1665430 - Options > Composition > "Default startup directory in the address book window" should also apply to contacts sidebar

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Address Book, enhancement)

Description

[Anje]

Windows 10
Thunderbird 78.2.2 64bit

In Options > Composition
Set the default startup address book.

Restart Thunderbird.

In 'Write' window, the Contacts Sidebar does not automatically show the default startup address book, unless by chance it was the last address book used in the Contacts sidebar.

Whatever address book is last selected in the Contacts Sidebar it is always auto remembered if you open and close the Write window and if you exit and restart Thunderbird.

I would expect the last selected address book in Contacts Sidebar to be auto selected if I open and close Write window, but if a default start up address book is set then I would expect that default startup address book to be auto selected in Contacts Sidebar upon opening for the first time after startup. It is not.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I thought I had filed one about this for the regular address book window, which was fixed, but I cannot find it.

Comment 2

[Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan)]

The selection of the most recently used directory was deliberately implemented, but it pre-dates the start-up preference by about 8 years, so that wasn't an option at the time. An argument could be made either way, and I think if we're going to change the behaviour there needs so be some way to set the start-up preference from the sidebar.

That said, we could change the sidebar to load the most recently used directory if the start-up preference has the default value (which is All Address Books), but what if you want the sidebar to open to All Address Books every time?

Comment 3

[Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan)]

Oh, scratch that, I see that "last used directory" is actually an option. I misunderstood how these preferences worked.

Comment 4

[Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan)]

Attachment: Bug 1665430 - Respect default start-up address book preferences in contacts sidebar. r?ThomasD

Stop using the XUL store to persist the last used value, and store it (if applicable) in the same way as the address book window does.

Comment 5

[Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan)]

Attachment: Bug 1665430 - Add default start-up directory item to contacts sidebar context menu. r?ThomasD

Depends on D94274

Comment 6

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Improved summary, bug type changed to RFE so that we understand better what we're actually doing here.

Comment 7

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

A bit of historical context...
(Thomas8 from Bug 1177706 Comment 8)

(In reply to Mitch from Bug 1177706 Comment 7)

It's also my hope that this customized setting would also then apply to the
contacts sidebar in the composition window.

I wonder how helpful that would really be.
Functionalities differ: Contacts side bar is mainly for choosing recipients;
whereas main AB is mainly for general address management.

For contacts side bar, we have bug 1142705 and we're just exploring to have
an even more fine-grained control over the initial AB shown when starting a
new composition. E.g., when I'm using my business email account, I'll want
to see my business AB when starting a new composition, but for my private
account, I'll want to start out with my private AB. Perhaps even distinguish
identities. So it depends on the sender identity.

...I suspect we'll be better off to keep the 'initial-AB' settings separate between
main AB and contacts side bar, which grants more control to the user.

Comment 8

[Anje]

In Options/Preferences > Composition to set default address book, currently only sets the default address address when you click on 'Address Book' to view all the address books. But it does not set that selected default address book when opening a new 'Write' message window, because the 'Contacts Sidebar' is remembering the last used address book.

So you can set the 'Address Book' to auto open on eg: Personal Address Book
But if the last time you used 'Write' Contact Sidesbar, you sent an email using another address book, then that other address book will be auto entered.

If you open Write window and select address book 'Business' - compse and send email.
If you then open 'Address Book' and it auto shows 'Personal address Book' and you select a contact and click on Write.
That person is correctly entered in a TO field, but the 'address book' shown in contacts sidebar is not necessarilly the last selected address book 'Personal Address Book' which I used to select the contact. In this senario, it would be 'Business' even though I've selected PAB contact.

There needs to be some logical understanding of what is expected.
If I set a 'default address book by name' on startup, then I expect that setting to be reset each time I start Thunderbird and it should reset when I open either 'Address Book' or 'Write'.
If I choose the 'Last used directory' option, then whatever address book was last used regardless of whether it was done in Address Book or in the Write window Contacts Sidebar selection, then which ever was last used should be remembered and used upon startup.

Within a session, you may expect the 'Write' window to remember the last used address book.

This means the user can select:
always use the last used address book both on restart of Thunderbird and within a session
OR on startup reset the address book but remember last used within the session.

On start up of Thunderbird, I would like my address book (Address Book and Contacts Side bar 'address book') to reset to my 'Options' > 'composition' selected default start up selection.
During the session, I would like last selected address book, whether that choice was made in the 'Address Book' or in a Write Contacts Sidebar, to be remembered.

Obviously, the above is based on the current code, session and the generic setting of an address book.

But it does make perfect sense to be able to set a specific default address based on account name.
So use the default startup setting with exception for any mail account that has a unique default setting.

Comment 9

[Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan)]

I agree it would be nice if the displayed directory could be set on a per-account (probably per-identity) basis, although that's a significantly more complicated change. Let's at least get this piece working first.

Comment 10

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

(In reply to Geoff Lankow (:darktrojan) from comment #9)

I agree it would be nice if the displayed directory could be set on a per-account (probably per-identity) basis, although that's a significantly more complicated change. Let's at least get this piece working first.

Good point. My reviews are done, thanks for addressing failures and shortcomings identified by me. We're down to two comment nits on D94274 and one function comment to be added (see my proposal) on D94275, then over to mkmelin for formal approval.

Comment 11

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

One remaining nit noted by mkmelin on https://phabricator.services.mozilla.com/D94274 - (inlining another variable, not the one you already inlined).

Comment 12

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/a4c52e5d29fc
Respect default start-up address book preferences in contacts sidebar. r=ThomasD
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/552965dee1f6
Add default start-up directory item to contacts sidebar context menu. r=ThomasD