Can't view SMS label in Apple Mail with [Gmail] IMAP prefix

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I'm using Apple Mail with Gmail IMAP, and I can't see the SMS "folder".
I've got Mail configured with [Gmail] as the folder prefix (as per the IMAP
configuration instructions).

I think the problem is that the "SMS" label won't show up because it's not
in the [Gmail] path; if the label is "[Gmail]/SMS", then it does show up in
Apple Mail.

I tried to put in the full label in SMS Backup, but it disallows the
special characters necessary (e.g. brackets and slashes).

Possible solutions:
1. Allow entering special characters in the label field.
2. Add an "IMAP Prefix" field to the label configuration page, which
defaults to "[Gmail]".

Original issue reported on code.google.com by yostinso@gmail.com on 26 Jan 2009 at 5:37

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Yes, that's something worth investigating. I did not have enough time to 
thoroughly 
test what characters work for IMAP folders / labels.

I'll try to come up with something for the next version.

Original comment by chstu...@gmail.com on 26 Jan 2009 at 6:06

• Changed state: Accepted
• Added labels: Milestone-Release1.1

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Original comment by chstu...@gmail.com on 26 Jan 2009 at 6:18

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Actually, using Thunderbird I was able to subscribe to the SMS folder. The IMAP 
folder name is the same as the 
label name, only Gmail special folders are prefixed with [Gmail].

Please try to subscribe to a label in Apple Mail and let me know whether it 
works for you.

Original comment by chstu...@gmail.com on 27 Jan 2009 at 4:47

[GoogleCodeExporter]

The problem is that Apple Mail doesn't allow you to subscribe to folders that 
aren't
below the current IMAP path prefix (which is set to [Gmail]). This is a 
restriction
of the GUI, you can only subscribe to folders that show up in a list.

If I don't set the IMAP path prefix, all the folders in Apple Mail show up as, 
for
instance "[Gmail]/INBOX" or "[Gmail]/All Mail" rather than "Inbox" and "All 
Mail".
I'm assuming Thunderbird lets you subscribe to an explicit folder name, or 
perhaps
you've just got the "[Gmail]" prefix on some of your folders?

A partial solution is that I can remove the IMAP path prefix from Apple Mail, 
and
specifically tell it that "[Gmail]/INBOX" is inbox and similar for the sent, 
trash,
and junk folders. This will fix the display in Mail, except for the "[Gmail]/All
Mail" folder, which doesn't correspond to a "special" folder in Apple Mail.

Original comment by yostinso@gmail.com on 27 Jan 2009 at 5:21

[GoogleCodeExporter]

This is a followup to my previous comment; it looks like subscribing to folders 
with
Gmail is a known issue in Apple Mail, so maybe this ticket should be renamed to
"Can't view SMS label in Apple Mail with [Gmail] IMAP prefix"

See:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5668307
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071118092032249

Original comment by yostinso@gmail.com on 28 Jan 2009 at 8:57

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Okay, I think I understand the issue now. And is it possible for IMAP clients 
to 
create sub folders under [Gmail]? What exactly is the purpose of this prefix, 
then? I 
thought it was reserved for the Gmail internal labels.

Original comment by chstu...@gmail.com on 2 Feb 2009 at 1:23

• Changed title: Can't view SMS label in Apple Mail with [Gmail] IMAP prefix

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I just tested this, and it is possible to create a sub folder/label under the 
[Gmail]
prefix both by creating a mailbox at the root level when [Gmail] is the IMAP 
prefix,
and by creating a folder as a subfolder under [Gmail] when the IMAP prefix is 
empty.

It seems like the [Gmail] prefix doesn't really enforce any division on the 
user,
although perhaps it's there just to provide an easy way to delineate between
user-created labels and the default labels (at least until users start creating
[Gmail] prefixed labels of their own), but I'm only guessing.

Original comment by yostinso@gmail.com on 2 Feb 2009 at 4:43