1719650 - All new emails do not end up inbox, but in another folder (since filter set to match blank)

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, defect)

Description

[86ul]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.114 Safari/537.36

Steps to reproduce:

For my emails, I use 1) the web client of my email provider, 2) an app client on my smartphone (standard app within LineageOS 17.1) and 3) Thunderbird (official repo within Mint 20.1c). Only Thunderbird have the filters, to filter all my emails to their appropriate folder. With the (planned) result that just the emails which I do not (yet) have a filter for, stays in my Inbox. So that I can filter these manually, and/or know which filter rules I have to set up. Thus only Thunderbird have the filters, not the other clients.

A few months ago, I created a new subfolder with Thunderbird, the first subfolder to precise. I did this with an already existing folder, thus a new subfolder in an old folder. Then I created one new filter to have some new incoming emails to that new subfolder. I have use the rule(s) "From" with "Ends with" to have so. I did this, because I took a subscription on several news media, and I prefer to have just one subfolder for all those new emails.

Actual results:

Instead of just filtering only the new emails from the news media to their new subfolder, all new incoming emails end up in that new subfolder. Not just the new new emails for which I do not yet have a filter for, but all new emails end up in that new subfolder, with or without a filter rule. The already filtered out emails stay in their appropriate folder.

Both the web and app client keep all new emails in the Inbox, as they do not have any filter rules. But when using Thunderbird all new emails -read or not, received and fresh incoming- end up in the new subfolder. And yes, when I apply the filters to that new subfolder/'inbox', all filters are working correctly and emails with a filter are moved to their appropriate folder.

To say it all differently, my new subfolder had become the new Inbox.

A few weeks ago, I created a new subfolder, but this time not using Thunderbird, but using the web client. I did this in the hope to exclude some possible bugs, like in Thunderbird with a (new) subfolder, and an IMAP bug. After 1) creating a new subfolder, 2) I moved all emails to the second subfolder, and then 3) I deleted the first subfolder. But with the same effect, 4) that second subfolder has become the new inbox. Thus this second subfolder has become the new inbox.

Because I have this issue not with the other clients -as they do not have any filters- and thus just with Thunderbird, I think this bug is exclusive for Thunderbird.

Expected results:

I would like to have all new/incoming emails in my Inbox, before these are filtered to their appropriate (sub)folder. With the result that just the emails which I do not (yet) have a filter for, stays in my Inbox. So that I can filter these manually, and/or know which filter rules I have to set up.

Comment 1

[Matt]

Perhaps you might like to share the actual filter you are using. I would expect it contains a logic error as that is the cause of around 99% of filter errors I have ever dealt with in support.

I do not see any evidence of a bug here, just a misdirected support request.

Comment 2

[86ul]

Thans for this reply, but I think I already gave the information. But maybe something is lost in translation, or something else. No problem, happy to help.

You ask for the filters that are applied, as you "expect it contains a logic error".

If that holds and thus true, then

1. why end all new emails up in the subfolder, as that has become the new inbox?
2. why are emails with a filter moved to their appropriate folder, after I apply the filter manually?
3. why does Thunderbird behave like this when deleting the old/first and creating the new/second subfolder AND only changing the three new filters?

Hence, I do not think that I have a filter issue, because when manual applied, it all behave normal. All emails with a filter to another folder, are moved to their appropriate folders.

More over, after extra dubbel checking, all filters are set properly. All filters have the following settings:

• Apply filter when: Only "Manually Run" and "Getting New Email: Filter Before Junke Classification".
• Matching any following rules: "From" in combination with either "ends with" (most of the time), or "is" for very specific email addresses.
• Preform these action: Only "Move Message to" their appropriate (sub)folder.

But oke. When it is helpful for you, I can delete all filters once again and create them one for one. Which folder in .thunbderbird do I have to backup (extra) in order to just restore these filters?

Comment 3

[86ul]

EDIT: *3. (...) This happens even to the new emails with no filter at all. Thus yeah, the subfolder has become the new Inbox.

Comment 4

[Anje]

Please note, this forum is not a Help Forum. It determines whether a bug exists by reproducing the error and nailing down where the error occurs, so developers can locate issue in code.
It is usual to ask these type of Help questions in the support forum, so people can try to assist. If the error is reproducable then it can be elevated to a potential bug. But as with Matt, it's usually a logic issue.

but all new emails end up in that new subfolder, with or without a filter rule. This happens even to the new emails with no filter at all.

You would only know that if you disabled all your Message Filters and everything was still going to that subfolder.
If you disabled all your Mesasge Filters and restarted thunderbird, I suspect all emails that in server Inbox with end up in Imap account Inbox.

