498274 - [Meta] Issues around simultaneous "view mail, delete/append of mail, update of mail data, read by other" and "compact folder" of local mail folder and IMAP offline-store

Status: NEW

(MailNews Core :: Database, defect)

Description

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

This is meta bug for next:
  Issues around simultaneous "delete/append of mail, update of mail data"
  and "compact folder" (Interfere by "Compact Folder" of other operations)

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Note: This meta bug is for "local mail folder" case only.
      Different analysis is required for IMAP cases.

Comment 2

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

If you encountered problem or funny phenomenon to which auto-compact of local mail folder looks relevant, check whether auto-compact is one of culprits or not first.

(0) Check next settings via Config Editor. 
> mail.prompt_purge_threshhold : true/false
> mail.purge_threshhold        : NNN (in KB, Kilo-Bytes)
> mail.purge.ask               : true/false
(1) Change mail.purge.ask=false to mail.purge.ask=true, and restart Tb.
    (reset it via Config Editor)
(2) When dialog before start of auto-compact appears,
    reply "Cancel" to the dialog.
    Note:
      Never check "[ ] Do this automatically from now on" at the dialog.
      If you checked, do step (1) again, and restart Tb.
      I recommend you to set mail.purge.ask=true in user.js. If set in user.jsm
      you can recover from mail.purge.ask=false by "restart of Tb" only.

(Q1) Does your problem occur even when you cancel auto-compact?

(3) If dialog appeared at step 2, execute File/"Compact Folders"
    for each account.
(4) If small threshold(default=100KB), dialog will be issued frequently,
    and it's annoying. Increase the value for your daily use.
(5) Repeat step (2) to (4) in daily use.

(Q2) Does your problem still occur frequently?

Comment 3

[k.horch]

No problem if cancel compact, but get problem if then manually (via menu) do compact.

Comment 4

[Bob Coleman]

This problem, at least the symptoms I originally reported, seems to be fixed in Thunderbird 3.

Comment 5

[Bob Coleman]

(In reply to comment #4)
> This problem, at least the symptoms I originally reported, seems to be fixed in
> Thunderbird 3.

I made mistake in putting the above comment here.  It should have been put in bug 518920 where I'll now put it.

Comment 6

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

If IMAP folder of "offline use=on", next processes are executed in parallel.
(A)  compaction of offline-store file
(B) (B-1) issue expunge command, (B-2) process expunge response,
    and (B-3) probably issues uid 1:* fetch (flags).
If (B-3) occurs before completion of (A), and if "lost uid for compaction" occurs by (B-3), it's also an interfere of "compact" by other process.
(IMAP delete model of "mark as deleted" case only?)

Comment 8

[Michelle]

I was told my previous bug entry is a duplicate of this bug, but I do't understand much of what was said above nor does it seem to have anything to do with what I experience, but maybe that's just b/c I don't understand what was written.
====================== (here's what I wrote)...

Ok, this has happened several times & I see other people have issues with the compacting too, but not exactly what I'm experiencing.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. If I have any e-mails in writing mode, meaning they haven't been sent yet, there are issues.
2. After it compacts, that open e-mail won't save. TB says it's unable to save it.
3. If I try to send it, the e-mail in the inbox doesn't show the icon that it's been sent.
4. If a search window is open, it won't let me search e-mails. It just shows very weird empty fields OR, if there was data in the fields before the compacting, it deletes part of the data & I can't use that search window anymore, I have to close it down & open a new one.
5. Also I really have no idea how often the compacting is supposed to occur as I put it on automatic & it sometimes wants to compact 3-5 times in one hour which I find excessive.

We tried to troubleshoot problems I may be having with TB & that slowed down the compact popup somewhat, but it still asks me to compact way more than I think it should & yes I do have a lot of e-mails.
6. I never know what folder it's compacting. At first I thought it was only the account I was in before it started, but then it would tell me that it was compacting the inbox, then something else, then the inbox again.

I was told on the forum that it compacts all the inboxes in all my accounts, but that seems unlikely. It's not clearly telling me which inbox it's compacting & sometimes it doesn't tell me what it's doing at all.
Actual Results:  
I can't compact when I'm here as it's clear that when I use TB while it's compacting, it does damage to TB or my e-mails.

If it was fast it would be ok, but sometimes the compacting can last 2-4 minutes although I haven't timed it.


Expected Results:  
That it will compact without damaging anything, that it will tell me exactly what folders it's compacting & I understand why it's trying to compact so many times per hour.

see above. I hope I explained things clearly. I may have to add more info right after it happens. I'm going by memory.

Thanks


Michelle

Comment 9

[David :Bienvenu]

Michelle, do you have any embedded images in your composed messages (e.g., an image in your signature)? That would definitely cause an issue trying to save as draft an open compose window, though that should be fixed in TB 10.

What's your compact threshold, in options, advanced, network and disk space, compact folders when it will save XX MB? The larger that number, the less frequently compaction should happen.

Compact compacts all folders, not just inboxes.

Comment 10

[Michelle]

Hi there,

No, I don't even have my signature set. Never have.

I have a new add-on that allows me to pick from different signatures, but I just installed that a few months ago, & I have yet to use it. This issue has been going on for at least 3-4 years.

As for those stats, it's 1024 & 1.

I always hoped it was compacting all folders, but it never reads them off to me while it's compacting.

Sometimes I see the word "inbox" or "drafts", but that's it, & if you knew how many folders & sub folders I have LOL well...

Also I know you are going to whack me over the head for this, but I do still continue to work while it's compacting, but the e-mail not saving only poses a problem AFTER it's finished the compacting & there are times when I don't do any work & leave it be b/c it hates me when I touch it while it's doing it's thing & it still has that saving problem.

In fact the error doesn't appear until I start typing in the e-mail that was already in the process of being written b4 the compact started

If I just leave the e-mail open & never touch it, I won't get an error.

I also think (not 100% sure) that if an empty e-mail window is open while compacting with NO text in it, & then I type in it after the compacting is done, then I won't have the saving issue.

HTH


Michelle

Comment 11

[:Hb]

Adding as search target "The account %S is being processed. Please wait until processing is complete to get messages."