Drafts and sent mail?

Hi Allan, it's the iPhone that is not syncing the drafts folder, not us. That folder is a special device-only folder, it seems.

We need to understand if it's a case of :

a) the iPhone just wants it this way, no way to change it (the 'no soup for you' solution).

or

b) the phone is willing to sync the drafts folder, but we've inadvertantly broken that mechanism.

Figuring out if we're dealing with (a) or (b) is one of our priorities this week.

by the way I just checked a Windows Mobile device and it did the same thing (saved on the device only), which strikes me as suspicious.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 12 Jul 2009 08:54 PDT

I just did a little research into google's recommendations.

They are a little bit all over the place concerning where to save sent and deleted messages. But for drafts they say:

DO save draft messages on the server. If you want your drafts in your mail client to sync correctly with Gmail's web interface, set your client to save drafts to the [Gmail]/Drafts folder.

This can be found (general rule area):
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78892

So while the default when configuraing an IMAP client on the iPhone is to save the drafts locally. They recommend changing it to the server in the IMAP folder settings on the iPhone.

I understand that if you do not have connectivity and want to write an email and then save it, you will not be able to, but that can always be saved as a note of something else. If we want to have drafts synced so that we can see them on our desktop AND on the iPhone and edit them then we need to be able to/or have the option to save the drafts on the server, as it is ONLY the server drafts folder that syncs back to the iPhone.

Thanks,
Allan

P.S. So far I really like the service. I think that the extra features you are offering above and beyond google's own calendar and contact sync are great. Especially the full calendar, multiple calendar and e-mail push. Thanks!

Hi Allan, the situation we're dealing with here is different (although on the face it sounds like the same problem).

We have the capability to write messages into any folder in your mailbox. We have the philosophical motivation to
save your draft messages in your drafts folder. Heck, we even have code for it. As far as the code is concerned
all folders look alike.

What is not happening however, is the device is not sending us the message.
Not at all. We never see it.

Hence my comments above that we need to determine if the devices are just built this way, or if we've done
something to make them behave this way (which could be un-done, obviously).

Doing a few Google searches, I found some evidence that devices as a matter of design, do not send drafts to the server:

http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=90633
http://www.technologyquestions.com/technology/smartphones/55739-activesync-not-picking-up-drafts.html
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/exchange/limitations.htm
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=96728
http://justinblanton.com/2008/07/iphone-exchange-drafts
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7978188

I'm going update the known issues page to include this.

So, I'd like to understand more about the user requirements here (drafts isn't a feature I ever use myself, to be honest so I need some education).

Is the main requirement one where a message is part-composed on the device, then later completed in the desktop environment ?
Or, is it a case of wanting to look at previously saved messages in the mailbox drafts folder that were composed in the desktop environment ?

I think we could do something to allow the 'real' drafts folder to be seen on the device : this would just be a case of making a folder without the flag that tells the device that it is the drafts folder. You'd be able to see messages in that folder, but I doubt if they could be edited and sent on the phone (except by the cumbersome workaround of copy/paste the content into a new message).

Thanks for the work on this. Much appreciated.

I personally use the draft folder for 2 reasons:

1. To save an email that I am working on, but not ready to send. I then would like to be able to continue working on it either on the iPhone or on my desktop. This could start on the iPhone and continue on the desktop. Or visa-versa.

2. I also use the drafts to keep track of somethings that I want to remember for short periods of time to work on. As (previously) it autosynced OTA, I would have this info in 2 places. Kind of like OTA autosyncing of the notepad or Todo list.

Right now the 'real' drafts folder is seen on my iPhone. I see 2 drafts folders.
The first one (the local one) is the one with the folded piece of paper icon.
The second one (the server one) is indented under the Gmail line and it's icon is a folder.

I can create a draft on my desktop and save it, and then I CAN see the draft in the real drafts folder (indented folder icon) on my iPhone. But like you said it cannot be edited. It behaves as a received email. I think it is because their can only be 1 drafts folder and that is the folder the iPhone will let you edit the mail.

Before I switched my mail from IMAP connection (direct with gmail) to exchange sync (with you) I was able to point my iPhone to use either the server drafts or the local drafts. If I pointed local, then I ran into the same problem I have now. If I pointed to the server, then I was able to save to the draft folder on the server AND utlitize the server Drafts folder in both places and have it behave like a drafts folder. Edit and send from either the iPhone or the desktop.

Allan

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 12 Jul 2009 13:59 PDT

allanweinman wrote:Before I switched my mail from IMAP connection (direct with gmail) to exchange sync (with you) I was able to point my iPhone to use either the server drafts or the local drafts. If I pointed local, then I ran into the same problem I have now. If I pointed to the server, then I was able to save to the draft folder on the server AND utlitize the server Drafts folder in both places and have it behave like a drafts folder. Edit and send from either the iPhone or the desktop.

Allan

I totally agree with Allan: this behavior that the GMail direct imap sync has is (I think most people would agree with me) the desired one. I think if you can just mimic the gmail imap sync behavior with respect to the Draft folder it would be perfect.