Closed Bug 1639249 Opened 4 years ago Closed 4 years ago

77.0b3 beta dark background color in mail reader

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Message Reader UI, defect)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
Message Reader UI
Platform:
Unspecified
All
Type:
defect

Tracking

(thunderbird_esr78+ fixed, thunderbird80 fixed)

Status:
RESOLVED FIXED
Milestone:
Thunderbird 80.0
Tracking Flags:
Tracking Status
thunderbird_esr78 + fixed
thunderbird80 --- fixed

People

(Reporter: subbaraman.kiran, Assigned: Paenglab)

References

(Blocks 1 open bug)

Details

(Keywords: regression, Whiteboard: [duptome][workaround: comment 37])

Attachments

(10 files)

thunderbird-theme-issue-1.png
48.30 KB, image/png
Details
thunderbird-theme-issue-2.png
43.05 KB, image/png
Details
thunderbird-options-readers-default-colors.png
32.72 KB, image/png
Details
thunderbird-theme-issue-3-white-text-white-background.png
30.06 KB, image/png
Details
thunderbird-theme-issue-3-white-text-white-background-highlight-to-view.png
29.71 KB, image/png
Details
thunderbird-reader-colors-as-expected.png
24.37 KB, image/png
Details
white-on-white-email.eml
19.63 KB, message/rfc822
Details
thunderbird-reader-view-message-body-as-plain-text.png
34.82 KB, image/png
Details
unreadable white on white text in default system mode (dark system)
104.99 KB, image/png
Details
1639249-disable-dark-message-preview.patch
1.83 KB, patch
mkmelin
: review+
wsmwk
: approval-comm-beta+
wsmwk
: approval-comm-esr78+
Details | Diff | Splinter Review

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:78.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/78.0

Steps to reproduce:

I currently use Thunderbird beta 77.0b2 (32-bit), on Windows 10.
I tried to set the theme to dark theme / light theme

Actual results:

The email reader is always with a dark background - irrespective of the theme I chose. The text is also in dark colour. This makes the content unreadable.

Expected results:

The email content should be readable in the reader.

Attached screenshots of the issue, when in dark-theme, and light-theme modes.

Component: Untriaged → Message Reader UI
Summary: [77.0b2 (32-bit)] Thunderbird beta dark background in mail reader → 77.0b2 beta dark background color in mail reader
Whiteboard: [dupme]

Are you using the Windows 10 dark theme?

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)

(In reply to WaltS48 [:walts48] from comment #4)

Are you using the Windows 10 dark theme?

Yes, I am using Windows 10 dark theme.

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)

My Windows 10 settings are the Dark default Windows mode and Light default app mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors.

I can't reproduce your blue text if I switch the default app mode to dark and everything looks good here.

The applications UI is Light when I use the Thunderbird Light theme, dark when I use the Default or Dark themes.

Does the same problem occur if you use safe mode?

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)

@walts48, thanks for taking a look at this.

Well, I do use Windows 10 dark mode. Also, thunderbird is in dark-mode.
In the meantime, I have attached a few more screenshots of what I see.

  • thunderbird-options-readers-default-colors.png - My thunderbird-options, especially the reader's colors
  • thunderbird-theme-issue-3-white-text-white-background.png - some emails, especially from one particular mailing list, appears as white-on-white. Only the URLs standout because of their blue color.
  • thunderbird-theme-issue-3-white-text-white-background-highlight-to-view.png - the text needs to be selected, so that I can view this.

P.S Am not sure how to start Thunderbird in Safe mode. Will look that up, and let you know.

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)
Summary: 77.0b2 beta dark background color in mail reader → 77.0b3 beta dark background color in mail reader

The reader's colors are as expected. The email is readable.
Am guessing this works, because the email content is in plain-text.
The issue arises when the email text is html? Am not sure.

Kiran, can you attach such an email to this bug? It seems for me the issue is that the mail author only defined the text colour without defining the background colour because he thought everybody uses a white background. But a base rule is if you define a foreground (text) colour you have also to define the background colour.

How does it look for you when you set View > Message Body As > Plain Text? Or also Simple HTML?

A sample email, where the text and background are white.

(In reply to Richard Marti (:Paenglab) from comment #12)

Kiran, can you attach such an email to this bug? It seems for me the issue is that the mail author only defined the text colour without defining the background colour because he thought everybody uses a white background. But a base rule is if you define a foreground (text) colour you have also to define the background colour.

How does it look for you when you set View > Message Body As > Plain Text? Or also Simple HTML?

