[New-bugs-announce] [issue23678] imaplib status command cannot handle folder name containing whitespaces

[bjshan]

New submission from bjshan:

imaplib status failed if the folder name contains whitespace.
For example, 
c = IMAP4_SSL('hostname')
c = login(username, password)
c.status('Drafts', '(MESSAGES)')    # would succeed
c.status('Apple Mail To Do', '(MESSAGES)') # would fail, error message is:
imaplib.error: STATUS command error: BAD [b"parse error: wrong character; expected '(' but got 'M'"]

It seems the status method could not properly parse the folder name "Apple Mail To Do", it recognizes only the first word "Apple", then failed when meeting the following word "Mail". 

I checked imaplib.py, _command 's definition looks like the cause, but I am not sure:

    def _command(self, name, *args):
         
        ...    
        
        name = bytes(name, 'ASCII')
        data = tag + b' ' + name
        for arg in args:
            if arg is None: continue
            if isinstance(arg, str):
                arg = bytes(arg, "ASCII")
            data = data + b' ' + arg

Work around for this:
Manually add double quote around the folder name, like:   
   '"' + mailbox_name + '"'

BUT, 
while c.status('"Apple Mail To Do"', '(MESSAGES)') worked, 
c.status("'Apple Mail To Do'", '(MESSAGES)') failed. Suggesting single and double quote weighs not the same?

----------
components: Library (Lib)
messages: 238188
nosy: bjshan
priority: normal
severity: normal
status: open
title: imaplib status command cannot handle folder name containing whitespaces
type: behavior
versions: Python 3.4

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Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue23678>
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