91257 - Space in email ID in account wizard creates new strange account (which cannot be removed!)

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: MailNews: Account Configuration, defect)

Description

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

Build ID:  2001-07-17-05-0.9.2, Windows 2000.

Summary: Space in email ID in account wizard creates new strange account.

Steps to Reproduce:

1.  Create a new profile, launch mail.
2.  Invoke the Account Wizard, choose, "Newsgroup" option.
3.  Enter your name.
4.  In the email section, enter your username, with a space before and after @.
 eg: stephend <space> @ <space> netscape.com (to avoid spam)
5.  Walk through the rest of the wizard, entering usual server information.
6.  Click Finish.
7.  Click in the Folder Pane on the account level, subscribe to a couple or more
newsgroups.
8.  Expand the account, and click on the newsgroup level.

Expected Results:

Newsgroups are subscribed to and updated with regards to count information (and
then the postings are displayed in the 3 pane window.)

Actual Results:

A new *account* will be created, in the following form:  <email ID>%20 on
<newsserver>.

Above, this strange-appearing account with newsgroups is the only one that
displays messages.
The one you'd expect to work, set up in step # 5, doesn't contain messages or
counts. 

Also, the account wizard keeps popping up (we know it does this for a new
account, but we've already setup the accounts).

Comment 1

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

Note: This account the stephend%20 on news.mozilla.org cannot be removed from
the account manager.

Comment 2

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

Attachment: 3 pane's exhibited behavior

Comment 3

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

Attachment: Blank item for original news account.

Comment 4

[Håkan Waara]

I couldn't reproduce. The only "unusual" thing to do is to enter space before
and after the @ sign, right?

I got an account that 1) just had the name "test.example.net" and 2) was
removable. I assume I didn't understand/apply the correct steps to reproduce...

Comment 5

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

*** Bug 91289 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 6

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

If this is an easy fix, can we get this into the branch?

Comment 7

[Ninoschka Baca]

I was able to reproduce this easily as well using the form,
stephend @ netscape.com.

Comment 8

[[e-mail] (gone - use [e-mail] instead)]

Is this of any help?
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/mailnews/base/prefs/resources/content/AccountWizard.js#427

Comment 9

[scottputterman]

I don't think this is a branch bug but I do agree it's a good one to look into.

Comment 10

[lchiang]

I think it's late for this on the branch.

Comment 11

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

right, too late for the branch.

what we need to do is extend validateEmail() in aw-identity.js not allow spaces
(or tabs, etc.)

see hostnameIsIllegal() in aw-server.js for how made prevent problems with
illegal hostnames.  

there might be more ways illegal chars (including whitespaces) can hork us up.

Comment 12

[Håkan Waara]

Taking, I have a fix.

Comment 13

[Håkan Waara]

Attachment: well-tested fix

Comment 14

[Håkan Waara]

Ignore the edits to smtpEditOverlay.xul

Comment 15

[Håkan Waara]

Attachment: fix w/o smtpEditOverlay change

Comment 16

[Håkan Waara]

Two weeks without review.  Bhuvan, Seth?

Comment 17

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

reviewing now...

Comment 18

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

+function validateEmail() { dump("validateEmail():");

remove that dump statement, and then sr=sspitzer   

Comment 19

[Håkan Waara]

Attachment: New patch without dump()

Comment 20

[Håkan Waara]

Could someone r= this patch (sr=sspitzer) please?

Thanks

Comment 21

[varada]

r=varada

Comment 22

[Håkan Waara]

fix checked in.

Comment 23

[Ninoschka Baca]

Build 2001-08-15-04: WinMe
Build 2001-08-15-08: Mac 9.04, Linux RH 6.2
Verified Fixed. Now if the email address has spaces it does not allow you to
continue through the wizard.

Comment 24

[Joseph]

I am having difficulty with this same issue.  However, instead of just white
space, it's with plussed email addresses.  [For those who don't know: Sendmail
apparently has a feature (I didn't enable it; the admin did) by which the
username portion of an email address can contain a plus after it and then
mostly-arbitrary text.  Everything then between the + and @ are (I think)
stripped out of the address, and the mail goes on its merry way, see my email
address ([e-mail]) for example].

I've been using this for a while, and have been having difficulties with it. 
Apparently, all non-alphanumeric characters [probably more; I haven't looked
into it] are translated into %xx, and a new news account is created with this
name as soon as I click on one of the newsgroups.  All messages from the
newsgroups go into this new account.  And, naturally, if I click on the
newsgroup under this *new* account, *another* account is created, but with %25
prepended to the %xx from before (the % from before), and the % is stripped out.
 This click-and-creation can go on ad infinitum.

What's more, if the news account is deleted and then another is re-created with
exactly the same server [even with a different name], then the little
expand/contract arrow appears beside the account settings, but nothing is
displayed at first.  If the account is contracted, then expanded again, <i>the
old subscribed newsgroups return</i>.  Regardless of the new email address, the
old "user%xx on server" "accounts" come back just as before, when one clicks on
the newsgroups.

Futhermore, an error comes up saying, essentially, that there are too many
connections to the news server.

Please forgive me for reopening this bug if it's a different one, but it looks
to me right now to be the same one.

Oh, yeah.  Browser info:  Windows NT/Service Pack 6a + "Security Rollup",
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; WinNT4.0; en-US; rv:0.9.3+) Gecko/20010831Mozilla 0.9.3+

Comment 25

[Håkan Waara]

Yes, I can see the weird behaviour with '+' as well.

My patch merely prevented some bad, invalid email accounts from getting through
the tests, not fixing the underlying problem that you describe.

I'll try and debug this tomorrow, to see if I can get provide any useful hints.
Reassigning for now back to racham.

Comment 26

[Jaime Rodriguez, Jr.]

Racham - Have you got the reviews for this one? 

Comment 27

[Håkan Waara]

Uhm, reviews? The patch attached was checked in by me, but the original problem
obviously remains in the backend...

Comment 28

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

hwaara / racham, can you open a new bug on the "+" issue and mark this fixed, to
get this bug off the radar?

Comment 29

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

fixed.  I'll go open the new bug.

Comment 30

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

new bug is bug #98664

Comment 31

[Ninoschka Baca]

Verified, since a new bug was open for the "+" issue.