Hi,
I think it is worth improving the explanation of this in next version of the IMAP
specification. E.g. examples like:
Example: C: A654 FETCH 2:4 (FLAGS BODY[HEADER.FIELDS (DATE FROM)])
S: * 2 FETCH ....
S: * 3 FETCH ....
S: * 4 FETCH ....
S: A654 OK FETCH completed
can be changed to something like:
Example: C: A654 FETCH 2:4 (FLAGS BODY[HEADER.FIELDS (DATE FROM)])
S: * 4 FETCH ....
S: * 8 EXPUNGE (Deleted from another client)
S: * 2 FETCH ....
S: * 3 FETCH ....
S: A654 OK FETCH completed
For UID FETCH is probably the same thing. The UID's in each * FETCH can not be
expected to be in increasing order.
I understand "prepared for any response at any time" that EXPUNGE, FETCH, etc. can be
stuffed into the response to IMAP commands.
I was not aware that it also means "any order" in sequence-set responses.
Best Regards,
Per.
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Mark Crispin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 15:04:42 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
>On Tue, 4 Nov 2003, Arnt Gulbrandsen wrote:
>> It make sense. Imagine a server processing a search:
>> for each message in the mailbox:
>> think about whether this message matches the search
>> if there are any matches that have been known for two seconds:
>> send all matches so far in a response and clear the list
>> send any remaining matches
>> send tagged ok
>> This permits a smart client to begin to display results after only two
>> seconds, instead of waiting until the entire million-message mailbox
>> has been considered.
>
>That wouldn't work, because IMAP doesn't guarantee any processing order;
>it just guarantees that everything was done when the tagged OK comes back.
>
>For example, a server can respond to FETCH 1:4 FLAGS with
> * 3 FETCH (FLAGS ...)
> * 1 FETCH (FLAGS ...)
> * 4 FETCH (FLAGS ...)
> * 2 FETCH (FLAGS ...)
>
>A client which expects these responses to be in ascending order is broken.
>
>-- Mark --
>
>http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
>Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
>Si vis pacem, para bellum.
>
>
>
