Trying to understand INBOX

[Vicki Brown]

Up until about an hour ago, my "INBOX" was my mailspool file. Then my "manager" said "Oh, your INBOX should be in mbx format. I have changed it". And now my "INBOX" is moved to a /var/IMAP subdir, along with all of my (previous) mail folders.

How does the INBOX file get created _the first time_?
I have read the rules to select INBOX and its format (drivers.txt) in the IMAP docs and they imply the prior existence of various files which IMAP then checks for in order. But... how do those files come into existence?

I am presuming that sendmail delivers my mail to /var/spool/mail in traditional Unix mbox format.
The existence of an INBOX in "mbx" format makes c-client use that in preference to the spool file (according to the doc). Unless that mbx-format file exists, however, c-client will fall back on other formats.

Was some admin person supposed to create an mbx format INBOX file for me when they set up my account (and they didn't do so)?

Does any code cause the initial creation of an mbx-format INBOX or must that be created "by hand" when an account is created?
- Vicki