537192 - Folders moved from Local Folders to Archive disappear, but can still be referred to in the menu MESSAGE>MOVE TO [?] AGAIN, and any use of that menu item causes more messages to disappear (even from the archive)

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, defect)

Description

[HamishHamilton]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.6) Gecko/20091201 Firefox/3.5.6 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.5) Gecko/20091204 Thunderbird/3.0

Folders moved from Local Folders to Archive disappear, but can still be referred to in the menu MESSAGE>MOVE TO [?] AGAIN, and any use of that menu item causes the selected message to also disappear.

I have lost all of my archives!

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Move folders into the archive
2. There may be a preset time delay?  Maybe connected to having 
3. Observe the loss of archive content
4. Observe the MESSAGE>menu option referring to a folder that no longer exists (was moved to archive, then disappeared) and try and use that option and find the selected message also disappears
Actual Results:  
see above

Expected Results:  
Archived mail is secure - archived! - and doesn't ever disappear.

An option to move mail to a folder that doesn't exist, should never be offered.  If offered though, it should fail, and the mail should stay in its original location.

Is it possible that archived mail could be treated as junk mail and be subjected to an automatic delete under the junk mail preferences?

Comment 1

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

Are you using gmail ? if so Archive emails are store in [gmail]/All mail. 

what is the value of mail.identity.idX.archive_folder, where idx is your account ? This will tell you where your emails are stored.

Comment 2

[IU]

This bug has now been reported by three users.  See here: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=1616795&p=8495365#p8495365

In the case of the original poster, in the mozillazine.org thread, it seems TB somehow flipped his retention policy.  However the most recent poster is experiencing this bug as says the retention policy is set at the default (never delete).

Comment 3

[IU]

Recent poster (using TB 3.0.1): http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=8495315#p8495315

p.s. The last sentence in my previous comment should have read: However, the most recent poster, experiencing this bug, says the retention policy is set at default (never delete).

Comment 4

[Gabriela [:gaby2300]]

I have the same bug and my retention policy is set at the default (never
delete).

Comment 5

[IU]

False alarm on comment 3.  Gabriela, who's report that post was referring to, has responded that she didn't realize the Archive folder was collapsed and had three subfolders: 2008, 2009, and 2010.  She was initially simply clicking the "Archive" folder and not seeing any messages.  When she finally noticed the "+" and clicked to expand the folder, she saw the subfolders and all her archived messages.

Reporter (HamishHamilton): please double-check to see if that is the same issue you are having.

@Ludovic: How about changing the handling of the Archive folder so that it is always auto-expanded after an archive operation?

Comment 6

[Gabriela [:gaby2300]]

Yes I'm sorry, I didn't realize the Archive folder was collapsed and had
three subfolders: 2008, 2009, and 2010.
I think the comment to Ludovic about changing the handling of the Archive folder so that it is always auto-expanded after an archive operation would be great to avoid thinking your archived messages have disappeared.

Comment 7

[jay garcia]

TB 3.1.4 -- I don't see this in this version but rather a normal and expected archive function. I have the archive button located on my toolbar and when I hilite messages either in the inbox or sent mailboxes, the messages are moved to respective archives based on the responsible criteria of the email itself, ie., sender, year, etc. Am I missing something?

Comment 8

[arax.uk]

[using TB 3.1.4] I experienced the same 'disappearing' archive folders filed by the OP, however they surfaced under different email accounts.

So, highlighting all my 'Sent' messages, I Archived all messages older than 01/01/2009.

Archive folders 2008, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000 appeared under my main Archive (under Local Folders).

The 'missing' folders (2006, 2004, 2002) surfaced under Archive folders under other email accounts e.g. gmail, hotmail. 

Summary: Nothing lost, but unexpected allocation of archive folders to different accounts.

Comment 9

[jay garcia]

Curious as to how your mail delivery and mailboxes are setup, as a common inbox or the standard individual per-account mailbox setup.

Comment 10

[arax.uk]

all accounts are set up as POP (not IMAP). 

gmail and hotmail have their own inbox. My main account uses Local Folders inbox.
HOWEVER, sometimes I drag-n-drop emails from gmail and hotmail accounts into the main inbox. Could this be the source of the problem?

Comment 11

[jay garcia]

(In reply to comment #10)
> all accounts are set up as POP (not IMAP). 

Should not make any difference
 
> gmail and hotmail have their own inbox. My main account uses Local Folders
> inbox.

Global Inbox setup? Or is this where SENT mails are stored per preferences?

> HOWEVER, sometimes I drag-n-drop emails from gmail and hotmail accounts into
> the main inbox. Could this be the source of the problem?

My experience thus far is that regardless of where the emails are stored, the Archive function moves messages per account and year, such as @gmail - 2010, @hotmail - 2010, @cox.net - 2009 for examples. As long as you have a separate account setup for each address with it's own INBOX, etc. then the Archive function should work as intended.

Comment 12

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Hamish, 
do you still see this problem?


xref Bug 575149 - Move / Copy Again permanently deletes mail if the target has been deleted with no undo possible

Comment 13

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESOLVED INCOMPLETE due to lack of response to previous question. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.