dep via tde-users wrote:
The indices in KMail seem to be just fine, in that I can use them to read mail going back to the fall of 1998 using them.
Here some more from Gemini on this subject
when I see a message twice in my mailbox and the first one is just the title without a content, what could be the reason
This is a classic "Synchronization Ghost." In the world of IMAP, seeing a duplicate where one is "empty" (subject only) is almost always a sign of a local cache corruption rather than a problem with the actual email.
Here are the three most likely reasons: 1. The "Partial Download" Race Condition
Modern email clients (like Outlook or Apple Mail) often download the Headers (Subject, From, Date) first so you can see the list of mail quickly. They then try to download the Body in the background.
The Glitch: if the connection drops or the client "stutters" during that background download, it may lose its place. It creates a local entry for the header it already has, then starts over and creates a second entry for the full email.
The Result: You see two messages; one is a "hollow" shell (just the title), and the other is the complete email.
2. Index File Mismatch
Every IMAP client keeps a local database (a "hidden index") that links what you see on the screen to the data stored on the server.
If this index gets "confused" (common after an app crash or a sudden power loss), it may point two different index entries to the same server message ID.
Because one of those entries didn't finish its sync before the index broke, it shows up as having "no content."
3. Server-Side "Sent" Duplication
If this is happening in your Sent Items folder, it’s a specific IMAP behavior:
Some servers (like Gmail or Outlook.com) automatically save a copy of a sent message to the Sent folder.
Some email clients also upload a copy to the Sent folder by default.
Often, the "automatic" server copy appears instantly as a header, while the client's "uploaded" copy takes a few seconds to fully sync the body, briefly showing you two versions.
How to Fix It
You don't need to delete the "empty" one manually; it will usually just come back if you don't fix the underlying index.
The "Repair" Method: Right-click the folder (Inbox/Sent) and look for "Properties" or "Account Settings." Look for a button that says "Repair Folder" or "Rebuild." This forces the client to delete its local index and re-download the list from the server.
The Webmail Check: Log into your email via a browser (e.g., Gmail.com, Outlook.com). If you only see one message there, you know for certain the problem is just your local app and your actual mailbox is safe.
The "Peek" Setting: If this happens constantly, check your client settings for something called "Download full messages" or "Always keep a copy for offline use." Enabling this ensures the client doesn't just grab the headers and leave the body for later.
Which email app are you using (Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird)? I can give you the exact steps to "Rebuild" your index for that specific program.
I am using an older KDE3 KMail client
Since you are using an older KDE3 KMail (KMail 1.x), you are working with a classic piece of software that pre-dates the modern Akonadi database system. In this specific version, the "Subject without content" bug is almost always caused by a corruption of the index files (.index).
KMail 1.x stores your emails in a standard directory structure (usually Maildir), but it creates separate index files to make searching and scrolling fast. When these files get out of sync, KMail "thinks" a message exists because it's in the index, but it can't find the corresponding body file. The Fix: Force a Rebuild
You can safely delete the index files. KMail will see they are missing the next time you open the folder and will recreate them from the actual email files.
Close KMail completely.
Open your terminal or file manager (Konqueror) and navigate to your mail folder. By default, this is: ~/.kde/share/apps/kmail/mail/
Navigate into the specific folder giving you trouble (e.g., inbox).
Look for files ending in:
.index
.index.ids
.index.sorted
Delete these three files. (Do not delete the files in cur/, new/, or tmp/—those are your actual emails).
Restart KMail. It will take a moment to "scan" the folder, and the duplicates/empty messages should vanish.
Why this happens in KDE3 KMail
The "UID" Conflict: If you are using IMAP, KMail assigns a Unique ID to every message. If the server changes those IDs (common if the server had a glitch or you moved messages between folders), the old .index file still holds the old ID. KMail displays the cached "Subject" from the index, but when you click it, the body "fetch" fails.
Interrupted Sync: If KMail was closed or crashed while downloading headers, it may have written the header to the index but failed to write the actual message file to your disk.
Maildir vs. MBOX: If you are using the older MBOX format (one giant file for all emails) instead of Maildir, index corruption is even more common. Moving to Maildir (one file per email) is the "pro move" for KMail stability.
One Specific KDE3 Setting to Check
In KMail 1.x, go to Settings > Configure KMail > Network > Receiving.
Check your account and look for "Local Subscription" or "Message Cache" settings.
If you have "Download all messages for offline use" turned off, KMail only keeps the headers. If your connection flickers, it can create these "phantom" entries.