Richard, Uploaded the sample email.
Will try the option that you mention, and update.

(Menu option) View -> Message Body -> Plain Text

The View > Message Body As > Plain Text is a workable option for the moment.
Thanks for the suggestion Richard (@Paenglab)

Comment on attachment 9152336 [details]
white-on-white-email.eml

This message has the problem that only the background is defined:
<body style="background-color: #fff;">
and there is no definition like color: #000;. Because of this TB uses the default colour which is white with the dark theme. And white on white isn't very readable.

And this is something that is the reality. Mail HTML will assume a white background, and the default reader color to be black, or a dark color.
This basically means that if we switch to the dark theme in thunderbird, it is better we view emails as "Plain text". Else the experience is broken.

Unless, thunderbird tries to figure out the background and foreground, and adjusts accordingly.
I guess that will open a big-can-of-html-worms :)

Thanks for your help. I think, I'll live with the dark theme with "plain text" option for the moment.

I'm using TB 77.0b3 (20200518172851) on Mac OS 10.15, and i'm getting lots of unreadable mail also. using default theme (follows system) and have my system set to dark mode. See attachment. Many of Kiran's attachments look quite familiar to me.

(In reply to Chris Andrichak from comment #20)

I'm using TB 77.0b3 (20200518172851) on Mac OS 10.15, and i'm getting lots of unreadable mail also. using default theme (follows system) and have my system set to dark mode. See attachment. Many of Kiran's attachments look quite familiar to me.

Chris,
It looks like the only option to deal with this to choose the menu option: " View > Message Body As > Plain Text" .
I've been on this option for the last two weeks now - took a bit to getting used to. It makes html based emails (news letters, announcements, etc) unreadable, though.

Comment on attachment 9156153 [details]
unreadable white on white text in default system mode (dark system)

I don't know the source code of this message, but it looks like it only sets the background colour without setting the text colour. The newsletter author expects only light backgrounds with standard dark text. Expecting something is bad web design. Maybe you could inform them to define always both properties, the text- and the background colour.

bug 1641422 is a duplicate?

The main issue is, that the HTML messages have only one part of text colour/background colour defined and suppose the other part is the correct default.

Maybe we should work around this and somehow fall back to white background/black text when only one of both is configured. Or like mobile mailer do, force white text and black background when the dark system theme is enabled.

Sounds like the problem has been identified. Not only does the HTML rendering service assume some dark/light combination, it assumes differently on Win 10, Ubuntu, and Apple systems. I guess there's not an HTML spec for dark mode? If I have to "live with" something, I'll take the hard to read black on grey with other HTML normal versus plain text for everything. If this problem is bypassed, users need to be made aware of the choices.

I would like to be able to have everything in Dark mode except for the message body when it's an HTML message. Particularly if it could do it only when it's an HTML message that changes either of the color or background-color attributes.

Far too many systems out there assume black text on light background, you're never going to get all of them fixed.
Currently, this makes Dark mode very pretty but a royal PITA when reading messages from coworkers.

I have just fixed ZendTo so it sets both foreground and background colours correctly.

(In reply to Julian Field from comment #32)

I would like to be able to have everything in Dark mode except for the message body when it's an HTML message. Particularly if it could do it only when it's an HTML message that changes either of the color or background-color attributes.

Far too many systems out there assume black text on light background, you're never going to get all of them fixed.
Currently, this makes Dark mode very pretty but a royal PITA when reading messages from coworkers.

I have just fixed ZendTo so it sets both foreground and background colours correctly.

I think I agree with this approach if it is doable.

(In reply to doug2 from comment #33)

(In reply to Julian Field from comment #32)

I would like to be able to have everything in Dark mode except for the message body when it's an HTML message. Particularly if it could do it only when it's an HTML message that changes either of the color or background-color attributes.

Far too many systems out there assume black text on light background, you're never going to get all of them fixed.
Currently, this makes Dark mode very pretty but a royal PITA when reading messages from coworkers.

I have just fixed ZendTo so it sets both foreground and background colours correctly.

I think I agree with this approach if it is doable.

Heartily agree - it is quite a problem in current state and we need to force fix when the content author is making bad assumptions.

I have just filed 1651617 as an enhancement request, referencing this bug.

Most content authors make bad assumptions, and will continue to do so. We can't attempt to fix all of them.

(In reply to Chris Andrichak from comment #34)

(In reply to doug2 from comment #33)

(In reply to Julian Field from comment #32)

I would like to be able to have everything in Dark mode except for the message body when it's an HTML message. Particularly if it could do it only when it's an HTML message that changes either of the color or background-color attributes.

