about web based email

i am right now developing a web based email solution. I would like to know what protocol to use. How do we create folders, are the read mails moved from inbox and if so where are they stored - is it better to have a file based storage or database

Hello there,

Bluntly, use your own ideas. There is no right way or wrong way. Personally, I would use both, database and file storage.

I would use a database as a kind of "table of contents" for all of the messages. Just saying which e-mail address each message belongs to, if its been read, replied to, what folder it sits in, ect...

Then store the actual contents of all the messages in simple text files.

Mike

there are several FREE php/mysql webmail applications out there - http://screwdriver.net/twig/ - is one. look thru PHP forum here and at phpbuilder.com for links to more - I think that would be a better way to see how others do it and improve on their foundations - or just use what they have created.