Search Messages: Encryption Status missing
Categories
(Thunderbird :: Search, enhancement)
Tracking
(Not tracked)
People
(Reporter: davidh, Unassigned)
Details
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:108.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/108.0
Steps to reproduce:
- "Choose Edit > Find > Search Messages…, or right-click the name of any folder and choose Search messages…. The Search Messages dialog box appears." - https://wiki.mozilla.org/Thunderbird:Help_Documentation:Finding_Information_in_Messages#More_Advanced_Searches
Actual results:
In the criteria drop-down menu to the left I can select:
- Attachment Status
- Junk Status
However, "Encryption Status" is not listed, so it's not possible to search specifically for encrypted emails.
Expected results:
I expected "Encryption Status" to appear
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Comment 1•1 year ago
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This is essentially bug 188988
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Updated•1 year ago
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{Thanks, Wayne.}
This is a bug, but only in the Bugzilla sense. It is not a software error in Thunderbird. Instead, it is the lack of a standard feature, which will do what the original poster wants: a search request item similar to Junk Status and Attachment Status; it might be called Encryption Status.
But Thunderbird (102.6.1, anyway) does have the ability to use Search Messages to find messages according to their encryption status.
(That is not obvious because of a design choice: Only certain items are included in the list of match items. The user who wants to find encrypted messages needs first to notice the choice, Customize... Then figure out how to use that choice to find encrypted messages.
(That's a just fine, quite reasonable, design: There are plenty of possible header items; it would not be good to include them all in the Match list.
When Thunderbird gets around to following Phil's doctrine, and actively encouraging users to use encryption, then UI designers can consider whether to add Encryption Status here.)
To find S/MIME messages:
- Dropdown the first Match choice field (which, by default, is set to: Subject)
- Select: Customize...
- In the dialog that pops up, under New Message Header, enter: Content-Type
- Click: [Add]
- Click: [OK]
- Leave the second Match choice as: contains
- In the third Match text box, enter: smime
- Click [Search]
To find OpenPGP messages:
Do the same, but, instead of 'smime', enter the name of a header item that appears when a message is encrypted using OpenPGP.
(Don't ask me.)
[[[ Slightly off topic:
"Why don't you always send your paper mail on postcards?" Why use envelopes for your love letters?
https://www.businessinsider.com/phil-zimmermann-pgp-essay-2016-2?op=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Zimmermann
https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/phil-zimmermanns-post-pgp-project-privacy-for-a-price/
https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html
]]]
Description
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