1531434 - no emails shown

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1497041

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Calum Mackay]

Attachment: empty window

Daily 0227 was fine.

Today, tried Daily 0228: no emails are shown, for any account or folder. Just a blank window. See attachment "empty window".

This occurs across multiple IMAP accounts, and all folders within those accounts.

Note that accounts & folders are still shown correctly on the LHS, but selecting them makes no difference.

…

Worse, I'm now stuffed because I can't go back to Daily 0227: "you've launched an older version… create a new profile" — see attachment "older version".

This is presumably a separate bug, but there's a number of issues here:

• it says "an older version of Firefox" instead of Thunderbird

• it did not warn me when first running 0228 that I would no longer be able to use the profile from 0227, with Daily 0227. Presumably that profile is now marked as having been used with 0228.

• it doesn't offer me the option to "import" my profile from 0227, or any way to correct it. Only to either create a fresh profile, or quit.

Does that mean I'm stuffed now until /this/ (empty window) bug is fixed?

• isn't this going to make it very difficult for alpha testers — like me — to bisect older builds to find where a problem was introduced, using their existing profiles? I've been doing that for years… If the problem isn't reproducible with an empty profile then it's not going to work.

…

any suggestions, please? Other than to stop alpha testing Daily as my main email client, that is? :)

thanks!

Comment 1

[Calum Mackay]

Attachment: older version

Comment 2

[Calum Mackay]

The emails are actually there, in the top window, they're just invisible.

Scrolling the top window moves the scroll bar, and clicking in the empty window brings up an email in the lower window.

Moving up and down with arrow keys shows preceding & subsequent messages in the lower window. A bar appears in the top window, to highlight the selected message, but is otherwise blank. see attachment "window with highlight".

Comment 3

[Calum Mackay]

Attachment: window with highlight

Comment 4

[Calum Mackay]

The message header window has the header field names, but their content also remains blank. see previous attachment.

Comment 5

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

I see the same problem with the update to Build ID 20190228090701 on Ubuntu 18.04.2 and Linux Mint 19.1 today.

I don't know if this error message is relevant.

"NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9"

Other problems I have noticed are the From address is not filled in when opening a compose window and can't be selected, the date and time pickers when creating an event or task in the calendar are missing. Those are probably separate bugs?

I updated to the same build on Windows 10 and there are no apparent problems.

My recommendation would be to install and use the current release for your production email application. Use the Daily for testing.

I have the Ubuntu build, Thunderbird release, beta and daily on my systems.

Comment 6

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

(In reply to Calum Mackay from comment #4)

The message header window has the header field names, but their content also remains blank. see previous attachment.

Yep, I see that also.

Comment 7

[Calum Mackay]

thanks. confirmed the Compose window issue, same for me.

I don't see the NS error; where are you seeing that, cmdline?

I also notice that the Compose window has defaulted to HTML, yet my settings are for text-only Compose.

…

[re testing: it would be a shame: I've been testing nightly builds since Seamonkey days in the 1990s, by using the nightly build as my daily driver. Don't have time to test /and/ work :)]

…

thanks for the reminder about errors; I'm seeing:

NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9
TypeError: can't redefine non-configurable property "BrowserUtils" XPCOMUtils.jsm:316:19
TypeError: gFolderDisplay is null msgViewPickerOverlay.js:95:9
NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9
TypeError: can't redefine non-configurable property "BrowserUtils" XPCOMUtils.jsm:316:19
NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30
1551379017260 Telemetry::CoveragePing ERROR no endpoint base set Log.jsm:679
TypeError: treeCellInfo.col is null threadPane.js:67:14
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30
TypeError: treeCellInfo.col is null threadPane.js:67:14
NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9
TypeError: treeCellInfo.col is null threadPane.js:67:14
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30
TypeError: treeCellInfo.col is null threadPane.js:67:14
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30
TypeError: this.folderpopupShowing is not a function messenger.xul:1:13
TypeError: this.folderpopupHiding is not a function messenger.xul:1:6
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30
TypeError: can't redefine non-configurable property "BrowserUtils" XPCOMUtils.jsm:316:19
NS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND: Windows8WindowFrameColor.jsm:9
menulist.appendItem is not a function MsgComposeCommands.js:4002
NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE: Cannot call openModalWindow on a hidden window Prompter.jsm:345
NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE: Cannot call openModalWindow on a hidden window Prompter.jsm:345
uncaught exception: 2147746065 autosync.jsm:199:30

Comment 8

[Calum Mackay]

This is undoubtedly not the best place for this conversation, but…

My recommendation would be to install and use the current release for your production email application. Use the Daily for testing.

Let's say you use Daily for testing only, as you suggest. You find a bug that needs a certain set of conditions, as set-up in your /testing/ profile.

How do you now bisect older builds, to find out when the bug was introduced, if the older builds refuse to start using that testing profile?

If you have to re-create your test profile afresh for every single older build, as you bisect, that's a huge increase in work. Are people going to want to do that?

Comment 9

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

Yes, Daily was broken on Linux today. Sorry. Fixed by
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/c862e0f0a0a6e347eb341c38310b2d70d6a843d0

Comment 10

[Calum Mackay]

thanks very much indeed :)

Comment 11

[Calum Mackay]

I notice that Thunderbird Beta (66.0b2) does not have the "older version" check, and allows me to use my current profile.

If this older version check is to remain, I might as well give up Daily testing, after 20+ years :(

Comment 12

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

You can get rid of the check with a command line option when starting TB. --allow-downgrade or with a single -.

Comment 13

[Calum Mackay]

oh! marvellous, thank you!

I trawled the prefs for something similar, but didn't find anything.

Comment 14

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

Please get today's Daily and all will be well again.

Comment 15

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

(In reply to Calum Mackay from comment #13)

oh! marvellous, thank you!

I trawled the prefs for something similar, but didn't find anything.

It is something picked up from Firefox Nightly 67.0a1.

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/27/firefox-65-dedicated-profiles-per-install/

I see a new file called installs.ini in my .thunderbird folder, which shows the profile for Daily I am using and a "Locked=1" line. One also exists in my .mozilla folder for the Firefox Nightly.

Comment 16

[Calum Mackay]

(In reply to Jorg K (GMT+1) from comment #14)

Please get today's Daily and all will be well again.

confirmed all fine with today's build (0301).

Thanks again.

Comment 17

[Calum Mackay]

(In reply to WaltS48 [:walts48] from comment #15)

It is something picked up from Firefox Nightly 67.0a1.

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/27/firefox-65-dedicated-profiles-per-install/

oh very handy, thanks!