Arch Linux

GregW

Member

From: 53°24'N 2°35'W

Registered: 2008-02-09

Posts: 56

KMail2 mail recovery

On previous versions of kmail it was very simple to backup and restore your mail folders following a disk crash or machine upgrade by just copying the ~/Mail directory back to its previous location.

KMail 2.1.1 on KDE 4.6.5 is a very different mail client. Starting new a new mail profile the default 'Local Folders' are created in ~/.local/share/local-mail with a hidden ~/.local/share/.local-mail.directory folder. Creating new folders and dragging messages from any source imap/pop populates the 'new' subdirectory within the maidir folder structure. If you backup the local-mail and .local-mail.directory folders, delete them and  restore the folder structure on a new profile no mail is imported. forcing update folders does nothing and you can't get your mail back. I really don't want to have to import it as maildir, such a waste of time and effort.

So how do I backup and restore my mail? How do I now perform this previously simple task?

If you remove the local mail folders from within Kmail it crashes.

I don't know what the difference is between a 'Kmail Folder' and an 'Local Folder' both are classed as maildir format. but you can't create new folders within a KMail Folder structure. Plenty reporting this as a bug already on the bug tracker.

KMail2 obfuscates so much now it's ridiculous and the additional onion layers of complexity goes against the KISS principle and exposes users to increased complexity when it's just not required.

GregW

mips1

Member

Registered: 2008-01-02

Posts: 99

Re: KMail2 mail recovery

I don't have a clue but maybe try and delete the config files and akonadi database.

GregW

Member

From: 53°24'N 2°35'W

Registered: 2008-02-09

Posts: 56

Re: KMail2 mail recovery

OK after further messing about with this.

In KMail Settings., Configure Kmail,, Accounts, Receiving select the 'Local Folder ' set the retrieval options like this;

Include in Manual Mailcheck OFF
Switch Off Line on KMail Shutdown OFF
Check Mail on Startup ON

Quit kmail.

Delete the ~/.local/share/.local-mail.directory/  folder

Unzip your KMail maildir format backup to ~/.local/share/.local-mail.directory

Launch Kmail and the folders get updated straight away without having to d!ck about with the settings.

However, all mail flags are lost. and everything appears as unread.

Cheers
GregW

Last edited by GregW (2011-07-14 11:32:33)