147192 - Cannot view any mail files saved and they all are zero k in size!

Status: VERIFIED WORKSFORME

(MailNews Core :: MIME, defect)

Description

[Frank Faconti]

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC; en-US; rv:1.0rc2) Gecko/20020512
Netscape/7.0b1
BuildID:    2002051005

When I save email messages as either Mail, All, HTML or Text files, the file
that gets saved wabts to open with Microsoft Excel and has no data, as well as a
file size of 0 k when I do an 'get info' on the file.  This never was a problem
in Netscape 4.7x (I am using 4.79), but has been a consistent BUG in ALL
versions of Netscape from 6.x forward, including this Mozilla and Netscape 7.0
Preview Release.  I am running OS 9.22, but I have tried it on another Mac
running 9.1.  In a previous 'bug' report under Netscape 6.x, I received the
following reply (for your info only - it did not work) -

"Check in the Advanced tab of the Internet Control Panel. If you don't see an
advanced tab while in the Internet Control Panel, click Edit, User Mode, and
change it to Advanced, then a new tab will appear called Advanced.

Look in the Helper Apps section and see if there is any way to reset these
preferences to OS defaults.  You might ask Apple tech support for guidance with
this. 

Netscape 6 looks at the Internet Control Panel as well as its own preferences.
The safest way to approach your situation is to save the file first, then once
it has been saved try to open it rather than opening the file from inside
Netscape as an attachment."

This is a SERIOUS BUG and will deter me from using the newer versions until it
can be fixed, as I need to be able to save certain email messages and with
Mozilla and the newer Netscapes (6.x on) I cannot.  I wish I could send some of
these saved files as attachments so you can examine them.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.Save email message as Mail, All, HTML or Text File
2.Try to open the file, either by double clicking it or dropping it in Navigator.
3.Check size of file by doing a 'Get Info'.

Actual Results:  I could not open the file.  A file requester appears indicating
the following - "You have chosen to download a file of type: "Excel Worksheet"
[application/vnd.ms-excel] from ...(Desktop Folder)...What should Netscape do
with this file?"  and the first choice is selected as "Open using Microsoft
Excel"  Even if I click 'OK' and Excel opens, there is no data displayed.  Then,
when I check the file for type and size by doing a 'Get Info', it displays the
type as Netscape document and the size as zero k! 

Expected Results:  The exact copy of my email message should appear.

Comment 1

[Benjamin Mucci]

I can reproduce under MacOS 8.6 2002052506 branch.

Comment 2

[Sheela Ravindran]

Using Preview build 7.0(2002-05-12) I was not able to reproduce this behavior
with Mac 9.1 and Mac os x.  I saved the email message from File|saveas|File as
all the values the reporter has listed(all, html, txt). I was able to view the
message with navigator. I also composed and sent a message to test account with
excel spread sheet attached. I then saved the attachment by right click on the
attachment and did a save as...
When I double click on the that file it brings up the dialog choose the
application. I selected MSExcel and could see data.

Reporter,
Can you please provide exact steps?
Are you saving the whole message from 3 pane or stand alone window?
OR are you just saving the excel attachment? If so do you use context menu to
save the attachment?
Are you able to save any other message without attachments? When you try to open
are you able to view the message in the browser?

Comment 3

[Trix Supremo]

Also, not able to duplicate this problem using 20020528 preview build on OS9.22.
Saving an email message as Mail Files (*.eml), All Files, HTML Files, & Text
Files, does not generate the problem described.

Reporter:
Please attach an email message which produces this problem.

 

Comment 4

[Sheela Ravindran]

Reporter, 
You probably received bugzilla notification when I updated the bug.  Also looks 
like you seem to be able to see this problem very easily with a simple file|save 
as which we are not able to reproduce.  

Are you able to save this message using 4.x?

Reporter's comments via email:
I took your message that I am responding to and tried to save it from the File 
menu, selecting Save As, File and the result was the first attachment 
(message.eml).  If you do a 'Get Info' on this file it is identified as a 
Mozilla document, but its size is listed as 'zero k'. If I double click on the 
file it opens a Navigator window but the page is blank.  The same is true when I 
drop the file into the Navigator window.  Next, I tried to save the file by 
clicking in the message window and bringing up the contextual menu and selected 
Save As, but chose the 'All' file choice and that is attached as message2.eml.  
Then I tried clicking in the message window and using the contextual menu did a 
'Save As' 'HTML file' save and that result is 'message 3.eml'. Finally I did the 
same process and saved it as 'message4.eml'.  All of these saved documents are 
not viewable when I double click and try to view them or drop them into 
Navigator and try to view them.  They do not bring up the 'Microsoft Excel' 
requester, as does the final attachement file, which I previously saved 
'Ritalin' (strangely this is identified as a 'Netscape document', but is still 
zero k and this one does bring up the Excel requester when you try to drop it 
into Navigator).  I am not dreaming this stuff up, so get a beat on it and let's 
get it fixed, as anything past Netscape 4.79 has had this problem and no one 
seems to be able to get it straightened out...I am, Otto von Ruggins, Master of 
the Unheard Øf

I will be submitting this additional 'Bug' - in the email message listing window 
and below it in the actual message window, the scroll bar does not move up or 
down with the cursor. It only moves up or down when you click the cursor above 
or below the scroll bar, as well as using the arrows to move it up or down.  
This is not 'fatal' but rather more of a nuisance. I hope this is not a new 
'feature'.  I also notice that when I try to copy any text from an existing 
email message I get the annoying Contextual Menu and am unable to select any 
text for copying.  I am going to reboot with the Contextual Menu Extension off 
and see if that changes the situation, but I had this message to send first.

