1776294 - Local part of email address shows up as fake display name in edit contact for sort modes `Display Name` and `Last, First`

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Address Book, defect, P3)

Description

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #1774386 +++

Can we do something about fake display names showing up in edit mode (depending on sort mode)?

102.0b8 (64-bit), Win10

Fake display names are still happening for contacts having only email address, but no names. Extremely irritating, user deletes the display name and it keeps bouncing back (after saving and re-editing the card), but it's not used for write (and shouldn't, because it's fake), unless explicitly saved.

STR

1. Create new contact with an email address [e-mail] but no names at all, and Save it.
2. From List display options, choose either Display Name or Last, First (bug won't occur with First Last)
3. Edit contact
4. Try to remove fake display name, save contact and re-edit - then Cancel (important)
5. Write to contact

Actual (see screencast of attachment 9281452 [details] in Bug 1774386 comment 2)

• contact shows local part of email address (jane) in the display name field, although user never specified a display name
• attempts to remove the fake display name fail, will always bounce back
• write to contact will correctly not use the display name (because it's fake, as long as you don't save it), but it's also irritating
• if you Save the contact in step 4 while the fake display name is present, you will end up with the local part of the email address as a display name - entirely not useful as the informational value of localparts is entirely unpredictable and may even cause ambiguity: both [e-mail] and [e-mail] will end up just having admin as a display name, e.g. showing on received messages. Iow, Thunderbird is all but forcing/tricking me into using the local part of the email as a display name even though I've never asked for that, and it's not helpful. Users should have the freedom of not providing a display name as they please.
• Worse, it's inconsistent because Thunderbird will not inject the local-part "display name" for First Last view mode.

Expected

• don't show fake display name when editing email-only contact in the respective sort modes
• iow, don't suggest/prefill the local part of email addresses as a display name - Thunderbird shouldn't interfere with my data!

---

(In reply to Thomas D. (:thomas8) from Bug 1774386 comment #5)

However, I am still seeing the fake display name issue (see attached screencast 2):
For email-only contacts, and depending on sort order:

• local part of email sometimes showing up as fake display name value in display name field (for Display Name and Last, First),
• but not showing for other sort order (First Last)

Also, fake display name never used for Write (which is correct as it's fake, but also irritating as one would expect a display name present in the field to be used).

Comment 1

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

This is still happening exactly as described on TB 102.1.0 (64-bit), Win10, and 105.0a1 (2022-08-03) (64-bit).
Thunderbird unilaterally prefills the local part of email addresses as a display name, which isn't helpful at all (see comment 0, last part of actual results).

Comment 2

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

(In reply to Alessandro Castellani [:aleca] from Bug 1774386 Comment 8)

I don't think the "fake display name" is an actual problem.

The problem is Thunderbird injecting stuff into my contact data which I haven't asked for.

We need to fill up the display name field with something if we only have an email in order to have a decently styled default list.

That's an implementation-level argument, and it's technically not true. Up to Thunderbird 91, Thunderbird would show the local part as a fallback in the list, but never touch my contact data. Even 102 is already showing the local part in the list before it has been saved to the actual contact data.

Users willingly deleting the display name,

Well, local parts of email addresses don't always make a good display name which I want in my data, so deleting what I've never entered seems plausible.

and not having any first/last/nickname value but only wanting the email address is a bit of an oddity that I'm not sure we want to support.

Alas, email-only contacts without display name happen all the time in the real world, e.g. in Thunderbird's collected addresses...
We have no right to interfere with user's contact data upon editing.

The automatically filled display name is needed to have something to show in the vcard and message header.

I doubt that - this has never been a problem all the way up to TB 91.

Users should then change that to fit their needs, but only having the email without any name whatsoever is very strange. What would be the needed use case?

No, Thunderbird should not interfere with my data and thus force me into providing a better display name at a time when I'm not ready for it. As explained above, display-name less contacts just happen all the time in the real world, quite easily.

Comment 3

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Attachment: Bug 1776294 - Shouldn't fill display name field when editing contact who doesn't have a proper name yet. r=aleca

Comment 4

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/44622b0c8dd8
Shouldn't fill display name field when editing contact who doesn't have a proper name yet. r=aleca

Comment 5

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Thanks! You guys rock. Magnus, Alex, Geoff

Comment 6

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Comment on attachment 9288411 [details]
Bug 1776294 - Shouldn't fill display name field when editing contact who doesn't have a proper name yet. r=aleca

[Approval Request Comment]
Regression caused by (bug #): ab rewrite
User impact if declined: per bug summary
Testing completed (on c-c, etc.): c-c
Risk to taking this patch (and alternatives if risky): very safe

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Comment on attachment 9288411 [details]
Bug 1776294 - Shouldn't fill display name field when editing contact who doesn't have a proper name yet. r=aleca

[Triage Comment]
Approved for beta

Comment 8

[Rob Lemley [:rjl]]

Thunderbird 104.0b3:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/comm-beta/rev/58ebe0675487

Comment 9

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Comment on attachment 9288411 [details]
Bug 1776294 - Shouldn't fill display name field when editing contact who doesn't have a proper name yet. r=aleca

[Triage Comment]
Approved for esr102

Comment 10

[Rob Lemley [:rjl]]

Thunderbird 102.2.0:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/comm-esr102/rev/ffaef30f0fed