I suppose you use IMAP ? I use filters to MOVE emails to local folders. that way they are deleted from server as well when I compact or has set "clean up Inbox at exit" (Account settings / Server settings).

When you create the filter you can tell it to set mail as unread. whether you run it automatically or manually it will set them unread

I do use an Imap server for my personal email. 2 actually, but I don't really use the second all that much.

I think I found a way to have thunderbird mark it as unread. But I'm not entirely sure if the message I want to be marked, will be. Right now, I added a first step marking the message as unread. But then, I left the other 2 steps (copy to local folder, and move to trash folder on the server) the way they are.

What I'm unclear on, is will it mark the message on the server as unread? Or will it mark the local message as unread? I want the local message marked as unread, not the server message (if at all possible, I'd like to have the server message marked as read).

Do you have any reasons to keep message at server? When using IMAP it can be looked at as having a window into the servers folders so what you do is on the server. If you set it as unread in Inbox it is setting it in the servers inbox. If you move something out of the inbox you are moving it out of the servers inbox. That way deleting it there.

BUT a deletion isn't carried out until you compact the inbox. Messages in a folder are stored in one single file and whenever you delete a message it is only marked (to be) deleted and not shown. When you compact a folder it is rewritten without any "deleted" messages. This takes time. Thats why you need to keep your inbox small and compacted

If your uncertain what it will do, just test and check. My guess is that they will be changed on both places as the unread command is run before the move/copy command

Edit: You cant set the unread - command after the move as the message is no longer available in inbox

I keep the emails on the server mostly because I don't want to lose access to any emails. I don't delete most emails I receive, just in case (these few are the exception).

I ran the rule today, with a few more emails from those individuals, and it marked them as read on the server. So it was showing I had unread emails in my trash folder. This is purley irrational, but that does bother me. Making me think I've forgotten something, or deleted something I didn't mean to. Is there any way to get those in the trash to be marked as read?

Also, are you saying emails aren't actually deleted off the server until I run the compacting process from my local machine? Do I have that right?

Yes thats right. A folder is a single file were mails are added and added as they are downloaded. When one mail some were in this file is deleted it just gets a flag telling TB not to show it and not to copy it when folder is compacted. The server provider can have different ways to store mails but they use a "No Show, to be deleted" - flag or a "this is trash"-flag. This mail is also copied to the trash-folder. when you undelete you only remove this flag in original-folder and set it in trash-folder. A compact cleans up a folder from all deleted files and emptying the trash-folder makes a new empty trash-folder and deletes the old.

TB asks the server to do the same. As well as when you delete on server the server asks TB to do the same. (synchronizing)

I don't understand how you set up your rule / filter can you make a screen-copy of it? And send it to me, "myname" at Gmail.com.

I'm not comfortable with that, mostly because of the conditional statement. It contains some names I'd rather not disclose on here.

But I can write it down here.

If: body contains (set of names)

Perform these actions: Mark as unread Copy Message to (local folder) Move message to trash on (personal email)

If you need me to, I can create a similar rule and change the names around. But that is all the rule currently does. I tried to add another step between the copy message, and the move message, marking it as read again. But sadly, it seems you can't do that with a rule. Once you have something being marked as unread, the marked as read option is greyed out.

I'm going to try and create a separate rule to run the mark as read, and move to trash steps. But thats the only way I can see to get this done, as I'd like it to be done. Unless there is another way I don't know about?

Are you looking for names within the body? Its do-able but any variation will miss the mark. If you first set it as unread thats what it will be. I don't see the purpose of copy and then moving to trash. Why not delete? Those mails you want to treat this way are kept in trash either way.

If you make that other rule be sure it runs after the first one.

There is also an add-on recover deleted messages that scans a NOT compacted folder. that could save you in case.

Oh thanks, I didn't see the delete function before. So I just moved it to the trash instead. Changed the rule to delete instead.

And yes, I'm looking for names in the body. So far, I haven't had any failures. But they are being sorted from the inbox, so I'll see anything missed and add it to the rule. My trouble is, emails aren't always coming from the same addresses. So I look for headers and signatures.

Ok, so I created the second rule, and added it below the first one. So now the first one marks it unread and copy's it to the local folder, and the second marks it read, and deletes it. There's no way to combine those two steps? It seems rather pointless to need 2 rules for such a simple process.

Is there any way to auto compact folders? I'd like to have that functionality run once a day.

In account settings / server settings at the bottom there is "Expunge ...on exit." As it says it will compact when you exit TB.

In option/ advanced /network and disk-space you can set it to compact all folders if saved space would be over x MB

My setting are: when delete just mark it as deleted (then it shows in inbox but is marked with a red X.) so I never copy them to trash. I have Expunge on exit. This way I don't have to care about emptying trash. And as long as I have TB running I can undelete. I use a rule to MOVE messages to Local folders. Those moved messages will be marked deleted (With the X) in inbox. As I automatically move them before I read them they will stay marked as unread in Local Folders. On server they are seen as read, probably because I moved them and not marked X But as I close TB they are deleted from Inbox. Both on TB and on server

• whew* finally found the link to update this thread.

So I've been using the rules for a little while now, and they aren't quite working. They are copying the needed emails to the correct local folder. But what they aren't doing is marking them unread. Is there a step I'm missing here?

I'm running both rules against my inbox, not against the local folder.

I tried to find an answer, it does the same to me. Every time I copy it set it as read, so it doesn't matter that I first set it as unread. Your filters are running first thing whenever a mail comes in(?) they are then unread (or?) By moving it keeps its unread state.

Turn on your filter log (In Message Filters) and see whats happens.

By using "just mark it as deleted" Under account settings/server settings It will stay in inbox until you compact. just as it does if you "delete/copy" it to trash

ok, i'll turn on that log first thing tomorrow.

So the copy is an implicit mark as read as well (hope I used that terminology correctly)? Is there a rule I can set to mark the new mail as unread in the local folder?

Something has to trigger a filter to run, Usually its "new" mail. In Local folders a copied or moved mail doesn't trigger a filter (Why I don't know)

This worked IF you run it manually on local folder

In filters for INBOX: If ...... Tag message label x copy message to local folders/test delete message

In filters for Local Folders: If folders name is test + tag is label x

set as unread + remove tag label x

Ok, so I turned on my filter log.

I also started playing around with the filters, to try and find a way to remove tags. But I couldn't find a way for a filter to remove a tag. A quick google search revealed that there is no way to remove a tag via filters.

Is there another way I can do that, besides manually?

Maybe it's because i have an add-on FiltaQuilla, but I can set different tags or remove them.

Thats a useful sounding addon. Thanks!

Ok, so I installed the addon, and there still isn't a way to remove tags in the rules. So I'm guessing that addon doesn't give you that feature.

There are options underadd-ons / FiltaQuilla,.