Topic: Using IMAP folders with Outlook

[Dan Brown]

I'm using Outlook 2000 as my mail client with an SME v5 server.  It has some annoying mis-features, but the PGP plugin works pretty well.  One thing I'd like to change, though, is where it stores sent messages.  Outlook wants to save them (and drafts) to a local folder; I'd like it to save them on the server.  Is this possible, and if so, how is it done?  Many thanks for any ideas on this.

[David Brown]

I have a similar issue, and Outlook says that when you have a new mail message open, you can go to View -> Options and select Browse next to Save sent message to: to save the copy in a folder other than Sent Items.  When I select the sent-mail folder in my IMAP account, I get the following error: "The folder you have selected is not a subfolder of the default store."  I'm guessing this means that the location is not a part of the .pst file that stores the mail and contact info.  Doesn't make much sense to me why it wouldn't work, except that Outlook might not want to email out a copy of sent mail.

Any ideas would be appreciated here as well.

[Fred Sturman]

I use this site as a reference for Outlook issues.

They may have the answer.

http://www.slipstick.com/

Hope this helps

[Dan Brown]

Thanks for the pointer, Fred!  Didn't find a lot useful on that site as such, but it pointed to the MS Knowledge Base, where I found this information:

No Mail "Special Folder" Can Be Stored on the IMAP Server
Your Sent Items, Drafts, and Deleted Items folders cannot reside on an IMAP server. Outlook requires that all special folders exist in the default store. IMAP cannot act as the default store because it cannot contain the non-mail special folders.

You can simulate a server-side Sent Items folder by creating a rule in Rules Wizard that copies all outgoing mail to the IMAP folder of your choice. There is no workaround for Drafts and Deleted Items.

(Q197636)

There's also "OL2000: (IMO) How to Save Sent Items on an IMAP Server" (Q198854).  Let's see if this link works : http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q198/8/54.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0&qry=imap&rnk=16&src=DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCH&SPR=OUT2K

[Michael Doerner]

I see exactly the same here:
No way for Outlook to use the Sent-Items (imap) folder BUT it works perfectly with Outlook-Express.
Sorry, no real help just my surprise about the differences in these mail clients.

Regards,
Michael Doerner

[Dan Brown]

Michael, the differences between Lookout and Outlook Express stem from the fact that they are two applications, unrelated but for the name and publisher.  I'd almost rather use Outlook Express, but the PGP plug-in really bites, whereas it's fairly well integrated into Outlook.

The workaround suggested in the URL I listed above does seem to work, at least for me.  Give it a try if you like.

[Michael Doerner]

Dan, thanks for the above link. Seems to work well here.
Personally I prefer OExpress (no need for PGP at the moment) but many clients use Outlook and it was always a pain with sent-items and imap.
I tried to use a rule for this in the earlier days but apparently I did it wrong (lost in these complex definitions) and it didn't work as nice as this one now does.

BTW, an important difference between Outlook and OE I found is that OE only supports one level of imap folders where Outlook can do subfolders.

Now, if Netscape's 6.1 mail client would show new messages in all folders (not only the inbox), I could finally switch completely.....

Regards,
Michael Doerner

[Filippo Carletti]

Sub-folders should be advertised as possible by the IMAP server and the client behaves accordingly.
I'm using OE and have subfolders (but OE gives errors, sometimes).

Using a different IMAP server I don't get subfolders.