102015 - Recent Pages list cannot be cleared from prefs dialog

Status: NEW

(SeaMonkey :: Composer, defect)

Description

[Andrew Hagen]

This is mainly a privacy issue. There is no way in Composer, as of Mozilla
0.9.4, nightly build 9/25/2001, to automatically clear the Recent Pages" list.
The user would have to go to prefs.js to manually clear the list.

This is a valid privacy consideration. I admit that probably no one cares if
other users can see what web pages you've recently edited in Composer.
Importantly, however, the Recent Pages list includes all the web sites that you
open with Composer accidentally when you right-click on a link, and attempt to
hit "Open in New Window," but accidentally hit "Edit Link in Composer." For the
relatively non-dextrous like myself who use "Open in New Window" a lot, a new
entry is added to Recent Pages in this way every couple of days.

It's conceivable that an unwanted party could glean information about another
person by looking at Composer's list of Recent Pages. If it's important that I
have the ability to clear the browser history, then it should also be important
that I have the ability to clear the list of Recent Pages.

May I please ask that a box be added to Preferences | Composer that will clear
the "recent pages" list? 

Thank you for your time.

Comment 1

[Ashley Bischoff (blog at handcoding.com)]

No dupes found. Marking NEW.

Comment 2

[Kathleen :Brade]

work around is to create dummy files and edit those to write over existing pages 
in that menu

Comment 3

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

I suggest to avoid UI for this and maybe couple it withthe browser history clear
button. I prefer solution via bug 113890, though :).

Comment 4

[Andrew Hagen]

I like that idea. If "Clear History" or "Clear Location Bar" removes the recent
pages list from composer, then there would be no need for a separate button. It
would be an easier solution for everyone.

To fix this bug, we should have one of those buttons, I suggest "Clear History,"
clear the recent pages list. That would be enough.

Bug 113890 is also one I'd like to see fixed. We should do both that one, and
this one.

Comment 5

[Ryan Cassin]

Wouldn't it be more logical to put a button in the recent items pane in the 
composer prefs? If I'm in the "Navigator" panel and click Clear History, I 
wouldn't expect something in the Editor to be effected.

Comment 6

[Kathleen :Brade]

*** Bug 119775 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 7

[Kathleen :Brade]

rcassin--is this a bug you want to fix?

Comment 8

[Andrew Hagen]

Changing component from edit: composer to preferences.

Comment 9

[Ryan Cassin]

Reassign to [e-mail]

Comment 10

[Andrew Hagen]

Reconfirming this on Seamonkey 2.0 alpha 3. The list is still not cleared in "Clear Private Data." 

Nominating for blocker status as "Clear Private Data" is currently not clearing all private data.

Comment 11

[Ian Neal]

Not blocking a beta on this but should probably block final release, please renominate for that.

If it is going to be part of clearing history then should be fairly simple to add the relevant code to:
http://mxr.mozilla.org/comm-central/source/suite/modules/Sanitizer.jsm#167