imapsync/FAQ.d/FAQ.Archiving.txt

#!/bin/cat
$Id: FAQ.Archiving.txt,v 1.18 2019/10/23 17:56:28 gilles Exp gilles $

This documentation is also available online at
https://imapsync.lamiral.info/FAQ.d/
https://imapsync.lamiral.info/FAQ.d/FAQ.Archiving.txt

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          Imapsync issues and tips about archiving
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Questions answered in this FAQ are:

Q. How can I archive different accounts on the same destination account,
   each account on a separate folder?

Q. How can I restore a complete account archived in a subfolder, like
   with the option --subfolder2?

Q. How to move emails from one IMAP folder to another either on the 
   same IMAP server or a different one?
   For example, all messages older than 1 year, move from INBOX to Archive.

Q. Can imapsync be used to maintain and restore a local offline copy 
   of a mailbox, eg for backup purposes, using Mbox or Maildir 
   format, so that if the server fails, then the mailbox could be 
   reinstated?

Q. How to archive a whole year in a subfolder?

Q. How to archive a whole year in subfolders but without subsubfolders?

https://imapsync.lamiral.info/FAQ.d/FAQ.Archiving.txt
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Q. How can I archive different accounts on the same destination account,
   each account on a separate folder?

R. Use --subfolder2 

 --subfolder2   str  : Syncs the whole host1 folders hierarchy under the
                       host2 given folder str.
                       (It does it internally by adding two --regextrans2 
                       options before all others.)

Examples:

  imapsync ... --user1 Foo --subfolder2 FooArchiv

  imapsync ... --user1 Bar --subfolder2 BarArchiv

In case you need a very strict sync, add options 
--delete2 --delete2foldersonly "FooArchiv"
(or "BarArchiv" for the second example).
It will delete on account2 what is not on account1 but only in the right place, 
ie, the subfolder "FooArchiv".

Examples:
  
  imapsync ... --user1 Foo --subfolder2 FooArchiv --delete2 --delete2foldersonly "FooArchiv" 

  imapsync ... --user1 Bar --subfolder2 BarArchiv --delete2 --delete2foldersonly "BarArchiv" 

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Q. How can I restore a complete account archived in a subfolder, like
   with the option --subfolder2?

R. Use --subfolder1

 --subfolder1   str  : Syncs the host1 folders hierarchy under folder str
                        to the root hierarchy of host2.
                        It's the couterpart of a sync done by --subfolder2
                        when doing it in the reverse order. 
                        Backup/Restore scenario:
                        Use --subfolder2 str for a backup to the folder str
                        on host2. Then use --subfolder1 str for restoring 
                        from the folder str, after inverting 
                        host1/host2 user1/user2 values.

Examples:

  imapsync ... --user2 Foo --subfolder1 FooArchiv

  imapsync ... --user2 Bar --subfolder1 BarArchiv


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Q. How to move emails from one IMAP folder to another either on the 
   same IMAP server or a different one?
   For example, all messages older than 1 year, move from INBOX to Archive.
 
R1. Solution:

  imapsync ... --minage 365 --folder Inbox --f1f2 INBOX=Archive --delete1 --noexpungeaftereach

Add option --noexpungeaftereach if speed is a concern.
Add option --delete1 if you want to move messages, instead of just copy/sync them.

R2. See also file FAQ.Folders_Mapping.txt


https://imapsync.lamiral.info/FAQ.d/FAQ.Archiving.txt
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Q. Can imapsync be used to maintain and restore a local offline copy 
   of a mailbox, eg for backup purposes, using Mbox or Maildir 
   format, so that if the server fails, then the mailbox could be 
   reinstated?

R1. No. Imapsync plays with IMAP servers only.

R2. Imapsync can't but rick-sanders-imap-tools can!
    See https://github.com/andrewnimmo/rick-sanders-imap-tools
    
    Back up and restore IMAP accounts with imapdump.pl and dumptoIMAP.pl
    It looks like imapdump.pl has options to avoid duplicates and be
    in an update mode. There are options -u -U
    [-u] Don't dump messages already dumped
    [-U] Don't dump message if it already exists in the dump directory
    I wonder the difference, I've never used Rick's tools.

    Remember that doing backups without trying the restore process
    is more dangerous than doing no backups at all. No backups makes
    people act in a safer way, well, usually...
    
R3. Use ImportExportTools for Mozilla Thunderbird by Paolo Kaosmos. 
    ImportExportTools does not do IMAP as a destination.

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Q. How to archive a whole year in a subfolder?

R.

  imapsync ... --search "SENTSINCE 1-Jan-2018 SENTBEFORE 31-Dec-2018" \
      --folder2 ARCHIVE_2018 --justfolders --dry

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Q. How to archive a whole year in subfolders but without subsubfolders?


  imapsync ... --search "SENTSINCE 1-Jan-2018 SENTBEFORE 31-Dec-2018" \
             --sep2 _ --regextrans2 's{(.*)}{Archive_$1_2018}' --justfolders --dry

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