Bug 138855

Version:           1.9.5 (using KDE KDE 3.5.5)
Installed from:    Gentoo Packages
Compiler:          GCC 3.4.6 gentoo's r-1 release
OS:                Linux

Base Info:
I have several accounts, all using dIMAP. In all but one case, only KMail on one workstation is checking/accessing the email account.

Scenario:
After upgrading to 3.5.5, when checking mail I get a modal dialog informing me that "Mails on the server in folder accountnameX/folderX were deleted. Do you want to delete them locally? UIDs: NNN, NNN, NNN..." 

My first complaint, and the bug, is that I can confirm those mails to exist on the server. Thus the dialog/kmail is wrong. I can also say that rebuilding the index rarely works. In fact I have the window open right now on two messages being server-side deleted. I get this every single time it checks email. This brings me to the next complaint.

It should remember that I don't want to delete that mail. Further, it should not stop all mail checking for that account while it waits for the user to respond, nor should it stop me from typing in the compose window for this. In other words, non-modal.

Next up is a UI thing. Telling an end user what the UID was does nothing for them - it's just numbers. A better implementation would be to provide a user the opportunity to examine them. Perhaps a "filter" folder similar to "last search" that shows the 'server deleted' email that if the email is deleted from this 'virtual folder', it is deleted locally. Or perhaps a flag and a standard 'view filter'? Another issue with the dialog method is that if you have large enough UIDs, or a numerous enough list of 'deleted' UIDs, you can't see them all as they get clipped at the right side of the dialog box.

Another alternative is to not make that check automatic, but make it an option/action combo. The account would have a flag to a) not delete server-side deletions b) always delete server-side deletions (bad if it still gets this wrong), or c) ask user.

I do like that it detects it, and I do like having an option regarding deletion, it just needs some work. If there is too much work to fix this in the next rev, perhaps an option on the folder to 'Keep a copy of downloaded mail that was deleted on the server' or wording to that effect?

The main issue however, is that it gets the UID compare wrong. I get this when the server is an Exchange server, or Courier-IMAP. After that, the other issues can be resolved.