The IESG has approved following document:
- 'IMAP UNSELECT command '
<draft-melnikov-imap-unselect-01.txt> as a Proposed Standard
This document has been reviewed in the IETF but is not the product of an
IETF Working Group.
The IESG contact person is Ned Freed.
Technical Summary
Certain types of IMAP clients need to release resources associated
with the selected mailbox without selecting a different mailbox.
While IMAP4 provides this functionality (via a SELECT command with
an invalid argument or reselecting the same mailbox with EXAMINE
command), a more clean solution is desirable.
IMAP4 defines the CLOSE command that closes the selected mailbox as
well as permanently removes all messages with the Deleted flag set.
However [IMAP4] lacks a command that simply closes the mailbox
without expunging it. This document defines the UNSELECT command for
this purpose.
A server which supports this extension indicates this with a
capability name of "UNSELECT".
Working Group Summary
This specification was reviewed on the IMAP mailing list
but is not the product of any IETF working group.
Protocol Quality
Ned Freed reviewed the protocol for the IESG.
RFC Editor note:
The abstract of this specification needs to be relabelled as
the introduction and the following abstract inserted:
This document defines an UNSELECT command that can be used to
close the current mailbox in an IMAP4 session without expunging it.
Certain types of IMAP clients need to release resources associated
with the selected mailbox without selecting a different mailbox.
While IMAP4 provides this functionality (via a SELECT command with
an invalid argument or reselecting the same mailbox with EXAMINE
command), a more clean solution is desirable.
An IANA consideration section needs to be added that says:
IMAP4 capabilities are registered by publishing a standards track or
IESG approved experimental RFC. The registry is currently located
at:
http://www.iana.org/assignments/imap4-capabilities
This document defines the UNSELECT IMAP capabilities.
IANA should add this capability to the registry accordingly.
