Issue Summary

This is reproducible on Data Center: (yes) / (no)

Steps to Reproduce

1. https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver/creating-issues-and-comments-from-email-938847641.html
2. File system messages section

Expected Results

Documentation explains what / how to get this working

Actual Results

Page displays no information about what file formats are supported for Jira emails to be read along with system setup

Workaround

When configuring Jira to read emails from the import/mail directory, the messages need to be in the "Mbox" format. Mbox is a simple text file format used to store collections of email messages, where each message is concatenated together and separated by a blank line or a "From" line. Each email message starts with a line beginning with "From ", followed by the sender's email address and other metadata. This format allows Jira to process and import the messages correctly as issues or comments.

Ensure that the file permissions and ownership are set correctly on the files in the import/mail directory so that Jira can access and read them. If the emails are in the correct format and accessible, Jira should be able to process them according to the email handler configuration you've set up.

The Mbox format is a file format used for storing a collection of email messages. It is a single text file in which each email message is stored one after the other. The messages within an Mbox file adhere to the standard email format as described in RFC 2822, with each message being separated by a line that begins with "From " followed by the sender's email address and other information.

When Jira requires emails to be imported in the Mbox format, it expects that all the email messages you want to import are contained within a single Mbox file. Here’s how you can typically create or manage an Mbox file for import:

1. Export from Email Client: Many email clients, such as Thunderbird, allow you to export a folder of emails as an Mbox file. You can use this feature to export the emails you want to import into Jira.

1. Manual Creation: If you have emails in another format, you can manually create an Mbox file by ensuring each email message follows the RFC 2822 format. Precede each message with a "From " line to separate them.

1. Email Conversion Tools: There are several tools and scripts available that can convert emails from other formats (like .eml or .pst) into Mbox format. You can use these tools to prepare your emails for import.

Once you have your emails in an Mbox file, you can place this file in the import/mail directory of Jira. Jira will then be able to read and process the emails from the Mbox file as part of its import process.

It's important that each message in the Mbox file is properly formatted according to RFC 2822, which includes having the necessary headers (like "From", "To", "Subject", "Date") and a properly formatted body. This ensures that Jira can correctly parse and import each email message.