1718443 - Expose mail.purge.ask option in preferences to allow unprompted, automatic compacting. And to give users the choice of returning to prompted compacting.

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Preferences, enhancement, P1)

Description

[Anje]

The Options/Preferences > General > Disk Space says:
Checkbox "Compact all folders when it will save over xxxMB in total."
Selecting that checkbox implies it is automatic, but it is not, it merely pops up a message to say that xxxMB threshold has been reached so you need to compact. The checkbox selection does not state it is just a prompt.

The pop up message offers a checkbox option which basically means in future do compacting process without asking, so you do not get further pop up message to compact.

Currently, there no option / no checkbox to select to do it automatically when you set up your options, yet the pop up message offers an option to do it auto from then onwards.
Surely this area needs to sorted as it seems very odd that the user cannot set it up to be automatic in their preferences and needs to wait until they get a pop up that a threshold has been reached before they can choose that option.

I would suggest there needs to be two settings/ checkboxes:
The first sets the threshold as is the current state and offers the pop up dialogue, but at least it should mention it offers a prompt.
The second is to set it up as automatic which seems to be only offered after getting a prompt and not in the place where you set up the options.

• checkbox : Set threshold and prompt me to compact when it will save over xxMB in total.
• checkbox : Select to compact automatically when set threshold is reached.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Duplicate of bug 286888?

Comment 2

[Anje]

I suppose the point I'm making is this.... the pop up message offers the option to do compacting automatically from then onwards, but there is no option to set this same thing in Options/Preferences.
This also means there is no option to deselect if popup options selected in error or change of mind.

So, I'm saying either the pop up dialogue should not offer a checkbox to do it automatically or Options/Preferences should be in tune with the pop up and have the option available. Currently, it is the crazy situation where a pop up offers automatic compaction without asking but the Options/Preferences do not offer it, so it cannot be switched off.

I am not saying one method - allow auto compaction without asking - is correct or not. I'm not for or against, personally I prefer manual.
I am saying, if you offer it in the pop up then it must be offered in the Options/Preferences or not offer it at all.

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #1)

Duplicate of bug 286888?

No, that bug is about changing the default to unprompted.

But this bug is about giving users the UI to set the prompting choice, in case they turned off the compact prompt and wanted to change their mind. Or if bug 286888 were to ever happen, to allow user to opt out. And I would stipulate, that the UI of this bug would be required if bug 286888 did happen.

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Currently, user choice for mail.purge.ask is not exposed in the UI, except in the compact dialog prompt (which we are rewording in bug 1678856). But when the user opts out of prompting in the compact dialog the only way to reverse the choice is to use the config editor, so I think we should do this. There is also bug 286888, which which I suggest this bug is a prerequisite.

Comment 0 suggests using two checkboxes, but I think that might be confusing. I think
A. the prompting choice should indented under the compact threshold checkbox (and greyed out if the threshold box is not checked), because whether someone is prompted or not is dependent on the threshold being enabled (checked).
B. maybe use radio buttons for the choice to prompt or not - I think it would further help the user see that is a different type of choice than then threshold

Question should we radio, or checkbox, for the prompting preference?

[ ] Compact all folders when ...
. . . . o Ask before compacting
. . . . o Do not ask before compacting

[ ] Compact all folders when ...
. . . . [ ] Do not ask before compacting

I don't have a strong preference. Which do you prefer? And any objections to doing this?

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I should have pointed out the obvious - the work needs to be completed this week because of strings, if this is to make it into version 91 (beta builds next week)

Comment 6

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

[ ] Compact all folders when ...
. . . . [ ] Do not ask before compacting

I prefer this option.
I'll take this.

Comment 7

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

(In reply to Alessandro Castellani [:aleca] from comment #6)

[ ] Compact all folders when ...
. . . . [ ] Do not ask before compacting

I prefer this option.

I agree with Alex that the two checkboxes solution is preferrable.
In my proposal of Bug 1678856 Comment 82 (attachment 9229792 [details]), I suggested
▢ Compact folders automatically in the future for the dialog.
In line with that, I'd rephrase the second checkbox to avoid a double negative phrasing of the default status, which is now "Not Do not ask before compacting" - which is ask.

My modified proposal:

☑ Compact all folders when ... 
   ▢ Compact automatically without asking

Or, if we accept a slightly different wording and reverse checkmark logic in the preferences:

☑ Compact all folders when ... 
   ☑ Ask before compacting

Comment 8

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #4)

Currently, user choice for mail.purge.ask is not exposed in the UI, except in the compact dialog prompt (which we are rewording in bug 1678856). But when the user opts out of prompting in the compact dialog the only way to reverse the choice is to use the config editor, so I think we should do this. There is also bug 286888, which which I suggest this bug is a prerequisite.

