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The issue you are facing:
I have 5 users. I am using group folders. I am also using shared notes. The issue is when I configure email/SMTP on snappy mail OR mail, when 1 user reads the email it changes the status of unread to read on other user accounts. How do I set up the emails so IMAP server doesn’t act like a POP3. Did I enable a switch that shares everything… help.
Are all users using the same email account? If so, this is normal and it behaves exactly how IMAP is supposed to behave.
Nextcloud Mail doesn’t support POP3. Also, If it would act like POP3, only the first user who opens Nextloud Mail, would even be able to see the email. (if the client is set to delete the mails on the server after they have been downloaded)
Thanks for the response. There are 2 emails that the team have to access. Currently I use apple on 2 machine in which the emails will remain unread until access by 1 of my team members. Outlook works the same way. My understanding is IMAP pulls a copy from the SMTP server to the client and the status isn’t changed until it is read.
I currently share a exec email with the accountant of my company. I set up the same email account on both Mac’s and it works this way. Example: exec@email.com has a total of 10 emails which I have read. When my Accountant opens his client, those same 10 emails show as unread until he reads them… how do I get nextcloud email to work that way?
It caches it locally, yes, but it also synchronizes the read / unread status… which I see as advantage. For example, I use my personal email on my cell phone and on a PC, sometimes also on a laptop or on web mail. It would be extremely annoying when a message that i already read on my phone would still be marked as unread on my PC, and vice-versa.
I agree, however I remember enabling something so all email are marked read, but I can also have it set up so they don’t all sync to read… I am looking for the feature or whatever it is (I’m only smart enough to be dangerous )
So as I explained, I have my company email set up so it doesn’t sync both my account and the accountants email - is there anyone out there that understand how this is accomplished. I use bluehost as my SMTP. It is currently working they way I want it while using Outlook and Apple Mail. Can it be accomplished on nextcould?
Hey @bb77 - I thought I read something about creating 2 alias’s from the exec email. I can then setup 2 different clients all email generated from same source… what are your thoughts on that solution.
Not sure if that is even possible with IMAP. And if so, both the client and the server would have to support that feature and you somehow would have be able to explicitly tell the client that a specific message should only be marked as read on this specific client, or there would have to be a default setting in the client (per mailbox / mail account) for this. I’m pretty sure Nextcloud Mail doesn’t support that and also most IMAP servers probably don’t, if the IMAP standard supports it at all, which I would answer with a no, with about 95% confidence.
Well thank you for all the help… I know it’s possible (not that crazy alias solution) but the first example, I just don’t think nextcloud supports it YET.
Reason of importance: If I read a business critical email. It has to remain unread for my accountant OR he will think he’s already read it and important things fall through the cracks… see where I am going.
Anyway it was a pleasure learning this morning - thank you.
What you’re describing is normal behavior of IMAP. IMAP accesses the mailbox on the server, whereas POP downloads the messages and removes them from the server.
When the IMAP client marks an email as read, it’s making that change in the server mailbox, so other clients using the same account will see it.
I think the only way to do what you’re describing would be either to use separate accounts and set up a distribution group or an auto-forward so both accounts have the message…
Or you can use a POP client that has the option to not remove mail from the server, so the other clients can also download a copy, and have their own read status on the client side.
Afaik it’s not possible. I seem to remember that Exchange has such a feature, but only for Group Folders, not for shared mailboxes. Also Lotus Notes could do similar things. But a simple IMAP server can’t.
A few suggestions how you could work around the problem:
If it’s just you and your accountant, that have to read the mails, you could just simply mark the message as unread again, after you read it. Or even better… The accountant could move it to a different folder after it has been processed.
If multiple users have to process the emails, you could create a folder per user, where the respective users can move the messages to, while they are processing them. That way you could even assign them tasks by moving messages to their respective folders.
If you doing it like this, all emails in the inbox folder could always be considered as unread or non-assigned, regardless of their read / unread status.
I will research Afaik, but my current understanding is nextcloud isn’t a solution for my email. I currently use SMTP/IMAP clients “apple mail and Outlook” and have been for the last year and it is working as I described so I will not miss with it’s current setup.
The distribution list you mention also sound interesting. If that is the proper way to set up emails then it is something I will have to do, because it would be to intense to mark each email as read after reading it, that is a recipe for disaster … did I tell you only smart enough to be dangerous
@KarlF12@bb77
Thanks again for allowing me to think differently about my issue.
My solution:
I created to additional emails. I then created forwarding rules to send a copy to the newly created emails. I then configured the newly created emails on the nextcloud client and it works.
Not sure if it is the best solution but it works for any NEW emails sent. Is there a way to re-send any of the old emails to the forwarding clients?
Then it’s only due to some peculiar setting in the mail clients you use because the IMAP protocol works as I explained.
Some clients may have different settings (e.g. marking mail as read when clicked, or after 5 seconds, or not at all). But that doesn’t change the protocol inner workings. All actions on IMAP are carried out server side, including marking read/unread.
This is the big way it’s different than POP where messages are downloaded and managed client side with no further involvement of the server.
If you know what switch is enabled to accomplish my current setup then please comment, however I don’t need to read about what I already know. I figured apple mail and outlook has developers that created a switch of some kind, I just don’t know what it is. Outlook unfortunately championed enterprise solutions at the beginning so they understand the importance of what I am trying to do and Apple… well they can’t be outdone by MSN so I guess they also have whatever switch to maintain client read/unread states. If you know how they accomplished the fact that IMAP client worka as I stated because something was enable then I welcome your response or another solution like @bb77 suggested, but if you are here to just say it can’t be done, then please reserve your comments.
Sorry to appear rude @KarlF12 but I am looking for solutions and your last response I though was a little condescending. I’ve already explained the fact that my setup is working JUST not on nextcloud which I understand is open source.
Since you asked I have already asked @bb77 about my solution because he has proven to me that he provides solutions or work arounds to a problem he understood. So I will pose the question to you as well. I hope we first can agree written text always has room for misunderstanding and I hope we can move forward civil…
So my current solution so I can use nextcloud main v2.1.1. I created 2 additional emails accounts simply labeling them 1 and 2. I than created forwarding rules which forwards a copy of the email. I set up the clients with the new emails in nextcloud, tested and it is working.
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… did I tell you only smart enough to be dangerous 
well they can’t be outdone by MSN so I guess they also have whatever switch to maintain client read/unread states. If you know how they accomplished the fact that IMAP client worka as I stated because something was enable then I welcome your response or another solution like