Question

In the IMAP protocol there is a folder hierarchy character. If you try to create folder with such character in the name, mailserver will create two folders. For example, if a delimiter character is “/”, then command CREATE "aaa/bbb" will create two folders aaa and bbb in folder aaa.

Is it possible to create single folder with delimiter character inside? For example, the single folder with the name aaa/bbb, without aaa and bbb in aaa folder.

Answer 1

You may try UTF7 encoding:

CREATE "one&AC8-two"

But RFC says:

If the server’s hierarchy separator
character appears elsewhere in the
name, the server SHOULD create any
superior hierarchical names that are
needed for the CREATE command to be
successfully completed. In other
words, an attempt to create
“foo/bar/zap” on a server in which “/”
is the hierarchy separator character
SHOULD create foo/ and foo/bar/ if
they do not already exist.”

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3501.html