Far too many systems out there assume black text on light background, you're never going to get all of them fixed.
Currently, this makes Dark mode very pretty but a royal PITA when reading messages from coworkers.

I have just fixed ZendTo so it sets both foreground and background colours correctly.

I think I agree with this approach if it is doable.

Heartily agree - it is quite a problem in current state and we need to force fix when the content author is making bad assumptions.

+1

+1

I'm rather shocked TB 78 was released with this bug. Over half of my email is completely unreadable, black or dark blue text on dark grey background. This bug should have been treated as a blocker.

(In reply to HK-47 from comment #39)

I'm rather shocked TB 78 was released with this bug. Over half of my email is completely unreadable, black or dark blue text on dark grey background. This bug should have been treated as a blocker.

Indeed it was really bad. Specially because there is no workaround. I really hope this is fixed soon

(In reply to Renato Botelho from comment #40)

Indeed it was really bad. Specially because there is no workaround. I really hope this is fixed soon

A workaround would be to use View > Message Body As > Simple HTML.

Or the sledgehammer: In Config Editor add the integer pref ui.systemUsesDarkTheme and set it to 0. Then use the dark TB theme. Like this, the normal UI is dark but the prefs and the Add-ons Manager are light again and the message content has a white background.

Thank you! The sledge worked to get back to previous functionality. My mail is readable again without breaking all the formatting.

(In reply to Richard Marti (:Paenglab) from comment #41)

(In reply to Renato Botelho from comment #40)

Indeed it was really bad. Specially because there is no workaround. I really hope this is fixed soon

A workaround would be to use View > Message Body As > Simple HTML.

Or the sledgehammer: In Config Editor add the integer pref ui.systemUsesDarkTheme and set it to 0. Then use the dark TB theme. Like this, the normal UI is dark but the prefs and the Add-ons Manager are light again and the message content has a white background.

Thank you!!! It made my life much better for the moment!

From user POV this is a regression. With a high volume of support postings, and at the top of most duplicate bug reports.

Severity: -- → S2
status-thunderbird79: --- → wontfix
status-thunderbird80: --- → affected
Flags: needinfo?(mkmelin+mozilla)
Keywords: regression
OS: Unspecified → All
Whiteboard: [dupme] → [duptome][workaround: comment 37]

You could see how the windows 10 email client handles email with a dark theme, because I use it and I can see the emails without a problem, they could apply this in Thunderbird

I would not concur the approach to (always) force a bright background and suitably dark contrasted script colour for message body (compose | read | preview) with the dark theme:

  • it counteracts the concept of dark
  • causes strain on the eyes (bright patches within the otherwise dark theme)
  • other emails clients are capable of providing a homogeneous dark themed user experience, that is incl. the windows | frames that handle the message body

As for HTML body there is @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) which is supported by FX (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/@media/prefers-color-scheme#Examples) since version 67. If not mistaken https://bugzilla.mozilla.org implements this approach and there is no issue here with either the text vs. background colour contrast or with the display of graphics.
Some logos with transparent areas (assuming white background) may look different/awkward on a dark background but that should hardly be a blocker.

I'm not sure there's an easy and fast good solution. Maybe until we figure it out properly, we could stop applying dark-theme to message pane (like 68).
Richard, what do you think?

Flags: needinfo?(mkmelin+mozilla) → needinfo?(richard.marti)

Like this? In composer we need still this rules because we can't override the background.

Should we land this only on 78 to be able to work on the issue on trunk?

Assignee: nobody → richard.marti
Flags: needinfo?(richard.marti)
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: review?(mkmelin+mozilla)
Comment on attachment 9165857 [details] [diff] [review]
1639249-disable-dark-message-preview.patch

Review of attachment 9165857 [details] [diff] [review]:
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah. I think we should land it everywhere so we get consistency, and if we find a solution on time, easier uplifting. Putting it back can be part of the solution for trunk once we get to that.
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: review?(mkmelin+mozilla) → review+
Keywords: checkin-needed-tb
Target Milestone: --- → Thunderbird 80.0
Comment on attachment 9165857 [details] [diff] [review]
1639249-disable-dark-message-preview.patch

[Approval Request Comment]
User impact if declined: unreadable messages
Testing completed (on c-c, etc.): soon on c-c
Risk to taking this patch (and alternatives if risky): low
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-esr78?
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-beta?

Windows 10: Thunderbird 78.0.1
Feed back info that may help.

