Gmail questions

In another thread usafveteran gave useful advice to the OP on how to get read receipt functionality in gmail using gmail's POP/IMAP feature in an email client. As I regularly use a number of different computers, and want easy access to my mail regardless of machine, I've always used gmail in webmail mode. But if I switch to IMAP what happens about Contacts? Are they also synchronized? And do gmail's labels also function in IMAP? And is the Bin folder synchronized?

I'm a bit reluctant to actually set IMAP up and test these things in case I upset what is presently a very satisfactory situation other than not having any local access to my mail folders following Google's decision to disable Offline Mail.

 

Earthling,

I know it sounds like more work, in the interim, until a more technical person responds to your question, why don't you setup a second Gmail account with say, 5 contacts, test the receipt functionality, then add/remove contacts and see if it works to your satisfaction. If so, then convert your main account over. If not, then perhaps e-mail Gmail support or wait for a better response here?

Sorry I don't have a more technical response for you -)

 

Yeah, I know I'm just being lazy, but usafveteran knows all this email stuff like the back of his hand and he will have some useful advice for me when he turns up. At the present time I really don't have the time it would take to check it all out myself, and there isn't any rush.

 

Hi Earthling,

Your Contacts will not be synchronized. So, what I suggest is exporting your gmail Contacts to a CSV file and then import that file into your email client. I haven't tried this so I can't say whether the procedure will be flawless in its execution. But, the CSV format is generally employed for such purposes, so I think it should work fine.

Yes. If you add, rename, or delete folders by accessing your gmail account via web browser, those changes will appear in your email client(s).

I'm not sure what you mean by "Bin folder".

 

Thanks, disappointing about Contacts but they don't change that often so can live with that. By Bin folder I just meant gmail's Bin, which I find I often want to delve into for something previously deleted, but anyway I'll find the time now to set up a dummy account as suggested and check it all out before deciding whether to take the plunge back into IMAP, which I used to use with my ISP before I went to gmail. But if Google bring back offline mail, which they have said they will, I'd go for that in preference to IMAP.

 

I have two gmail accounts and neither of them has a "Bin" folder. They have a Trash folder, which seems to be what you're calling a "Bin" folder. If your a "Bin" folder is something that appeared in your account without you creating it, that would make me wonder whether gmail looks different in the UK than here in the US.

 

Yes, that seems to be the case. Here are the online folders and other actions a UK gmail user gets offered. I was just having a look to see what is happening about gmail offline. Help is hopelessly out of date and still talks about installing Gears, but Gears was dropped in May when Chrome 12 came out, and although Google say offline will be available again this summer, summer's nearly over here and no sign of it. rolleyes

that shot was taken Firefox btw, not Chrome

 

This info has been really helpful. Although gmail in webmail mode works brilliantly for me, hopping as I do between several different computers, I was concerned that with the dropping of Google Gears I had no local copy of my emails. However by setting up a gmail IMAP account on just one of the computers I now have my local copies. I s'pose I'm still left wondering whether those copies would be intact in the hopefully unlikely event that Google managed to lose everything and the IMAP account was unable to sync. Hopefully this will never be put to the test. :confused

I used Windows Live Mail for the test, and it worked well, but I'll test it now in Thunderbird, as for some reason I've never been too keen on WLM.

 

I put it to the test by simply disconnecting the router and rebooting. Everything was intact so I can now safely recommend gmail users to try this method of ensuring you always have a local up-to-date copy of your gmail messages.

TBird 6 worked well too.

 

With Thunderbird 6 there is an addin, Zindus, which keeps Google and TBird contacts in sync. Seems to work flawlessly. In fact TBird and Gmail in IMAP mode work flawlessly. Only thing I haven't been able to sync is my Google Calendar - I can export it but not sync it.