Re: BAD Missing or invalid argument to APPEND

Although my analysis is limited due to the log being damaged (by your own 
admission, you changed names/addresses), I see the cause of the error.

Profimail 3.25 is sending the message data incorrectly.  After exactly 990 
message text bytes (the stated count in your message) the IMAP protocol 
expects either a CR/LF sequence (to terminate the append) or a space 
followed by the arguments to define another message to append.

Unfortunately, because you have edited your trace I can not tell for 
certain if it sent a short message size count, or if it sent a spurious 
space after the message.  The message text, as you have it, is either 989 
bytes with UNIX-style LF-only newlines (a bug if the client is doing that) 
or 1016 bytes with proper CR/LF newlines.  However, because you changed 
things, those counts can not be relied upon.

In IMAP, counts must be exact; even the slightest variation completely 
changes the interpretation of the protocol.

I also can't tell what the client means by the following in the log:

:> 3 BAD Missing or invalid argument to APPEND

The ":> " is apparently its prefix for something that it is sending; but 
the server sent the "3 BAD Missing or invalid argument to APPEND" message. 
I would expect to see something like ":> " followed by a newline.

In any case, that should be enough to get you started in producing a bug 
report to them.

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010, Robert Hardy wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Jan 2010, Robert Hardy wrote:
>> I get the error message "BAD Missing or invalid argument to APPEND" from my
>> mail clients (Profimail 3.25 and I think alpine 2.00 too) when sending a
>> message and it's saving in sent-mail. I tried upgrading to imap-2007e from
>> imap-2007b but this hasn't helped.
>> 
>> Can someone tell me if this is a server bug or a client bug, what is wrong
>> and ideally how to fix it?
>
> To clarify this only happens rarely with certain messages. Once it happens
> with a particular message I can't ever save that message to sent-mail.
>
> I tried to include an attached IMAP trace from Profimail but it seemed to get
> striped by the mailing list.
>
> Here is the text inline with the names/addresses changed to protect the
> innocent:
>
> Connect
> Connection already active, using it
> Socket opened
> Connect to host mail.mydomain.ca:993
> Connect to IP mail IP addr
> Connected: mail.mydomain.ca:993
> Init SSL
> SSL inited
> SSL handshake done
> * OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4REV1 I18NLEVEL=1 LITERAL+ SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS 
> AUTH=PLAIN AUTH=LOGIN] mail.mydomain.ca IMAP4rev1 2007b.404 at Mon, 11 Jan 
> 2010 15:34:59 -0500 (EST)
> :> 1 CAPABILITY
> * CAPABILITY IMAP4REV1 I18NLEVEL=1 LITERAL+ IDLE UIDPLUS NAMESPACE CHILDREN 
> MAILBOX-REFERRALS BINARY UNSELECT ESEARCH WITHIN SCAN SORT THREAD=REFERENCES 
> THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT MULTIAPPEND SASL-IR LOGIN-REFERRALS AUTH=PLAIN 
> AUTH=LOGIN
> 1 OK CAPABILITY completed
> :> <login command sent>
> 2 OK [CAPABILITY IMAP4REV1 I18NLEVEL=1 LITERAL+ IDLE UIDPLUS NAMESPACE 
> CHILDREN MAILBOX-REFERRALS BINARY UNSELECT ESEARCH WITHIN SCAN SORT 
> THREAD=REFERENCES THREAD=ORDEREDSUBJECT MULTIAPPEND] User rhardy 
> authenticated
> :> 3 APPEND "mail/sent-mail_mobile" (\Seen) {990}
> + Ready for argument
> :> Subject: 
> =?utf-8?q?Re:_Reply_to_your_"3_Toilets_for_sale_from_renovation"_Ad_on_Kijiji?=
> Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:56:57 -0500
> From: "Robert Hardy" <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> X-Mailer: LCG ProfiMail
> Message-ID: <[email protected]>
> In-Reply-To: 
> <377624194.1174331263223621741.JavaMail.root@kj-classy018.intern.kijiji.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> :> > Yes they are. There is someone interested in 3 coming on Weds but it is 
>> first come first serve.
>
> Rob
>
> ------- Original message -------
>> From: Kijiji Reply (from [email protected]) <[email protected]>
>> To: [email protected]
>> Sent: '10-01-11,  10:27
>> 
>> Hello! The following is a reply to your "3 Toilets for sale from 
>> renovation" Ad on Kijiji:
>> From: [email protected]
>> Hi I am interested in one ... please let me know if they are still 
>> available.
>> Martha
>> You can respond to "[email protected]" by replying to this email. 
> :> 3 BAD Missing or invalid argument to APPEND
> Destroying socket
> Socket cancel: OK
> SSLsock close: OK
> Socket close
> Ok
> ~finished
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>

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.
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