1814361 - Can no longer set a default email account

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Thunderbird :: Account Manager, defect)

Description

[Stefano Marzeddu]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:109.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/109.0

Steps to reproduce:

In the preceding versions of Thunderbird it was possible to set a default email account. It was the email account by whom Thunderbird should begin to check incoming emails from server. And it was the default email address set up to write a new message, if I setup Thunderbird with many email accounts.

Actual results:

It seems that this is no more possible.

Comment 1

[Anje]

TEST:
Windows 10
TB v. 102.7.1 win64
Menu icon > Account Settings.

Top listed account is currently the default account. Confirmed this by :

• Select name of top listed account.
• click on 'Account Actions'
• 'set as default' is disabled.

Test setting another account as default

• Select account name of second account in list
• click on 'Account Actions'
• click on 'set as default'

What happened:
In Account Settings:

• The mouse pointer focus immediately jumps back to the account listed at the top - the account which was the original set as default.
• The account which is now set as default remains in second position in the list.
• Check : Select name of second account - click on 'Account Actions' > noted 'set as default ' is disabled
  So second in list is correctly set as default.

In Folder Pane:

• No change in the order of accounts in the Folder Pane. The original set as default is still at the top. The current account set as default is still in the second position in list.

Using 'Write'

• Select the 'Local Folders' account 'Inbox' folder.
• Click on Write
• The 'From' is displaying the correct current set as default account.
  This part works as expected.

Expected:
In Account Settings:

• The name of the second account in list - now set as default - to be moved to the top of the list. Did not occur.
• Focus to be on the account now set as default. Did not occur.

Folder Pane:

• The account now set as default to be positioned at the top of the list in the Folder Pane. Did not occur.

Using 'Write'

• Select the 'Local Folders' account 'Inbox' folder.
• Click on Write
• The 'From' is displaying the correct current set as default account.
  This part works as expected.

My findings suggest the account set as default is set as default, but the positioning of the current default account is not expected and it means it's not immediately obvious what has been set as default because default account is not positioned at the top of the Account Settings list nor the Folder Pane.

If you have selected a folder in a particular account and click on Write, the 'From' will still insert the email address depending upon whatever account has focus at that time. This continues to work as expected.
Testing Write with focus on the 'Local Folders' account will insert the account email address of whatever account is set as default.

Final check:

• Exit Thunderbird.
• Restart Thunderbird and check the 'Activity Manager'
  The second account - now set as default - is the first account to get checked for mail.
  This works as expected.

Comment 2

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Thank you Anje for your detailed analysis (quite nicely formatted, too!).

As Anje correctly pointed out, setting any account as default account works (tested on TB 102.7.1 (64-bit), Win10).

STR:

1. `≡ > Account Settings
2. Select an account which is not the current default account (In Account Actions dropdown, Set as default must be enabled).
3. Account Actions > Set as default
4. Observe position of account in account manager and folder pane.
5. Select any folder of Local Folders and do Write, then observe account used in From: field.
6. Restart Thunderbird, Tools > Activity Manager, and check which account gets checked first.

Actual result = Expected result

• Account will be set as default account: Set as default becomes disabled, and it's used as default for Write from Local Folders.
• New default account does not automatically move to top of account manager
• New default account does not automatically move to top of folder list
• New default account gets checked first (per Anje's testing).

This looks like correct behaviour by design for me (except that the focus shouldn't jump, which is a trivial issue).
Default account vs. order of accounts are two different things now, and imo they shouldn't be conflated again. User can freely configure the order of accounts. It's quite feasible to have a default account which is not necessarily at the top of the list. You might have your business account topmost as it's most frequently used, but your private account further down as default account. Default account may actually be rarely used: Local Folders must be pretty much the only spot: Whenever you're in one of your account folders, the containing account becomes default for Writing.

What would be useful is some indication (at least in the accounts manager) of which account is currently the default account.

Comment 3

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

Fwiw, account ordering feature was implemented in bug 244347.

Comment 4

[Anje]

Thanks for the info - Understand that default account is no longer visually moved to top location and the reason why this was implemented. So it's only the sudden focus jumping to top mail account which occurs that's unexpected.

What would be useful is some indication (at least in the accounts manager) of which account is currently the default account.

Agree.
Suggestion to use same as displayed in 'about:profile' :
When you select account name in left pane - on the right side above 'Default Identity' it could say:
'Default account:' Yes or No