Re: [VM] N Stale messages are ignored

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Thanks Uday - comments inline
Uday Reddy wrote at about 15:34:42 +0100 on Monday, August 5, 2013:
 > address@hidden writes:
 > 
 > > I keep getting the above message when I save my Imap folder.
 > 
 > I copy my old message below:
 > 
 > `V l stale' shows the stale messages.

When I run this I get:
         (inbox label stale): No messages.

Despite the fact that 'saving' gives me:
         492 stale deleted messages are ignored


 > This is one of the dark corners of IMAP handling.  If everything is 
 > working correctly, the *only* time this warning should arise is when the 
 > IMAP server changes the UIDVALIDITY value.  In that case, all the 
 > messages in the cache folder become "stale" and VM will get fresh copies 
 > of everything.  In that case, you should answer "yes" to the question 
 > about expunge.

I don't get any question asked -- perhaps because vm thinks there are
no Messages in the stale virtual folder

 > If the message arises in any other situation, you should know that 
 > something has gone wrong and you should be very careful with what you do 
 > next.  Two possibilities are:
 > - VM has successfully recovered from whatever went wrong, and obtained 
 > fresh copies of the messages.  In that case, it is fine to delete the 
 > "stale" copies and keep the good copies.
 > 
 > - VM didn't recover from the problems correctly and the "stale" copies 
 > are all that you have.  In that case, your safest course of action is to 
 > get rid of your imap-cache folder and let VM rebuild a new cache folder.

I'm not sure what situations I am or how to determine... hence, not
sure how I should respond...

 > Be warned!  The IMAP code is not as fault-tolerant as it should be. 
 > Whenever you get vm-imap-protocol error with some other deeper error 
 > buried inside it, you should be wary.  It is incredibly hard to write 
 > fault-tolerant code and I can't promise that I got it right.  Getting 
 > rid of the imap-cache folder is the safest course of action.
 > 
 > > I read in an old posting that one solution is to:
 > > - Run: vm-prune-imap-retrieved-list
 > > - Remove the imap-cache folder and then let VM regenerate it
 > > 
 > > Is this still the best way to do this?
 > 
 > Note that I distinguished between two separate cases in my previous message.
 > (i) UIDVALIDITY change and (ii) result of previous IMAP faults.  You haven't
 > said which case you are dealing with.

How do I know which case applies to me... the only way I even got a
clue about stale messages is from the message I received "492 stale deleted 
messages are ignored"
 > 
 > The first case (UIDVALIDITY change) is straightforward.  You can just get
 > rid of all the stale messages.

How would I do this? I don't seem to get a list of them to delete.

 > The second case is more complicated.  That is why VM leaves it to you to
 > figure out what went wrong and do the right thing.  VM has no idea what
 > faults might have occurred to cause those stale messages.  For all it knows,
 > the stale messages might be the only copies of those messages you have, and
 > if you delete them, you might lose them forever.
 > 
 > So, your best course is to find out what those stale messages are and
 > whether they are redundant copies are essential ones.

Again, I don't even know what the stale messages are so I can't tell
if they are redundant or not.

 > Cheers,
 > Uday

Thanks again for your help!