It is an imperfect solution since I still may want to read a couple of 
new messages, but delete all except for the ones I had previously 
wanted to save. In thunderbird, a message does not disappear from the 
'unread' view until you move to a different folder, etc. so I am 
allowed to read a couple and still be able to select all the new 
messages and delete them.



I do honestly believe this feature request to be useful beyond my own 
reasons for wanting it.



(Not that anyone will or should care about this part)

If it was implemented, I would likely increase my usage of IMP as I 
like the idea of having my mailing list messages I want to save be 
stored with a service that does regular backups, etc. But, my primary 
e-mail app is Thunderbird and that works just fine for me for now 
which is why I have no intention of offering a bounty. Without this 
enhancement, there is no compelling reason to increase my usage of IMP 
over Thunderbird.



But, this feature request has already been rejected and it does not 
appear anyone here finds it useful, so these will be my final comments 
on this matter.

What about the mailbox page?  Specifically "Select All->Unseen" from 
the drop-down box then clicking on delete?

Thank you for the suggestion.



I would also like to point out that this feature request is _NOT_ a 
"very, very special requirement." It is merely one way to accomplish 
in IMP what I can do currently in Thunderbird (I use IMP for webmail 
access). In Thunderbird, one can view unread messages only. This 
allows me to do the select all and delete the messages in a folder 
without worrying about deleting the messages in that folder I want to 
save.



I do happen to believe that using Deletable/Not Deletable metadata 
would be the better way to achieve the same end result.



But, if you would consider a menu that would show unread messages 
only, then I would be happy with such a future feature.

http://www.horde.org/bounties/

Unfortunately, I cannot add the feature locally as I have no control 
over the installation.



I do wish you would give it more consideration.

This is a very, very special requirement. But good luck that IMP is 
open source, so you can add such a feature locally.

Since the mail module can show me whether or not I have replied to

a mail message, I am operating under the impression that some meta-data can be

associated with the messages. My feature request relates to some 
meta-data that

I would like to see.



I would like to see two options added to the Mark As: menu which states:



   Not Deletable

   Deletable



The default setting for a message would be deletable.



If a message was selected and marked as 'Not Deletable', then should that

message be selected again and the delete link pressed, the message 
would not be

deleted.



Why would I find this feature useful?



Well, I subscribe to many mailing lists and I have filters setup to 
move various

messages in my INBOX to the folder for each of the mailing lists.



Now, on occasion, I find a message that I would like to keep.



However, 99.9% of the time, I can determine, just from looking at the subjects

that I am not interested in any of the new messages that have arrived.



When, in the same folder, I find that I want to delete all of the new messages

(there may be 40+) and save some of the old ones, I tend to select all 
and then

unselect those I want to save and then I press the delete link.



When the number messages I want to save in a folder grow large enough, 
I tend to

create a new folder called <mailinglist>-save.



Now, this whole process could be made far, far easier for me if I could just

mark the messages I want to save as 'Not Deleteable'. In which case, I 
can do a

select all and press the delete link without removing the messages and I would

have no need to have two folders for nearly every mailing list I subscribe to.