Settings for eM Client - getting error messages

[#1]

I have recently set up eM Client as my email client on my W7 laptop.  So far as I can tell I have used all the correct IMAP and SMTP settings, but I am getting error messages stating "Unable to create folder" ... (Invalid mailbox name), as shown on the attached image.  The Inbox is OK but other folders, eg Drafts, Sent etc are marked with an exclamation mark.

I talked to the PlusNet helpdesk, who couldn't help; the best they could suggest was that I deleted everything on eM Client and start again.  I did that and still get the same error messages.  I am reluctant to uninstall eM Client and reinstall it as I have another email service set up on it and I don't want to lose all my contacts. 

I was previously using Thunderbird on my laptop with no problem, but that was set up as a POP client (but set to NOT delete from the Server) as I only wanted to delete from server after downloading to my tower M/C.

Any help from another eM Client user would be gratefully received, or from anyone who can solve this irritating problem.

Thanks

[#2]

Welcome to the Plusnet Community forums. 

From the scrrenshot it looks to me as if eM is trying to create folders at the top level. That's not correct, the folders should already exist and they are sub-folders of INBOX. Do the (perhaps advanced) settings include a folder path? This would need to be INBOX., perhaps terminated by a full stop as the folder separator.

[#3]

I did not realise that folders had to be created at a sub level, that is not how they appear in Thunderbird nor TypeApp (which I use on my Android tablet).  The advanced settings do show folder paths, but they were all greyed out and I could not find a way of editing them, or even deleting them.  Because of your comment that "the folders should already exist and they are sub-folders of INBOX" I clicked against the Inbox arrow and revealed all the folders.  I was still left with the annoying error messages as I could not delete any folders, so all I could do was Ignore All, and then Hide the folders, but they are still there with accusing exclamation marks inside a "More" folder.

Thank you for your help.  Regards.

[#4]

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@spraxyt wrote:

... That's not correct, the folders should already exist and they are sub-folders of INBOX.

Hi David,

That comment rang an alarm bell ... on other email services of recent times, I have seen new email boxes created and there being no default subfolders.  Not being able to recall if that was related to the PN services or one of the other email services I use, I just did a test with a new mailbox on Plusnet mail...

* OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4REV1] perdition ready on mail.plus.net 000289f3
a login *******+folder.test t*****24
a OK LOGIN Ok.
a list "" *
* LIST (\Marked \HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
a OK LIST completed
a list "" %
* LIST (\Marked \HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
a OK LIST completed
a logout
* BYE Courier-IMAP server shutting down
a OK LOGOUT completed
Connection to host lost.

This appears to match the experience that the expected default folders are not present when the mailbox is created ... which is why different email clients can make such a hash of things if the expected folders are not there.

Personally having created a new email box I FIRST log into webmail, send and email (creates the SENT folder), creates and save an email (creates the DRAFT folder) and the delete one of the above (creates the TRASH folder).  This creates a consistent naming convention which most email clients will follow ... though the very basic email client which ships with Win10 will not use the IMAP DRAFTS folder and insists on putting outbound items in SENT ITEMS even if there is already a folder called SENT.

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[#5]

@Townman

Yes, you are right.

I replicated the behaviour after creating a new Force9 mailbox.

telnet imap.force9.net 143
>>> clears the window then responds
* OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4REV1] perdition ready on mail.force9.net 000289ee
li login mailboxlogin password
li OK LOGIN Ok.
lis list "" *
* LIST (\Marked \HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX"
lis OK LIST completed
>>> flag \Marked implies the INBOX has been updated (new address message)
>>> flag \HasNoChildren means no subfolders exist.
>>> I logged into the mailbox on webmail at this point and defined my identity
>>> then back here to repeat the list command
lis2 list "" *
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
* LIST (\Marked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
lis2 OK LIST completed
>>> and the INBOX now shows \HasChildren with the standard subfolders created.
lo logout
* BYE Courier-IMAP server shutting down
lo OK LOGOUT completed

I wonder if doing first access on Thunderbird or Outlook 2016 as I normally do also forces standard subfolder creation. I'll find out later ....

[#6]

Certainly does on Outlook 2016 but IIRC you get a Sent Items and a Deleted Items folder rather than Sent and Trash.

[#7]

I deleted that mailbox in MMM, then an hour later created it again (with a different password).

Telneted into imap.force9.net and logged in to the recreated mailbox.. This time the subfolder structure was already in place.

* OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4REV1] perdition ready on mail.force9.net 000289ee
li login mailboxlogin anotherpassword
li OK LOGIN Ok.
lis list "" *
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
* LIST (\Marked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
lis OK LIST completed

However mailbox creation has simply allocated already formatted disk space. Selecting the folder and fetching content shows the original new mailbox email is still there, along with the new one.

se select inbox
* FLAGS (\Draft \Answered \Flagged \Deleted \Seen \Recent)
* OK [PERMANENTFLAGS (\* \Draft \Answered \Flagged \Deleted \Seen)] Limited
* 2 EXISTS
* 1 RECENT
* OK [UIDVALIDITY 523039690] Ok
* OK [MYRIGHTS "acdilrsw"] ACL
se OK [READ-WRITE] Ok
fe fetch 1:* (flags)
* 1 FETCH (FLAGS ())
* 2 FETCH (FLAGS (\Recent))
fe OK FETCH completed.
fb fetch 1 body[]
* 1 FETCH (BODY[] {3740}
... (lots of lines deleted)
Delivery-date: Fri, 06 Apr 2018 19:26:28 +0100
...
)
* 1 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen))
fb OK FETCH completed.
fb2 fetch 2 body[]
* 2 FETCH (BODY[] {3740}
...
Delivery-date: Fri, 06 Apr 2018 21:30:31 +0100
...
)
* 2 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen \Recent))
fb2 OK FETCH completed.

I've deleted them now and expunged the folder so it's now empty.

st store 1:* +flags \deleted
* 1 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen \Deleted))
* 2 FETCH (FLAGS (\Seen \Deleted \Recent))
st OK STORE completed.
ex expunge
* 1 EXPUNGE
* 1 EXPUNGE
* 0 EXISTS
* 0 RECENT
ex OK EXPUNGE completed
lo logout
* BYE Courier-IMAP server shutting down
lo OK LOGOUT completed