imapsync/FAQ.d/FAQ.Messages_Selection.txt

#!/bin/cat
$Id: FAQ.Messages_Selection.txt,v 1.6 2016/04/18 12:45:20 gilles Exp gilles $

This documentation is also at http://imapsync.lamiral.info/#doc

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  Imapsync tips to select messages.
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By default, Imapsync syncs all messages, avoiding duplicates.

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Q. Is there a way we can specify a date range to sync emails? 
   If yes, can you please share an example?

R. Yes, with the --search option.

  imapsync ... --search "SENTSINCE 1-Jan-2010 SENTBEFORE 31-Dec-2010"

   Jan
   Feb
   Mar
   Apr
   May 
   Jun
   Jul 
   Aug
   Sep
   Oct 
   Nov
   Dec

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Q. Is there a way we can specify an age to sync emails? 
   If yes, can you please share some examples?

R. Yes, with the --maxage or the --minage option.

E.1 Sync only messages less than 2 days old:

  imapsync ... --maxage 2

E.2 Sync only messages more than 2 days old:

  imapsync ... --minage 2

E.3 Sync only messages more than 30 days old and less than 365 days old:

  imapsync ... --minage 30 --maxage 365

E.4 Sync only messages less than 30 days old or more than 365 days old:

  imapsync ... --maxage 30 --minage 365

Full explanation:

--maxage      <int>    : Skip messages older than <int> days.
                         final stats (skipped) don't count older messages
                         see also --minage
--minage      <int>    : Skip messages newer than <int> days.
                         final stats (skipped) don't count newer messages
                         You can do (+ are the messages selected):
                         past|----maxage+++++++++++++++>now
                         past|+++++++++++++++minage---->now
                         past|----maxage+++++minage---->now (intersection)
                         past|++++minage-----maxage++++>now (union)

C.1 By default,

  option --maxage is implemented as a --search SENTSINCE 
RFC 3501 says: SENTSINCE <date>
Messages whose [RFC-2822] Date: header (disregarding time and
timezone) is within or later than the specified date.

  Option --minage is implemented as a --search SENTBEFORE
RFC 3501 says: SENTBEFORE <date>
Messages whose [RFC-2822] Date: header (disregarding time and
timezone) is earlier than the specified date.

If --noabletosearch is on then --minage and --maxage deal
with the internal dates given by a FETCH imap command but 
not the Date: header. Internal date is the arrival date 
in the mailbox.

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Q. I want to sync messages based on their UID.

R. First have in mind that UIDs are unique only per folder, so work this
   way only with one folder at a time, with --folder option.

To show UIDs, there is the --debugLIST parameter.

  imapsync ...  --debugLIST

To sync only a part of all messages, selected by UIDs 
from 10000 to 11000:

  imapsync ... --search1 "UID 10000:11000" 

To sync from INBOX only 3 messages UIDs 20000 20002 20004:

  imapsync ... --search1 'OR OR UID 20000 UID 20002 UID 20004' --folder INBOX

To sync all messages from INBOX except 3 messages 
UIDs 20000 20002 20004:

  imapsync ... --search1 'NOT OR OR UID 20000 UID 20002 UID 20004' --folder INBOX

If you search n UIDs then you have to put n-1 OR in the search line,
that's IMAP.


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Q. What is the selection criteria available with --search option?

R. The list of search criteria are listed below, an excerpt from RFC3501.

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3501.html

6.4.4.  SEARCH Command
...
      ALL
         All messages in the mailbox; the default initial key for
         ANDing.

      ANSWERED
         Messages with the \Answered flag set.

      BCC <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the envelope
         structure's BCC field.

      BEFORE <date>
         Messages whose internal date (disregarding time and timezone)
         is earlier than the specified date.

      BODY <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the body of the
         message.

      CC <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the envelope
         structure's CC field.

      DELETED
         Messages with the \Deleted flag set.

      DRAFT
         Messages with the \Draft flag set.

      FLAGGED
         Messages with the \Flagged flag set.

      FROM <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the envelope
         structure's FROM field.

      HEADER <field-name> <string>
         Messages that have a header with the specified field-name (as
         defined in [RFC-2822]) and that contains the specified string
         in the text of the header (what comes after the colon).  If the
         string to search is zero-length, this matches all messages that
         have a header line with the specified field-name regardless of
         the contents.

      KEYWORD <flag>
         Messages with the specified keyword flag set.

      LARGER <n>
         Messages with an [RFC-2822] size larger than the specified
         number of octets.

      NEW
         Messages that have the \Recent flag set but not the \Seen flag.
         This is functionally equivalent to "(RECENT UNSEEN)".

      NOT <search-key>
         Messages that do not match the specified search key.

      OLD
         Messages that do not have the \Recent flag set.  This is
         functionally equivalent to "NOT RECENT" (as opposed to "NOT
         NEW").

      ON <date>
         Messages whose internal date (disregarding time and timezone)
         is within the specified date.

      OR <search-key1> <search-key2>
         Messages that match either search key.

      RECENT
         Messages that have the \Recent flag set.

      SEEN
         Messages that have the \Seen flag set.

      SENTBEFORE <date>
         Messages whose [RFC-2822] Date: header (disregarding time and
         timezone) is earlier than the specified date.

      SENTON <date>
         Messages whose [RFC-2822] Date: header (disregarding time and
         timezone) is within the specified date.

      SENTSINCE <date>
         Messages whose [RFC-2822] Date: header (disregarding time and
         timezone) is within or later than the specified date.

      SINCE <date>
         Messages whose internal date (disregarding time and timezone)
         is within or later than the specified date.

      SMALLER <n>
         Messages with an [RFC-2822] size smaller than the specified
         number of octets.

      SUBJECT <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the envelope
         structure's SUBJECT field.

      TEXT <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the header or
         body of the message.

      TO <string>
         Messages that contain the specified string in the envelope
         structure's TO field.

      UID <sequence set>
         Messages with unique identifiers corresponding to the specified
         unique identifier set.  Sequence set ranges are permitted.

      UNANSWERED
         Messages that do not have the \Answered flag set.

      UNDELETED
         Messages that do not have the \Deleted flag set.

      UNDRAFT
         Messages that do not have the \Draft flag set.

      UNFLAGGED
         Messages that do not have the \Flagged flag set.

      UNKEYWORD <flag>
         Messages that do not have the specified keyword flag set.

      UNSEEN
         Messages that do not have the \Seen flag set. 

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