Network Working Group Arnt Gulbrandsen
Internet-Draft July 8, 2010
Intended Status: Proposed Standard
The IMAP SEARCH=INTHREAD and THREAD=REFS Extensions
draft-ietf-morg-inthread-01.txt
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Abstract
The SEARCH=INTHREAD extension extends the IMAP SEARCH command to
operate on threads as well as individual messages. Other commands
which search are implicitly extended. This allows clients to perform
searches such as "find all threads that mention schemata", rather
than just "find all single messages that mention schemata".
The THREAD=REFS extension provides a threading algorithm using
(almost) only the References header field for use with the IMAP
THREAD command.
1. Conventions Used in This Document
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].
Formal syntax is defined by [RFC5234].
Example lines prefaced by "C:" are sent by the client and ones
prefaced by "S:" by the server. The five characters [...] means that
something has been elided.
2. Overview
This document defines two related extensions.
The THREAD=REFS extension defined a fairly pure References-based
(see [RFC5322] section 3.6.4) threading algorithm for use with the
THREAD command (see [RFC5256]) and with SEARCH=INTHREAD.
An IMAP server (see [RFC3501]) that supports the THREAD=REFS
extension MUST announce THREAD=REFS as capabilities. The THREAD=REFS
extension adds no new commands and responses, only a new thread
algorithm.
The SEARCH=INTHREAD extension extends the IMAP SEARCH command to
operate on threads as well as individual messages. Other commands
which search are implicitly extended. SEARCH=INTHREAD requires that
servers implement THREAD=REFS too.
An IMAP server that supports SEARCH=INTHREAD announces both
SEARCH=INTHREAD and THREAD=REFS as capabilities. The SEARCH=INTHRAD
extension adds no new commands and responses, but adds two new
search-keys, INTHREAD and MESSAGEID, and one search return option,
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THREAD=REFS.
3. New Search Keys etc.
This document defines a new search key which finds all messages in a
thread where at least one message matches another (specified) search
key, and a helper which matches a message given its message-id.
3.1. The INTHREAD Search Key
INTHREAD takes one argument, which is another search key.
If the argument matches a message, then INTHREAD matches all the
message in the same thread as that message.
This command finds all messages in an entire thread concerning the
meetings where fizzle was discussed:
C: a UID SEARCH INTHREAD (SUBJECT meeting BODY fizzle)
This command threads all threads containing at least one message
from fred@example.com:
C: a UID THREAD REFS utf-8 INTHREAD FROM <fred@example.com>
3.2. The MESSAGEID Search Key
The MESSAGEID search key takes a sigle argument, and matches a
message if that message's message-id is the same as the argument.
This command finds all in the same thread as
<432.123.321@example.com>:
C: a UID SEARCH INTHREAD MESSAGEID
"<4321.1234.321@example.com>"
Note that in the past, some message-ids contained needless quoting.
Up to around 2001, a message might have the following Message-ID:
Message-ID: <"432.123.321"@example.com>
A reply might remove the unnecessary quotes:
References: <432.123.321@example.com>
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Although such message-id quoting ist still permitted, the author of
this document has not found evidence of such quoting since 2001.
This document does not make any recommendation about how to handle
quoted left-hand-sides.
3.3. The THREAD=* Search Return Option(s)
The THREAD=* search return options enables the client to select
which threading algorithm the server uses when processing INTHREAD
as part of a SEARCH command. If THREAD=* isn't specified, then the
default for the SEARCH command is THREAD=REFS.
When the server processes a THREAD command, it uses the algorithm
specified by the client.
I can't think of a good example (or use case) for a non-default use
of this.
4. The THREAD=REFS Thread Algorithm
The THREAD=REFS thread algorithm is defined as the part of
THREAD=REFERENCES (see [RFC5256]) which concerns itself with the
References, In-Reply-To and Message-ID fields. THREAD=REFS ignores
Subject.
THREAD=REFS sorts threads by the most recent INTERNALDATE in each
thread, replacing THREAD=REFERENCES step (4). This means that when a
new message arrives, its thread becomes the latest thread. (Note
that while threads are sorted by arrival date, messages within a
thread are sorted by sent date, just as for THREAD=REFERENCES.)
This document defines THREAD=REFS because THREAD=REFERENCES is too
inclusive for the INTHREAD search key. For example, independent
threads that happen to have the same subject field (such as "Agenda
for Friday's meeting", "Web site updated" or "Message delivery
failed") are grouped into one thread by THREAD=REFERENCES.
It is explicitly permitted for the server to persistently store
threading information, even if this causes the server to return
different information than it would otherwise. This can happen if
the first messages in a thread are deleted, for example.
