1647282 - simple inbox multi column sort functionality means an incredibly effective CRM

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, enhancement)

Description

[silent_thunderbird]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/81.0.4044.138 Safari/537.36

Steps to reproduce:

no way to multi-sort columns in Thunderbird Inbox

Actual results:

no way to multi-sort columns in Thunderbird Inbox

Expected results:

Currently anyone that has to keep track of piles of people/projects/etc when they responded to email all have the same problem:

1. did I respond to this person: this is currently seen in Thunderbird by a small arrow that shows an email was responded to which is great
2. how often do I need to get back to a particular sender / person? A day? A week AND did I respond to them? : no way to track this
3. multi-column sort by message threads isn't possible: most recent messages are buried at the BOTTOM of a large list of emails responded to and you still don't know who you need to respond by type eg. you need to get back to your boss fast, but not XYZ who is also sending details about the same message thread title

There must be a VERY simple way to solve this: to see WHO you need to get back to quickly. But there isn't and it's ONLY because of one small problem: you can't multi-sort the main Thunderbird window ( and as discussed in one https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1279557 ) which suggests using Menu -> View -> Sort By which ONLY allows for sorting by ONE column at a time which does not help with the above. But there is an easy solution to this.

Although ( as an advanced user ) you could created custom columns using the Thunderbird Extensions Developers panel as described in this help topic https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Thunderbird/Thunderbird_extensions/Creating_a_Custom_Column and IF you populated the data needed for a drop down with say 0: ASAP; 1: respond in 1 hr; 2: respond in 1 day there is STILL no way to see who you need to get back to quickly because you can't multi-column sort your inbox in Thunderbird. More, if you get an email from [e-mail] you can't always have him assigned to a "Respond in 1 hr" tag. Or a "Respond in 1 day" tag. BUT with a super simple plugin called "ColumnsWizard" https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/tag/custom%20columns you are 50% of the way there. Super right? Almost.

The ability for Thunderbird to become an incredibly simple CRM like system for any email user is therefore screwed because there is no multi-column sort. However by using a great Thunderbird plugin called "ColumnsWizard" and a simple multi-column sort functionality, by say, a custom column called PRIORITY ( 0: respond ASAP; 1: respond in 1 hr; 2: respond in 1 day ) any Thunderbird user has an instant and very simple way to make sure you don't loose things. An instant CRM.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Two column sorting should be working per bug 1037857 comment 5 but >2 is not available.

Is even two column failing for you?

Comment 2

[silent_thunderbird]

Then must there be something missing ?

Per the latest release 68.9.0 (32-bit) - and just downloaded now and by utilizing Menu -> View -> Sort By ( no way to attach a screen shot here ) there is ONLY the ability to select one of the variables: date, time, sender, etc....

Trying to use Shift, or CTRL, or ALT, etc., Thunderbird locks for a few seconds, then a few mins later, the program will snap out of what looks like a process loop where CPU time increases and then returns to normal.

How then is it possible to select one column for sorting and then another within the inbox so to solve the above problem of muti-column sorting or has this bug not been completed ?

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Walt, does two column sort fail for you?

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Multicolumn sort is already covered in bug 1037857 so we might dup this bug to that.

However, if it turns out that two column sort is broken then we could morph this bug to that issue.
https://mzl.la/2Vf4era list of sort column bugs (excluding those that mention "date")

Comment 5

[silent_thunderbird]

Wayne, you are the lightening. thanks for a VERY fast response.

yes, I can't seem to get Multi-Column to work in any environment. to make sure and to see if other are experiencing the same, so I opened the idea to test it from other users ( and possibly with the need of a plugin - but not confirmed ) here https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1292168#answer-1327199 so as to create the basic visual functionality in the Thunderbird inbox: quickly sorting messages in the inbox

the reality is that a VISUAL way of looking at an inbox: via a programmable column drop down for each message and a simple sort by 2 colums is all that is needed for a very basic and highly efficient CRM. but nothing can happen unless 2 colomn sorting is working. make sense ?

Comment 6

[WaltS48 [:walts48]]

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #3)

Walt, does two column sort fail for you?

As stated in Comment 2 View > Sort by only allows one selection.

I sort by Date and tried to add another column by selecting it in the Thread pane, but Thunderbird only sorted by that column and View > Sort by also changed to the selected column.

Shorter answer is yes.
Tested 68.9.0 and 78.0b3 on Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS

Comment 7

[alta88]

MessagePreview implements secondary sort indicators and also adds sort indicators to iconic columns. It is also on ATN but latest versions with new js syntax can't be updated due to ATN not having an updated linter.

Note: sort by Date and by Id (Order Received) are special and do/did not implement being secondary sorts. This was fixed for Date in Bug 1584748.

Comment 8

[silent_thunderbird]

guys I like to think that I'm as technical as they come but, as always, it's context, so my Thunderbird vanacular is limited: alta88, when you say "It is also on ATN but latest versions with new js syntax can't be updated due to ATN not having an updated linter." you lost me there because when you say, "sort by Date and by Id (Order Received) are special and do/did not implement being secondary sorts. This was fixed for Date" that should mean, that if, say, I sort by a new column ( like I suggested ) a new column that I am able to add to the inbox pane: status and THEN i'd want to sort by date, this DOES work? A VERY sneaky cheat might be to use tags ( native to thunderbird ) and give them statuses like 1: 1 day; 2: 1 week; etc., but as I said I use tags to delineate depts: engineering, legal, etc.,. so ( and if anyone can even suggest how to do this ) add a new column with a drop down, etc., to the inbox pane, I'd LOVE to know how to do this. REGARDLESS if I use something like sort on a tags ( whatever I define them to be like 1,2,3 ) and the sort by that, I cannot THEN secondarily sort by date. So, the bug has not been fixed.

I'm a little more understanding of WaltS48's comment "I sort by Date and tried to add another column by selecting it in the Thread pane, but Thunderbird only sorted by that column and View > Sort by also changed to the selected column." meaning it DID fail or "short answer yes" you CAN do this is not the case. Looks like 2 column sort STILL is not working.

Unless I'm missing something?

Again if anyone can suggest a way to add a drop down column to the inbox OR if there is any way to add ANOTHER tag field that would do it. Honestly tags are the easiest way to "cheat" this but Thunderbird only lets you do one.