1821235 - Count of selected messages does not appear in status bar

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Select several messages.

Number of selected messages does not appear in status bar

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Martin, will this be going into the unified toolbar?

Comment 2

[Martin Giger [:freaktechnik]]

No.

Comment 3

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

102 had 3 different message counts conveniently bundled in status bar. All of these are obviously useful for mail management.

• Unread, which became Selected if there's more than 1 message selected.
• Total

As related Bug 1820023 Comment 0 points out:

The "bubble" next to the folder name [in folder pane] only shows the number of unread messages.

Whether the total number of selected messages is shown or not in 111+ (and how) depends on the nature of the selection (threaded vs. unthreaded, and cross-thread selection or not). If shown, the numbers appear in message pane header or message pane.

• For multiple selections in unthreaded mode, 2 selected messages (even of the same thread) are (somewhat falsely) shown as "2 conversations" in message pane header. It's not clear that this means "2 selected messages".
• For multiple selections in threaded mode:
  • Inside single thread: Message pane header shows "2 messages" (following subject, on the right)
  • cross-thread, 5 messages selected, 3 in first thread, 2 in second thread: "2 conversations" (pane header), then in the preview, each conversation will show the number of its selected messages inline (and unread if any), e.g. 3 messages, 2 messages, 2 unread. The total number of selected messages isn't shown anywhere (could perhaps go into the message pane header) - this bug.

It might be habit formation, but somehow the old status bar info seemed easier to discover and parse. Ymmv.

Comment 4

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

We're slowly working on reimplementing all of those missing information in a more contextual and accessible way.
It'll take us a little bit but we definitely want to bring back those data points.

Comment 5

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Attachment: Bug 1821235 - Show selected count in message pane header and communicate it to screen readers. r=darktrojan

Comment 6

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/362ecdd2efed
Show selected count in message pane header and communicate it to screen readers. r=darktrojan

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Comment on attachment 9335107 [details]
Bug 1821235 - Show selected count in message pane header and communicate it to screen readers. r=darktrojan

[Triage Comment]
Approved for beta

Comment 8

[Daniel Darnell [:dandarnell]]

Thunderbird 114.0b6:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/comm-beta/rev/66bf28b7464c

Comment 9

[Christian Riechers]

TB 114.0b6 on Linux, Gnome 44.1, Wayland
If there is supposed to be a selected count in message list header area in TB 114.0b6, then it doesn't work for me. There simply is no such selected count. There is none in the daily version either.

Comment 10

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

We're slowly deprecating the status bar. The selected count is now visible in the message list header, but we will slowly improve its visibility with more contextual improvements the more we move forward with the new UI.

Comment 11

[Christian Riechers]

Attachment: no_selected_counter_2023-06-07.png

Comment 12

[Calum Mackay]

The downside of moving it to the message list header is that this header is often turned off. For me, I have no need for the header, since everything else in it is available elsewhere:

• the folder name, and total messages count are visible in the folder pane (although not by default, but I have those turned on, both unread, and total).

• I don't need the Quick Filter button, since I use ctrl-shift-k to bring up the QF when I need it.

• I don't use Cards view, so I don't need the Table/Cards toggle.

I want to minimise unnecessary use of vertical space, so I turn off horizontal areas I don't need.

So, I hide the message list header, but that means I've now lost the count of selected messages, which is a shame. But it's not worth the large space of the message list header, just for that one datum.

And yet we still have the status bar, which has messages I need, with loads of space that could have retained the count.