I'm using System Dark Mode enabled on computer and default app mode is also dark. Thunderbird is set to default Light Mode and all the following is based on that Thunderbird setting. I'm using TB Safe mode so my userChrome.css is not involved

However, in Thunderbird 78, the only part that is Light mode is Address Book, Calendar, Folder Pane, Thread Pane and drop down menus. Also 'Write window except the area where you compose.

Everything else is as if dark mode : Troubleshooting Information, Options, Addons, about:Profiles, about:config, composing area in Write window

This background is directly controlled by the computer default app mode being dark. Changing the computer default app mode to Light alters the background to white.

Message Pane is being controlled by various sources.

Test: 'View' > 'Message Body as' > 'Plain text' or 'Simple HTML'

  1. Thunderbird light mode, computer app mode light
    The background is white - font colour is controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - set to blue.

  2. Thunderbird light mode, computer app mode dark
    The background is dark grey almost blackish - font colour is white if app mode dark and font colour is controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - auto white font. - No control over font colour. But white is good visibility.

  3. Thunderbird dark mode, computer app mode light
    This background is directly controlled by the computer default app mode being light. Font colour is controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - set to blue.

  4. Thunderbird dark mode, computer app mode dark
    The background is dark grey almost blackish - font colour is white if app mode dark and font colour is controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - auto white font. - No control over font colour. But white is good visibility.

So I have full control over the Text colour if using computer app mode light, but not app mode dark, but computer app mode is controlling the background either way.

Test: 'View' > 'Message Body as' > 'Original HTML'
Thunderbird dark mode, computer app mode dark
Emails can seem unreadible as background is dark with dark text !
Problem identitfied: It occurs if the sender of email says html css dictates the style = font colour as a dark colour and they have set style background color to 'transparent'. No problem if the style background color is set as eg: white.

re :ui.systemUsesDarkTheme 0
If using App mode dark and thunderbird dark theme
Changes the Message Pane to light mode, so emails visible, but it also changes Troubleshooting Information, Options, Addons, about:Profiles, about:config, composing area in Write window to light mode as well.

Just to be clear - reading back it does not sound easily understood - as I still cannot edit anything :)
2. Thunderbird light mode, computer app mode dark
The background is dark grey almost blackish - font colour is white if app mode dark and font colour is NOT controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - auto white font. - No control over font colour. But white is good visibility.

  1. Thunderbird dark mode, computer app mode dark
    The background is dark grey almost blackish - font colour is white if app mode dark and font colour is NOT controlled by Options > General 'Fonts & colours' > Colours - Text (not using 'use system colours) - auto white font. - No control over font colour. But white is good visibility.
Comment on attachment 9165857 [details] [diff] [review]
1639249-disable-dark-message-preview.patch

Approved for beta
Approved for esr78
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-esr78?
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-esr78+
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-beta?
Attachment #9165857 - Flags: approval-comm-beta+

Current Thunderbird Dark and Light themes do not have full control over all of Thunderbird.
The theme called 'Default - A theme with the operating system system colour scheme' is controlled by the computer app mode.

Unreadible emails in Original HTML mode in dark theme caused by html css setting a background colour as transparent.

Setting the message preview area always light is a great interim response, because it addresses the immediate issue. That's what the "sledgehammer" posted earlier does and it's perfectly fine. This should be fast-tracked as an emergency hotfix because you broke Thunderbird for a very large proportion of users. It never should have been released in its current behavior, these bugs should have blocked release.

Longer term this should be addressed in the same way every other mail client does it, like Outlook. It looks at the content of the message and adjusts so it has sufficient contrast to be easily readable. Dark blue text (the Outlook default) is changed to light blue. Black text goes stark white, dark grey goes light grey.

(In reply to Anje from comment #56)

Current Thunderbird Dark and Light themes do not have full control over all of Thunderbird.
The theme called 'Default - A theme with the operating system system colour scheme' is controlled by the computer app mode.

Unreadible emails in Original HTML mode in dark theme caused by html css setting a background colour as transparent.

All my Daily testing in dark mode pointed to this (background as transparent, versus reversed) being the case. However, it was also not possible for the user to change colors consistently, so I don't believe that is the only problem.

Pushed by kaie@kuix.de:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/b51698ccb392
Disable dark message pane until we have until we have a solution for incorrect CSS in messages. r=mkmelin DONTBUILD

Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 4 years ago
Keywords: checkin-needed-tb
Resolution: --- → FIXED

If computer app mode is dark, regardless of whatever you have selected in Thunderbird as theme, then you have no control over the font colour unless it is hardcoded into the html of received email and even then if received email does not hardcode the background colour or uses transparent and if the hardcoded html font colour is also dark, you will not be able to see email content.

