102 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
102 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
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# Folder Pattern Matching in mail2couch
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mail2couch supports powerful wildcard patterns for selecting which folders to process. This allows flexible configuration for different mail backup scenarios.
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## Pattern Syntax
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The folder filtering uses Go's `filepath.Match` syntax, which supports:
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- `*` matches any sequence of characters (including none)
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- `?` matches any single character
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- `[abc]` matches any character within the brackets
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- `[a-z]` matches any character in the range
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- `\` escapes special characters
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## Special Cases
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- `"*"` in the include list means **ALL available folders** will be processed
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- Empty include list with exclude patterns will process all folders except excluded ones
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- Exact string matching is supported for backwards compatibility
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## Examples
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### Include All Folders
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```json
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{
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"folderFilter": {
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"include": ["*"],
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"exclude": ["Drafts", "Trash", "Spam"]
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}
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}
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```
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This processes all folders except Drafts, Trash, and Spam.
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### Work-Related Folders Only
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```json
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{
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"folderFilter": {
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"include": ["Work*", "Projects*", "INBOX"],
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"exclude": ["*Temp*", "*Draft*"]
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}
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}
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```
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This includes folders starting with "Work" or "Projects", plus INBOX, but excludes any folder containing "Temp" or "Draft".
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### Archive Patterns
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```json
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{
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"folderFilter": {
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"include": ["Archive*", "*Important*", "INBOX"],
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"exclude": ["*Temp"]
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}
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}
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```
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This includes folders starting with "Archive", any folder containing "Important", and INBOX, excluding temporary folders.
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### Specific Folders Only
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```json
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{
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"folderFilter": {
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"include": ["INBOX", "Sent", "Important"],
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"exclude": []
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}
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}
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```
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This processes only the exact folders: INBOX, Sent, and Important.
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### Subfolder Patterns
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```json
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{
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"folderFilter": {
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"include": ["Work/*", "Personal/*"],
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"exclude": ["*/Drafts"]
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}
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}
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```
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This includes all subfolders under Work and Personal, but excludes any Drafts subfolder.
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## Folder Hierarchy
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Different IMAP servers use different separators for folder hierarchies:
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- Most servers use `/` (e.g., `Work/Projects`, `Archive/2024`)
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- Some use `.` (e.g., `Work.Projects`, `Archive.2024`)
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The patterns work with whatever separator your IMAP server uses.
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## Common Use Cases
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1. **Corporate Email**: `["*"]` with exclude `["Drafts", "Trash", "Spam"]` for complete backup
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2. **Selective Backup**: `["INBOX", "Sent", "Important"]` for essential folders only
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3. **Project-based**: `["Project*", "Client*"]` to backup work-related folders
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4. **Archive Mode**: `["Archive*", "*Important*"]` for long-term storage
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5. **Sync Mode**: `["INBOX"]` for real-time synchronization
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## Message Origin Tracking
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All messages stored in CouchDB include a `mailbox` field that records the original folder name. This ensures you can always identify which folder a message came from, regardless of how it was selected by the folder filter.
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## Performance Considerations
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- Using `"*"` processes all folders, which may be slow for accounts with many folders
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- Specific folder names are faster than wildcard patterns
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- Consider using exclude patterns to filter out large, unimportant folders like Trash or Spam
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