718384 - Activity Manager not showing failed/failing imap activity

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 545499

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Mitra Ardron]

Attachment: Screenshot of activity manager

Much activity is not showing in Activity manager

To be specific, the main imap activity usually doesn't show. 

See the attached screenshot showing the status line that shows an interaction in process and the Task Manager showing nothing.

To repeat ....
Make sure you have some email, or unplug your internet connection (but not your router) so that TB still thinks its online, but can't quickly complete a server interaction. 
Open Activity Manager window 
Clear List
Hit "Get All Mail" 
several activities should show up.
They don't - though sometimes a message like "No messages to download" appears AFTER the interaction is finished.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I don't understand. What activities would you expect to see with internet connection down? Doesn't activity manager show mainly activities executed - and if no connection there is no "execution".

Comment 2

[Mitra Ardron]

Wayne - did you look at the screenshot.  TB *is* trying to access IMAP, the connection is going to fail, but hasn't at the point the screenshot is taken. The open connection is not showing up in Activity Manager.

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Attachment: screen shot activity mgr, windows

On windows, I see everything I expect, which is tbird errors - in status bar, activity manager, and slider  reflect that the connection is gone. Not, that a copy failed - per your status bar.

If I recall correct, Mac detection of connection state isn't great. 
Unfortunately I lack time to find a matching bug. but have a look at
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?type1-0-0=substring;list_id=2286228;short_desc=connect%20network;field0-0-0=short_desc;bug_severity=major;bug_severity=normal;type0-0-1=substring;field0-0-1=keywords;type1-0-1=allwordssubstr;resolution=---;classification=Client%20Software;classification=Components;op_sys=Mac%20System%207;op_sys=Mac%20System%207.5;op_sys=Mac%20System%207.6.1;op_sys=Mac%20System%208.0;op_sys=Mac%20System%208.5;op_sys=Mac%20System%208.6;op_sys=Mac%20System%209.x;op_sys=Mac%20OS%20X;query_format=advanced;short_desc_type=anywordssubstr;type0-0-0=nowordssubstr;value0-0-0=dial%20test;field1-0-0=short_desc;product=MailNews%20Core;product=Thunderbird;field1-0-1=short_desc
and
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?type1-0-0=substring;list_id=2286270;short_desc=connect%20network;field0-0-0=short_desc;bug_severity=major;bug_severity=normal;bug_severity=minor;type0-0-1=substring;field0-0-1=keywords;type1-0-1=allwordssubstr;resolution=---;classification=Client%20Software;classification=Components;query_format=advanced;bug_status=NEW;bug_status=ASSIGNED;bug_status=REOPENED;bug_status=RESOLVED;bug_status=VERIFIED;bug_status=CLOSED;short_desc_type=anywordssubstr;type0-0-0=nowordssubstr;value0-0-0=proxy%20socks%20test%20dial;component=Networking;field1-0-0=short_desc;product=Core;product=MailNews%20Core;field1-0-1=short_desc

might be a bug marked Mac or linux (unless I am remembering wrong)

Comment 4

[Mitra Ardron]

Hi Wayne

I think you are looking at a different situation - i.e. a completed but failed interaction.  I'm looking at Activity Manager *WHILE* a long activity is happening, on a SLOW connection, with frequent packet loss (i.e. your typical overused cafe; airport lounge; or any developing country or any western country that implements connection scale-back when over-download limits).

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Mitra, does bug 545903 describe your issue?

Comment 6

[Mitra Ardron]

Hi Wayne - no this does not describe the issue I refer to hear.

Bug #545903 refers to when IMAP can't copy to the Sent Folder - I see this bug all the time, and I think I reported it somewhere as well. 

This bug is an Activity manager bug, that happens while TB is trying to connect to IMAP (but hasn't failed yet), i.e. it preceeds any error messages or failure happening (exactly the time when you want to look at Activity Manger to figure out what is hapening).

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I've not seen anyone reporting this.
Still see this?  Have you determined that it only happens on slow connections?

Comment 8

[Mitra Ardron]

I see issues with Activity Manager not showing activity all the time, its highly unreliable as any kind of window onto what is happening in TB. 

The most obvious symptom is seeing a progress bar on the bottom of the window, opening Activity Manager, and not seeing anything happening.

Comment 9

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Mitra Ardron from comment #8)
> The most obvious symptom is seeing a progress bar on the bottom of the
> window, opening Activity Manager, and not seeing anything happening.

It's well known that we have issues with the progress bar. So it's far more likely  the progress bar firing when it shouldn't, implying something happening when there is not rather than the AM missing some activity.

Comment 10

[Mitra Ardron]

I'm seeing the opposite, the progress bar firing because it is doing something, and Activity Manager not showing what it is doing.

Comment 11

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Your comments mention one specific situation that doesn't appear in activity manager, that of failed activity due to lack of network connection. 

Activity manager, as currently designed, has never logged network specific failures at the protocol level of detail, i.e. what we see for example is a general "failed to connect to server".

Comment 12

[Mitra Ardron]

That's not what I'm saying --- I'm saying Activity Manager is not often not showing activity even when the connection is working, i.e. even when TB is waiting for something to happen on a connection.

Comment 13

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

"waiting for something to happen" is not an event, it's a protocol state.

What's your specific example?

Comment 14

[Mitra Ardron]

Comment #0 (filed in 2012) was one example. Activity is happening - TB is trying to connect to the server, but nothing shows up in Activity Manager. 

Another example would be to be online and hit Compact Folders, nothing appears in Activity Manager, to show its part way through things. 

There are quite a few other examples, usually I see it when I'm trying to track down some other problem, I stopped posting Activity Manager bug reports because nobody was interested in the ones I did post (e.g. this one was untouched since 2012). I'll be happy to keep my eyes out for them and take screenshots if there is interest in making it work properly.

Comment 15

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Mitra Ardron from comment #14)
> Comment #0 (filed in 2012) was one example. Activity is happening - TB is
> trying to connect to the server, but nothing shows up in Activity Manager. 

So again, the question is trying to connect to do what?

> Another example would be to be online and hit Compact Folders, nothing
> appears in Activity Manager, to show its part way through things. 

is already reported - bug 469050

> There are quite a few other examples, usually I see it when I'm trying to
> track down some other problem, I stopped posting Activity Manager bug
> reports because nobody was interested in the ones I did post (e.g. this one
> was untouched since 2012). I'll be happy to keep my eyes out for them and
> take screenshots if there is interest in making it work properly.

Probably best filed as seperate bug reports. And morph this bug to a specific example of what you consider to be the most important issue.

Note AM is largely in limbo because it normally doesn't supply enough diagnostic information to be helpful in solving bugs. So there isn't strong incentive to add the functionality.

Comment 16

[Mitra Ardron]

Wayne - am I being dense, I don't see what question you are asking - Comment #0 has detailed STR, what more information do you wnat?

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Seems like this would be at least partly Bug 545499 - Mail checking status should not be limited to the status bar