5. Formal Syntax
The following syntax specification uses the Augmented Backus-Naur
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Form (ABNF) notation as specified in [RFC5234]. [RFC3501] defines
the non-terminals "capability", "search-key" and "string", [RFC4466]
defines "search-return-opt", [RFC5256] defines "thread-alg".
Except as noted otherwise, all alphabetic characters are case-
insensitive. The use of upper or lower case characters to define
token strings is for editorial clarity only. Implementations MUST
accept these strings in a case-insensitive fashion.
capability =/ "SEARCH=INTHREAD" / "THREAD=REFS"
search-key =/ "INTHREAD" SP search-key / "MESSAGEID" SP string
thread-alg =/ "REFS"
search-return-opt =/ "THREAD=" thread-alg
6. Security Considerations
This document is believed not to have any security implications.
7. IANA Considerations
The IANA is requested to add SEARCH=INTHREAD and THREAD=REFS to the
list of IMAP extensions,
http://www.iana.org/assignments/imap4-capabilities.
8. Acknowledgements
The name THREAD=REFS was suggested by Cyrus Daboo. Dave Cridland,
Alexey Menikov and particularly Timo Sirainen have helped with the
document.
9. Normative References
[RFC2119] Bradner, "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", RFC 2119, Harvard University, March
1997.
[RFC3501] Crispin, "Internet Message Access Protocol - Version
4rev1", RFC 3501, University of Washington, June 2003.
[RFC4466] Melnikov, Daboo, "Collected Extensions to IMAP4 ABNF",
RFC 4466, Isode Ltd., April 2006.
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[RFC5234] Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax
Specifications: ABNF", RFC 5234, January 2008.
[RFC5256] Crispin, Murchison, "INTERNET MESSAGE ACCESS PROTOCOL -
SORT AND THREAD EXTENSIONS", RFC 5256, Panda Programming,
June 2008.
[RFC5322] Resnick, "Internet Message Format", RFC 5322, Qualcomm,
October 2008.
10. Author's Address
Arnt Gulbrandsen
Schweppermannstr. 8
D-81671 Muenchen
Germany
Email: arnt@gulbrandsen.priv.no
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(RFC Editor: Please delete everything after this point)
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11. Open Issues
I removed THREADROOT and THREADLEAF. Put them back in? I didn't
actually implement them (it's now 14 months since I implemented
INTHREAD), so I dropped them from the draft now, on the theory that
the're insufficiently justified.
I left the THREAD= search return option, but I haven't implemented
it either. I don't see any use cases for anything other than the
default. (At the moment there isn't an example, which is really
another way of saying "no use cases".) I want to drop it.
It's not clear to me that the MESSAGEID search-key is worth the
bother. HEADER Message-Id "<foo@bar>" searches for a substring and
MESSAGEID "<foo@bar>" for a complete message-id. In a sample of a
half-million recent messages, none of the message-ids contained
embededded greater-than or less-than signs, so it's hard to imagine
any practical effects of treating the two searches identically.
12. Changes since -00
- The IANA asked me to specify the IANA registry exactly
- Boilerplate updates - IETF Trust and so on.
Changes since -01
- Added THREADROOT, THREADLEAF and MESSAGEID
- Fixed the typo
Changes since -02
- Specified thread algorithm per-command, generally using a search
return option.
- Defined THREADROOT and THREADLEAF robustly.
- Required that the server implement THREAD=REFS if it implements
SEARCH=INTHREAD.
- Use In-Reply-To as THREAD=REFERENCES, since Timo prefers that and
I don't mind.
- Use Date as T=R does. Hm? Good idea?
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Changes since -03
- Boilerplate updates for 5377 and blah
Changes since -03
- Sort threads by the most recent date in each thread, so that new
messages arriving makes a thread new again.
Changes since d-g-i-i-04
- Define "most recent thread" by arrival date, not sender date.
Suits typical client use better. When reading a thread, you want
to read messages as ordered by the senders, but the most recent
thread should be the one which arrived in your mailbox most
recently.
- Rename to be a WG draft.
Changes since -00
- I had a bit of an SCM disaster with my laptop, desktop and git. I
hope I resolved it well. My apologies if dropped something.
- Better wording for the INTHREAD search key
- Message-id turned into an IMAP string.
- Elaborated a little on message-id equality. The text leaves it up
to the server whether it will normalize. (The last program to
generate quotes in message-ids was, AFAICT, procmail/formail, and
it quit around 2001. The changelog does not say why. I asked
Philip and he can't remember either. Up to 2001 some respondents
normalized procmail's message-ids and some (most?) didn't.)
- Remove THREADROOT and THREADLEAF. Note my desire to remove THREAD=
and perhaps MESSAGEID.
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