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Re: [PATCH] docs: explain how to use `git imap-send --list` command to get a list of available folders

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Jul 22, 2025, 15:47 UTC
Message-ID
<xmqqfreotegx.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To
<20250722114246.20422-1-gargaditya08@live.com>
Aditya Garg <gargaditya08@live.com> writes:
> The output `git imap-send --list` command can be a bit confusing for new
> users since the IMAP LIST command output is very verbose. Help such users
> to analyse the same by using an example output.

The documentation added by 067a91b0 (imap-send: add ability to list the available folders, 2025-06-20) is overly insufficient, so let's queue this update on top of it.

But I am not sure if "very verbose" is a cause for worry. I would agree if the argument were that it is not very friendly to end-users to throw raw IMAP protocol messages at them. But it is what needs to be fixed in the implementation, not papered over with documentation.

Thanks.
Show 31 quoted lines
> +GETTING A LIST OF AVAILABLE FOLDERS
> +-----------------------------------
> +
> +In order to send an email to a specific folder, you need to know the correct name of
> +intended folder in your mailbox. The names like "Junk", "Trash" etc. displayed by
> +various email clients need to be the actual names of the folders stored in the mail
> +server of your email provider.
> +
> +In order to get the correct folder name to be used with `git imap-send`, you can run
> +`git imap-send --list`. This will display a list of valid folder names. An example
> +of such an output when run on a Gmail account is:
> +
> +.........................
> +* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "/" "INBOX"
> +* LIST (\HasChildren \Noselect) "/" "[Gmail]"
> +* LIST (\All \HasNoChildren) "/" "[Gmail]/All Mail"
> +* LIST (\Drafts \HasNoChildren) "/" "[Gmail]/Drafts"
> +* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Important) "/" "[Gmail]/Important"
> +* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Sent) "/" "[Gmail]/Sent Mail"
> +* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Junk) "/" "[Gmail]/Spam"
> +* LIST (\Flagged \HasNoChildren) "/" "[Gmail]/Starred"
> +* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Trash) "/" "[Gmail]/Trash"
> +.........................
> +
> +Here, you can observe that the correct name for the "Junk" folder is `[Gmail]/Spam`
> +and for the "Trash" folder is `[Gmail]/Trash`. Similar logic can be used to determine
> +other folders as well.
> +
>  EXAMPLES
>  --------
>  Using tunnel mode:
Previous: Aditya GargNext: Aditya Garg
Message 3 of 4 in “docs: explain how to use `git imap-send --list` command to get a list of available folders”
  1. docs: explain how to use `git imap-send --list` command to get a list of available foldersAditya Garg, Jul 22, 2025
  2. docs: explain how to use `git imap-send --list` command to get a list of available foldersAditya Garg, Jul 22, 2025
  3. Junio C HamanoJul 22, 2025
  4. Aditya GargJul 22, 2025

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