understanding nametrans

[bootzin]

General informations

• system/distribution (with version): Linux titan 4.16.6-1-ARCH Missing master commit #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Apr 30 12:30:03 UTC 2018 x86_64 GNU/Linux
• offlineimap version (offlineimap -V): offlineimap v7.2.0, imaplib2 v2.57 (bundled), Python v2.7.15, OpenSSL 1.1.0h 27 Mar 2018
• Python version: Python 2.7.15
• server name or domain: imap.gmail.com
• CLI options: none

Configuration file offlineimaprc

[general]
ui = ttyui
accounts = Gmail

[Account Gmail]
localrepository = Gmail-Local
remoterepository = Gmail-Remote

[Repository Gmail-Local]
type = GmailMaildir
localfolders = ~/Mail/Gmail
nametrans = lambda f: '[Gmail]/' + f if f in ['Drafts', 'Starred', 'Important', 'Spam', 'Trash', 'All Mail', 'Sent Mail', 'Sent'] else f

[Repository Gmail-Remote]
type = Gmail
remotehost = imap.gmail.com
ssl = yes
starttls = no
sslcacertfile = /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt
auth_mechanisms = XOAUTH2
nametrans = lambda f: f.replace('[Gmail]/', '') if f.startswith('[Gmail]/') else f

Steps to reproduce the error

• I simply synced offlineimap with no CLI options, tha mail synced the "Sent" folder completely, and then deleted all mails from it
  "Folder Sent [acc: Gmail]:
  Syncing Sent: Gmail -> GmailMaildir
  Copy message UID 7 (1/149) Gmail-Remote:Sent -> Gmail-Local:Sent
  "
  [...]
  "Folder Sent [remote name [Gmail]/Sent] [acc: Gmail]:
  Syncing [Gmail]/Sent: Gmail -> GmailMaildir
  Deleting 149 messages (7:155) in GmailMaildir[Sent]
  "

[nicolas33]

Is this reproducible?

[bootzin]

It happens every single time I sync, I can't see my "Sent" mail because they get deleted
If I open neomutt during the sync though, I can see the mails that are being downloaded, but as soon as it finishes downloading them, they get deleted

[nicolas33]

If I open neomutt during the sync though, I can see the mails that are being downloaded, but as soon as it finishes downloading them, they get deleted

As soon as offlineimap sync is done? Without any new sync? What deletes them?

[bootzin]

As soon as offlineimap is done and I resync neomutt. Offlineimap itself deletes the mails from my computer

[bootzin]

Also, after it deletes from the "Sent" folder, it creates a new "Sent Mail" folder and starts downloading the same mails that have just been deleted, but these ones are ept in the machine after the sync though. Any idei of why is this happening?

[nicolas33]

after it deletes from the "Sent" folder, it creates a new "Sent Mail" folder and starts downloading the same mails that have just been deleted, but these ones are ept in the machine after the sync though.

This sounds like a nametrans issue but I still don't get how emails are deleted.

You said offlineimap is done so it's not offlineimap which is deleting the emails. It only sync the deletions back to the server.

What's the output of offlineimap --info?

[nicolas33]

Ok, I think I got it. Check your nametrans:

local:
nametrans = lambda f: '[Gmail]/' + f if f in ['Drafts', 'Starred', 'Important', 'Spam', 'Trash', 'All Mail', 'Sent Mail', 'Sent'] else f

remote:
nametrans = lambda f: f.replace('[Gmail]/', '') if f.startswith('[Gmail]/') else f

If you have a folder called Sent on the remote, it's first downloaded as Sent. On next sync it's translated to [Gmail]/Sent.

[nicolas33]

The output of offlineimap --info should really help.