Absolutely, a pref which can be toggled off in the UI should also have UI to toggle it on again (ux-consistency). More so in this particular case, as a matter of ux-control. My support for this bug.

Comment 9

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

▢ Compact automatically without asking

I like it.

Comment 10

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Alessandro Castellani [:aleca] from comment #9)

▢ Compact automatically without asking

I like it.

SGTM

Comment 11

[Anje]

☑ Compact all folders when ... 
   ▢ Compact automatically without asking

Sounds good to me.

Comment 12

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Little hiccup.
Since the pref is by default a truthy boolean mail.purge.ask, having a reversed checkbox option doesn't make it straightforward as simply using the preference="mail.purge.ask" attribute on the element.

Eg.
☑ Compact automatically without asking => mail.purge.ask is false.
▢ Compact automatically without asking => mail.purge.ask is true.

This means adding complexity to the code and having more javascript to handle the checkbox state on page load and when changing the option.

I'd like to propose to use this wording: Ask every time before compacting.
This will allow us to be inline with the pref and handling this with very few lines.

Comment 13

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Attachment: Bug 1718443 - Expose mail.purge.ask option in preferences to allow unprompted, automatic compacting. r=darktrojan

Comment 14

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Sounds reasonable.

In the review, Geoff comments "I'm going off on a tangent here, but maybe this would be clearer if it said "Compact all mail folders…". Being right below three lines about the web cache, it's a bit hard to see we're talking about a completely different thing."

I had the same thought about users being able to distinguish the two "things". Would it help to reverse the order, and put cache below compact?

Also note, I think compact also handles news and (?) feed folders. If true, strictly speaking it wouldn't be correct to specify "mail folders".

Comment 15

[Anje]

re: I'd like to propose to use this wording: 'Ask every time before compacting.'
Agree it sounds reasonable, but it changes everything, because it is now assuming you will compact when asked.

☑ Compact all folders when ... 
   ▢ Ask everytime before compacting

However,, selecting the first checkbox will no longer offer the prompt, it will be automatic.
Perhaps for clarity it needs to say it is automatic as this will change how that checkbox has worked previously.
Also, previously you set the threshold when selecting that same first checkbox. So if you do not select it because you want to be asked then the threshold setting needs to be separate. I suppose you would have to allow only one of the checkboxes to be able to be selected at any one time or neither.
Propose:

Compact Settings:
Set compact threshold when it will save over XXX MB in total.
☑ Automatically Compact all folders.
▢ Ask everytime before compacting

OR perhaps:

Compact Settings:
☑ Automatically Compact all folders  when it will save over XXX MB in total.
▢ Ask to Compact all folders when it will save over XXX MB in total.

Then either can be selected or neither to switch it off, but not both at same time.

Comment 16

[Anje]

I'm really just trying to convey that some people will like auto compact, others want a prompt, both require a threshold setting, but equally there are also those who want to switch it off and manually compact so this option also needs to disable the threshold.

If mail.purge.ask is false = compact automatically
and mail.purge.ask is true = offer prompt to compact
then what is: 'do not ask and do not auto compact'

Comment 17

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Would it help to reverse the order, and put cache below compact?

Let's defer this to another bug or a follow up patch.
Better land this with the string and checkbox in the prefs.
I also agree that writing "Compact all mail folders..." might not be correct, so better leave it as it is.

However, selecting the first checkbox will no longer offer the prompt, it will be automatic.

The second checkbox is already selected by default since it's synced with the mail.purge.ask pref, no need for the user to do anything other than unchecking it if they don't want to get prompted anymore.

Comment 18

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/8384898fa94a
Expose mail.purge.ask option in preferences to allow unprompted, automatic compacting. r=darktrojan

Comment 19

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

v.fixed in beta 91

Comment 20

[Anje]

Many thanks to everyone for getting this sorted.

Comment 21

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Attachment: Screenshot 1: Preference `mail.purge.ask` now exposed in `Preferences > General > Disk Space` [bug 1718443] and new compact prompt [bug 1678856]

Here's a screenshot of the compact preferences after this Bug 1718443, and the new compact dialog as implemented by bug 1678856. The mail.purge.ask preference is now exposed under Preferences > General > Disk Space. So users can choose unprompted, automatic compacting directly, or return to prompted compacting at any time.

Note that the checkbox on the compact dialog and its equivalent in Preferences have reverse logic in their wording, hence reverse checked status for the same internal pref (mail.purge.ask):

Compact Dialog: ▢ Compact folders automatically in the future [without asking]

Preferences: ☑ Ask every time before compacting

Comment 22

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

I've recently updated the official documentation on Compacting Folders.