Comment 5

[Trix Supremo]

My comments to email sent:

Otto von Ruggins wrote:
I took your message that I am responding to and tried to save it from the File
menu, selecting Save As, File and the result was the first attachment
(message.eml).  If you do a 'Get Info' on this file it is identified as a
Mozilla document, but its size is listed as 'zero k'.

Reply:
i've tried these same steps, saved the message onto the desktop (as
message.eml), 'Get Info' on this file reveals a 4k size file.

Otto von Ruggins wrote:
If I double click on the file it opens a Navigator window but the page is blank.

Reply:
incorrect, double clicking this file displays the additional comments i've made.

Otto von Ruggins wrote: 
Next, I tried to save the file by clicking in the message window and bringing up
the contextual menu and selected Save As, but chose the 'All' file choice and
that is attached as message2.eml.  Then I tried clicking in the message window
and using the contextual menu did a 'Save As' 'HTML file' save and that result
is 'message 3.eml'. Finally I did the same process and saved it as
'message4.eml'.  All of these saved documents are not viewable when I double
click and try to view them or drop them into Navigator and try to view them.

Reply:
of course none of these files were viewable, if you weren't able to save the
message correctly initially, you are not going to be successful saving it again
in a different way. in other words,  saving a 0k file 4 different ways will
still yield a 0k file.

Otto von Ruggins wrote: 
They do not bring up the 'Microsoft Excel' requester, as does the final
attachement file, which I previously saved 'Ritalin' (strangely this is
identified as a 'Netscape document', but is still zero k and this one does bring
up the Excel requester when you try to drop it into Navigator). 

Reply:
the 4 *.eml files should NOT bring up the Microsoft Excel requester since they
are not associated with an Excel file extension.  The first observation with the
Ritalin spreadsheet was that it was associated with a *.XL and not *.XLS, but
was able to confirm that mac office excel was able to associate with it.  but,
this file is unreadable. which brings up a couple of questions:

   1. Is this the original file? Can you view this file correctly before you
sent this message?
   2. Are all spreadsheet exhibiting this problem? Can you create another
spreadsheet file and produce a Ok file when attaching it?
   3. Would you have access to another mac that exhibits the same problem? 
Reason being is that we have attempted to duplicate this on multiple machines
but are not successful.

Otto von Ruggins wrote: 
I am not dreaming this stuff up, so get a beat on it and let's get it fixed, as
anything past Netscape 4.79 has had this problem and no one seems to be able to
get it straightened out...I am, Otto von Ruggins, Master of the Unheard Øf

Reply:
? Since the bug you filed associated all saved messages to use the Excel  app,
these steps you've mention don't pertain to the problem. per bug:

"When I save email messages as either Mail, All, HTML or Text files, the file
that gets saved wabts to open with Microsoft Excel and has no data, as well as a
file size of 0 k"

that is what we are trying to duplicate in addition to saving files producing
0k. Is that correct? If so, then both sheela and I are correct in stating
that providing the steps you've provided, does not yield the same results on
multiple machines. one difference is that you are using an earlier build so one
suggestion is to try to duplicate the same problem using the latest build
(2002052805).

Comment 6

[Sheela Ravindran]

Reporter's summary as of 05-8-02:
 OK, I downloaded the latest binary 2002052803 and got some different results. 
First I saved your message that I am responding to and it saved it as a
'Netscape document' (not a Mozilla document, as the previous version was
identifying it).  It also had an 8k size and when I dropped it into Navigator,
it opened as the email message I had saved.  Bravo!  Then, I had an email about
the FDA which I saved first as a file named 'FDA3' (attached) and I noticed in
GetInfo that it was identified as a 'Mozilla document' and had a size of 12k. 
Nevertheless, when I tried dropping it into a Navigator window, I got the 'Open
with Microsft Excel' requester and I selected 'choose' and selected to open with
Mozilla.  The next thing I noticed was that the Navigator window opened and the
same 'Open with Microsoft Excel' requester appeared.  This time I selected 'OK'
and Excel opened and proceeded to present some parameter windows for me to
select from and eventually the email opened in an Excel spreadsheet!  Ridiculous
I say, but I then tried saving the file as 'FDA3.eml' (attached) and this file
opened fine when dropped into Navigator.  You are almost there, but PLEASE give
us a break and don't force us to include the '.eml' suffix after all our email
files just to get them to read properly, because, in effect, that's what you
have done with this '.eml'.  So we are making progress, yet I can't understand
this Microsoft Excel fixation of these files. What's that all about?...I am, OvR 

Reprorter: Looks like finally the new builds seemed to be working for you and
you are able to save files not with 0kb anymore. And with the .eml suffix
comment above, we have another bug which 96134.  
Marking this bug as worksforme since the intial problem is now resolved.  Follow
other bug 96134 to exclude .eml extension as default for while saving messages.  

Comment 7

[Jean-Francois Ducarroz]

sound like a dup of bug 135279 which is fixed on the trunk (nightly builds) but
not on the branch (RC1-RC3/Netscape 7.0PR1)

Comment 8

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

verified wfm