iPhone, Gmail IMAP, and too many folders

[lanray]

Ok, to add to the growing number of threads on this subject. In Mac Mail, there's just too many folders to follow. In my "Inbox", there's the IMAP Gmail inbox. Then there's the "Sent" folder. Below, underneath all my user-added Mail folders, there's the "GMail IMAP" icon (I named it, but the computer added it). When I click on it the arrow to unleash the list of folders, there's a GMail icon that's shaded with an arrow, and then 4 folders: deleted messages, Gmail tried to junk, a folder I created in Gmail, and then another sent folder. When I click on the arrow of the aforementioned shaded Gmail icon, I get a whole other set of folders: all mail, drafts, sent mail, spam, starred, and trash.

On my phone, I have a similar problem with multiple sent folders.

Question is: how to manage all this? What I don't want is multiple messages in Mail so that when I search I get all kinds of duplicate responses (and the problem of wasted space - I use Mail a lot).

Any solutions?

oop - is it as simple as the stuff below is a record of what's on the server and the stuff above is local?

 

[Angelo921]

At least you have access to IMAP for Gmail. Im still waiting

 

[pacohaas]

oop - is it as simple as the stuff below is a record of what's on the server and the stuff above is local?

Yes, map the stuff to the [Gmail] folders, that should get rid of a few duplicates.

 

[Akira1980]

This will help.

http://5thirtyone.com/archives/862

 

[lanray]

a bit confusing

I looked at the link, pacohaas, and it's helpful (thanks!). Perhaps someone with more exeperience than I can offer explanation/clarification. In Leopard, there's all my inboxes/sent, etc., toward the top, then there's an account listing below, with "Gmail IMAP" that I named, also with all the folders (embedded). My assumption is that these are just a representation of what's on my gmail account, whereas the stuff above is what's on my computer. Is that right?

 

[Jade Cambell]

I looked at the link, pacohaas, and it's helpful (thanks!). Perhaps someone with more exeperience than I can offer explanation/clarification. In Leopard, there's all my inboxes/sent, etc., toward the top, then there's an account listing below, with "Gmail IMAP" that I named, also with all the folders (embedded). My assumption is that these are just a representation of what's on my gmail account, whereas the stuff above is what's on my computer. Is that right?

Well, it's all on the gmail server. None of it is really on your computer, at least not permenentaly I don't think. They are all boxes on the gmail server. Using the instructions in that link above, make each of those pre-set Gmail boxes ACT as your mail.app boxes. They will disappear, and then what shows up in the corresponding box on gmail.com will appear directly in the correct box in mail.app.

It worked perfectly for me. My sent box in mail is now my "Sent Mail" box on gmail.com, and same for Drafts, and Trash, but for some reason I couldn't make the "Spam" box become my "Junk" box. But oh well. Everything else worked.