Difference between email import and email archive?

[rfbriggs]

Hello. I am using DTPO 2.8.2 on Yosemite.

I am trying to clean up my email and have been using Import and Archive interchangably for emails, but I’m guessing there is an important distinction. Can you please explain when I should be using which one? As a use case, I imported a bunch of old emails and now I plan to periodically offload sent emails and delete the ones on the server that are more than 6 months old.

Thanks.

[BLUEFROG]

From DEVONthink’s Help…

To import a complete mailbox, including messages, select the mailbox in the folder list, and click the Archive Mailbox icon in the toolbar. This imports the complete mailbox including all sub-mailboxes and recreates the mailbox hierarchy by using groups in your DEVONthink Pro Office database. To import one or multiple messages, select them in the list of messages and click the Import icon in the toolbar.

[rfbriggs]

Thanks, I appreciate that. I now have a good understanding of “Import” for email.

Can you please explain the difference between that and “Archive”?

Many thanks.

[korm]

@rfbriggs

Can you please explain the difference between that and “Archive”?

@BLUEFROG

From DEVONthink’s Help…

To import a complete mailbox, including messages, select the mailbox in the folder list, and click the Archive Mailbox icon in the toolbar… To import one or multiple messages, select them in the list of messages and click the Import icon in the toolbar.

Archive ==> Everthing is Added to DEVONthink
Import ==> Less than Everything is Added to DEVONthink

[rfbriggs]

Okay, thanks.

So just to be sure, and sorry if I’m being thick… I imported originally, and I use Archive on an ongoing basis to incrementally add to the database… right?

Many thanks.

[korm]

You could. Personally, I would do the opposite. Archive Mailbox to initially capture everything, and then use Import (along with selectively chosing the recent messages) to update because I usually don’t want each new message saved.

[BLUEFROG]

I agree with korm here… or just use Import and do some intelligent pre-filtering (by which I mean, stop and think, “Do I really need this??” ).