If computer app mode is light then there is control of font colour regardless of dark or light theme in thunderbird.

So at the moment, the choice to ensure you can read all emails :
Set computer app mode to light. This messes up what you would want to see for all other apps but fixes Thunderbird reading issue.
Set computer app mode to dark, thunderbird set as dark and ui.systemUsesDarkTheme 0, It also means all other apps uses the dark theme.

but either way, if you use a dark theme dark theme in thunderbird, this will have several areas in Thunderbird set like the light theme and the remainder as dark - a sort of half and half mixture as it's not just the Message Pane and composing area that are effected.

Whatever was adjusted for version 68 with Light and Dark theme continues to be a problem and has just got worse with html 'transparency' setting for background colour.

Kiran,
Can you please check this candidate build this weekend and tell us if the situation improves.
https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/candidates/79.0b3-candidates/build1/

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #61)

Kiran,
Can you please check this candidate build this weekend and tell us if the situation improves.
https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/candidates/79.0b3-candidates/build1/

Couldn't you use the same system that standard windows 10 email uses? He can handle emails in the dark theme very well. See the same email below

https://prnt.sc/tof9y7

Thanks
Maison

They absolutely could, and should, and probably will, but that will take dev time and they need to fix the immediate problem in the GA release right now.

Not sure what to expect. Installed the 79.0b3 build (64 bit win 10-dark mode, no themes or other add-ons installed). Created HTML mail (white fg on black bg) with color & font changes . Sent to TB79.0b2 (64 bit win 10-dark mode [same machine], with TB dark theme enabled* and the sledgehammer fix installed). Msg appeared ALL black on white (i.e., color changes in text or background did not appear). Checked View status (Message body as original HTML) . Checked source - definitely HTML included. Sent the same mail (no changes) back to 79.0b3 and it appeared black & colors on white.
Only in the editor did I see white (&colors) on black.

Sent HTML email from external source that appears black on transparent on 79.0b2 to the 79.0b3 test build TBird. Msg appears "normal" black on white with pictures and text color changes. Definitely more readable - about the same as the sledgehammer fix.

*Caveat: this 79.0b2 has a very old profile that has been auto-updated many times over the last 20 years.

What you should expect is what the checkin for the patch states "Disable dark message [preview] pane until we have until we have a solution for incorrect CSS in messages"

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #65)

What you should expect is what the checkin for the patch states "Disable dark message [preview] pane until we have until we have a solution for incorrect CSS in messages"

All messages in preview pane or tab or separate window appear as black on white in 79.0b3. (win 10-dark mode, 64bit)

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #61)

Kiran,
Can you please check this candidate build this weekend and tell us if the situation improves.
https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/candidates/79.0b3-candidates/build1/

Wayne, I can test this later this week or the weekend. Thanks for addressing this issue.

Right now, am fine with "View -> Message Body -> Simple HTML" . This ensures that there is no switch from dark theme colours to bright ones. Works for me.

Flags: needinfo?(subbaraman.kiran)

It is still not displaying correctly in Dark mode on a Mac.

  1. If I select 2 messages in the index, the resulting list of 2 messages in the preview pane are shown in totally white on white. And that's nothing to do with the content of the messages (they are both Bugzilla reports about this bug).
  2. If I reply to message, the new-message window keeps the original (dark or black) text and displays it on a black background. Again demonstrated by trying to reply to a Bugzilla bug report.

This is far from usable on a Mac. (Mac in Dark Mode, Thunderbird with Default theme, no manual TB config changes).

How do we re-open this bug?

Blocks: 1657833

Same bug here with TB 78.1.1 on MacOS 10.14 with dark mode activated.
The mail view work is OK, but multiselect preview, preference and compose (this is very problematic) remain in dark mode and even if i select the light theme of TB
Thx for the support !

Please don't touch the flags. File a new bug with much details if you have other related problems. This bug is closed, and you even confirmed mail views now work for you.

status-thunderbird80: --- → fixed
status-thunderbird_esr78: --- → fixed

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #74)

Please don't touch the flags. File a new bug with much details if you have other related problems. This bug is closed, and you even confirmed mail views now work for you.

Sorry, It's a misclic !

Sorry about that, I was trying to follow any of the instruction guides to try to re-open the bug. Totally failed to find any useful or correct documentation.

I have just filed bug 1657862 to report it as a new issue.

Cheers,
Jules.

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