a fol###.PMM file, though the index is
saying: (folxyz.PNM)
V 1196295087
N 2
U 1 2ZQPDYGN.CNM
The file 2ZQPDYGN.CNM doesn't exist anymore, it exists within the fol###.PMM
file.
Now there might again (though slim chance) be another message with the same
filename as in one of the folders, and voila we will corrupt the maildrop.
Afaik the messages must be unique within a maildrop, regardless of the
logical structure presented to the user/s of a maildrop.
If I drop the same read file again, and moves it into the folder, the
following happens to (folxyz.PNM)
V 1196295087
N 3
U 1 2ZQPDYGN.CNM
U 2 TZQPDYGN.CNM
Don't know what T stands for, but the message is marked as unknown status in
the IMAP client.
If I move any one message back into the _INBOX_ meaning the maildrop root, a
completely new file is created starting with a number. If I again pop my
account, the email is once again downloaded creating yet another copy in my
inbox. Since I pop, and leave the message behind - I get yet another copy in
my IMAP client...
Task plan:
for v4.6 please treat the poped messages in the inbox, as the same message,
meaning Y123.CNM = !123.CNM
For v4.7 or 5 if you wish: keep messages in a flat folder structure, one
message is one file. Do not move them into subcontainers. Only use the
subcontainers as indexes of what messages belongs to what folder. A
conversion software will be needed to convert imap maildrops.
For v4.8 or 5 if you wish: expand the folder indexing into two files, one
containing subfolders, the other containing messages.
Hope this helps a bit on the way / Peter
<P>Sorry I haven't updated this thread with my findings, and the dialogue on the beta list.</P>
<P>The duplicates are reproducable under certain circumstances, and David is looking into how to fix this both in short term and in the longer run.</P>
<P>My original message to the beta development below</P><PRE>David,
I've had many users complaining about getting duplicate messages. I've
always thought it was the webmail client, but sorry - it is Mercury - and
the behaviour is the same in both 4.5x as in 4.6. Finally I found out how
this works (sorry to have messed up my client mailbox very badly today)
I know I don't understand the inner workings that well, so forgive me for
faulty assumptions here.
Here it goes:
Some users share mailboxes, thus they have different settings in their pop3
client. Some of these also use Imap over the webmail client. To reproduce
the problem:
1. I created a new maildrop,
2. dropped a fresh Y#####.cnm file in it.
3. Went to the Imap client and synchronized the maildrop, thus leaving the
message on the server.
4. Poped the maildrop, with the setting to leave emails on the server,
... The filename changes to !#####.cnm
5. Go back to the Imap client and do a new synchronization,
... voila - you have another - identical message, but the first one is
marked as having been deleted from the server.
The error shows within _INBOX_.PNM which doesn't correlate the message with
the changed letter from Y to ! In recognizing the unique message but very
much the same message.
_INBOX_.PNM Round One:
V 1196293373
N 2
U 1 YZQPDYGN.CNM
_INBOX_.PNM Round Two:
V 1196293373
N 3
U 2 !ZQPDYGN.CNM
...
Now I can see that this is not so easy to fix... Since if I create a folder,
and move the message into this folder - the entire structure changes.
Meaning, the message is moved into a fol###.PMM file, though the index is
saying: (folxyz.PNM)
V 1196295087
N 2
U 1 2ZQPDYGN.CNM
The file 2ZQPDYGN.CNM doesn't exist anymore, it exists within the fol###.PMM
file.
Now there might again (though slim chance) be another message with the same
filename as in one of the folders, and voila we will corrupt the maildrop.
Afaik the messages must be unique within a maildrop, regardless of the
logical structure presented to the user/s of a maildrop.
If I drop the same read file again, and moves it into the folder, the
following happens to (folxyz.PNM)
V 1196295087
N 3
U 1 2ZQPDYGN.CNM
U 2 TZQPDYGN.CNM
Don't know what T stands for, but the message is marked as unknown status in
the IMAP client.
If I move any one message back into the _INBOX_ meaning the maildrop root, a
completely new file is created starting with a number. If I again pop my
account, the email is once again downloaded creating yet another copy in my
inbox. Since I pop, and leave the message behind - I get yet another copy in
my IMAP client...
Task plan:
for v4.6 please treat the poped messages in the inbox, as the same message,
meaning Y123.CNM = !123.CNM
For v4.7 or 5 if you wish: keep messages in a flat folder structure, one
message is one file. Do not move them into subcontainers. Only use the
subcontainers as indexes of what messages belongs to what folder. A
conversion software will be needed to convert imap maildrops.
For v4.8 or 5 if you wish: expand the folder indexing into two files, one
containing subfolders, the other containing messages.
Hope this helps a bit on the way / Peter
</PRE>
<P mce_keep="true">&nbsp;</P>