[bootzin]

Here's the output of offlineimap --info:

OfflineIMAP 7.2.0
  Licensed under the GNU GPL v2 or any later version (with an OpenSSL exception)
imaplib2 v2.57 (bundled), Python v2.7.15, OpenSSL 1.1.0h  27 Mar 2018
  imaplib2: 2.57 (bundled)
Remote repository 'Gmail-Remote': type 'Gmail'
Host: imap.gmail.com Port: 993 SSL: True
Establishing connection to imap.gmail.com:993 (Gmail-Remote)
Server supports ID extension.
Server welcome string: * OK Gimap ready for requests from 2804:14c:5bd7:902e:9b9f:5730:a19d:123 d65mb469571804qkg
Server capabilities: ('IMAP4REV1', 'UNSELECT', 'IDLE', 'NAMESPACE', 'QUOTA', 'ID', 'XLIST', 'CHILDREN', 'X-GM-EXT-1', 'UIDPLUS', 'COMPRESS=DEFLATE', 'ENABLE', 'MOVE', 'CONDSTORE', 'ESEARCH', 'UTF8=ACCEPT', 'LIST-EXTENDED', 'LIST-STATUS', 'LITERAL-', 'SPECIAL-USE', 'APPENDLIMIT=35651584')

nametrans= lambda f: f.replace('[Gmail]/', '') if f.startswith('[Gmail]/') else f

Folderlist:
 [Gmail]/All Mail -> All Mail
 [Gmail]/Drafts -> Drafts
 [Gmail]/Important -> Important
 INBOX
 Sent
 [Gmail]/Sent -> Sent
 Sent Mail
 [Gmail]/Sent Mail -> Sent Mail
 [Gmail]/Spam -> Spam
 [Gmail]/Starred -> Starred
 [Gmail]/Trash -> Trash

Local repository 'Gmail-Local': type 'GmailMaildir'
nametrans= lambda f: '[Gmail]/' + f if f in ['Drafts', 'Starred', 'Important', 'Spam', 'Trash', 'All Mail', 'Sent'] else f

Folderlist:
 All Mail -> [Gmail]/All Mail
 Sent -> [Gmail]/Sent
 Starred -> [Gmail]/Starred
 INBOX
 Important -> [Gmail]/Important
 Drafts -> [Gmail]/Drafts
 Spam -> [Gmail]/Spam
 Trash -> [Gmail]/Trash
 Sent Mail

I'll be honest that I don't exactly understand the 'nametrans' part of the config file, and I couldn't figure out what to change based on this output.. I had copied a config file from someone else, and it worked just fine, but I wanted to change 'Sent Mail' to be simply 'Sent', and then I started running into problems

[nicolas33]

That's it.

nametrans allows to rename folders. It requires one rule to translate folder names from the remote to the local (in the remote section) and another rule to translate in the opposite direction.

I'm not sure you can remove the '[Gmail]/Sent Mail' because it's the Gmail name. You should connect to the gmail webmail and remove all the other sent folders and do the same in your local maildir (you might like to make a backup). Currently it's a big mess! Run offlineimap --info and save the output.

I think your current nametrans rules are correct to get what you want, now. So, it should be fine on next sync. If not, re-run offlineimap --info and compare to the previous result to better understand what's going on with the nametrans rules.

[bootzin]

I had to tweak namtrans a little bit, but now that I got how it works I managed to do it (:
Just for clarification, this what I used to change the "Sent Mail" folder into a "Sent" folder:

[Repository Gmail-Local]
nametrans = lambda f: '[Gmail]/Sent Mail' if f in ['Sent'] else '[Gmail]/' + f if f in ['Drafts', 'Starred', 'Important', 'Spam', 'Trash', 'All Mail', 'Sent Mail'] else f

[Repository Gmail-Remote]
nametrans = lambda f: f.replace('[Gmail]/Sent Mail','Sent') if f.startswith('[Gmail]/Sent Mail') else f.replace('[Gmail]/', '') if f.startswith('[Gmail]/') else f

Thanks a lot for the help (:

[nicolas33]

Thank you for the feedback!