Hence, it is more likely you have a filter moving them.

If you have enabled the 'Filter Log', then it might provide you with information on which filter is causing the problem.
If you have not enabled the 'Filter Log' then enable it.
Post image of Filter log so it can be examined.

Do you have any message filter created that should be putting specific emails into that 'subfolder' that has become the new inbox?
Do you have more than one filter that should be putting emails in the subfolder ?
Post an image of that filter(s) because there must be at least one filter - you may even find the name of that filter in the Filter Log.

"From" in combination with either "ends with" or "is" for very specific email addresses.

'Is' may not work so well if the 'From' contains more than an email address - it may also contain a display name. Meaning 'is' may not be accurate enough.
'ends with' covers a multitude of things, but I cannot attempt to recreate the filter without knowing what you are specifically using.
please post images of filters because 'ends with' could be a dot com for all I know.

Have you asked this question in the Thunderbird Support Forum ?
If yes, then please post a link to that question.

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

If you haven't already posted in support, please use https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/thunderbird/form

Comment 6

[86ul]

Thanks again for trying to solve this issue/bug. And yes, I know this is Bug-zilla, not 'Help-zilla'.

Have you asked this question in the Thunderbird Support Forum ?
If yes, then please post a link to that question.

Yes I have, see https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1337331

Hence, it is more likely you have a filter moving them.

Although the Activity Manager shows that the incoming emails are moved from Inbox to the subfolder, I have no such filter set up to behave like this. And like I already have said, ALL NEW/INCOMING emails end up in the subfolder, with AND without a filter rule. But I am happy to delete all these filters, to test this. Again, which subdirectory do I have to backup to restore my filters after testing?

If you have not enabled the 'Filter Log' then enable it.
Post image of Filter log so it can be examined.

How do I enable this log?

Matching any following rules: "From" in combination with either "ends with" (most of the time), or "is" for very specific email addresses.
Only the filter rules that filters the emails from friends and fo's have "is" enabled, including there full email adres.

But again, all new/incoming emails end up in the subfolder, and after that I can successfully apply the filters myself.

Comment 7

[86ul]

If you haven't already posted in support, please use https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/thunderbird/form
Just flagging this bug as invalid, is not quite helpful, I am afraid.

Comment 8

[86ul]

Thanks to @Toad-Hall and @Anje, I have found the bug, and yes it is indeed a bug.

One of these three new filters does not have any rule set, as in the field is blank. Where I thought Blank=Nothing, Thunderbird handle Blank=Everything.

Solution A: Remove this filter
Solution B: Possible to change Blank=Everything to Blank=Nothing?
Solution C: Do both A and B.

Comment 9

[86ul]

![Image of Blank]
(https://ibb.co/fdWtHKg][img]https://i.ibb.co/YBS8hKC/Screenshot-from-2021-07-09-13-43-251.png)

Comment 10

[86ul]

Bummer, autocopy and can not change a post.

Correct link:
Short: https://ibb.co/fdWtHKg
Full: https://i.ibb.co/YBS8hKC/Screenshot-from-2021-07-09-13-43-251.png

Comment 11

[Anje]

It is more hepful to add an image so it displays in this forum because that link may get lost.
Just above the very first comment there is 'Attachments', the expand option will have a 'Attach new File' button.

The 'match any of the following' is used when there is more than one condition.
The 'Ends with' nothing has picked up the fact that all From data ends with nothing, so all emails match.

Basically, the reason all emails were being filtered into the wrong folder was because all emails have a 'FRom' field that 'ends with' nothing after the email address.

You had created a filter with the wrong logic as was suspected.

But I understand your reasoning.

You are saying that the 'Action' should not be allowed to be created if a condition field is left blank to prevent people from making errors when creating filters.

Wayne what do think about this situation?
Is there any reasoning why someone may actually want to leave it blank?

Comment 12

[86ul]

Attachment: Filterbug.png

An empty filter rule does not equal Nothing, but Everything. Thus with a filter rule that is blank, all emails are addressed as such.

Comment 13

[86ul]

Thanks, and indeed, that is my reasoning. To be more precise, I just created this filter, for later purposes.

Btw, this bug can be reproduced by creating a new set of filter rules but all left blank, and/or adding a blank rule to an already existing set of filter rules.

Comment 14

[Anje]

To be more precise, I just created this filter, for later purposes.
If not using at the moment disable that filter by unchecking the 'Enable' checkbox in the 'Message Filter' list. So it still listed but not in use.

Comment 15

[86ul]

Thanks, now I know what do to when I would like to disable a function temporarily.