1855611 - message list / thread pane can't be resized smaller than 7 or 10 mails - want it to show only a few mails

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[u680598]

Attachment: thunderbird_bug_2023_09_27.JPG

Steps to reproduce:

Before v. 115, one can click and drag to adjust the size of the window showing the list of emails. After I installed v. 115, one cannot shrink this window to show fewer than 10 email subject headers. Versions before v. 115 allowed one to shrink this window to show, say, just a few emails, if one wanted. Please fix this. Please see screenshot--it shows the minimum shrinkage of this window I was able to accomplish--it shows 10 emails. I want to shrink it to show only a few emails. Thank you.
Dan

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

For me it's 6 mails (but I'm using the compact density)

Comment 4

[Anje]

(In reply to dkotin from comment #0)

Created attachment 9355475 [details]
thunderbird_bug_2023_09_27.JPG

Steps to reproduce:

Before v. 115, one can click and drag to adjust the size of the window showing the list of emails. After I installed v. 115, one cannot shrink this window to show fewer than 10 email subject headers. Versions before v. 115 allowed one to shrink this window to show, say, just a few emails, if one wanted. Please fix this. Please see screenshot--it shows the minimum shrinkage of this window I was able to accomplish--it shows 10 emails. I want to shrink it to show only a few emails. Thank you.
Dan

This problem has occurred because the minimum height of Message List was increased.
As a result there has been quite a few Support Forum requests for help because people cannot use the Message Pane to see the message content. It has seriously effected usability for some people.
If you need to fix this problem immedately then please go to this Support Forum link for for easy to follow instructions on how to fix the problem.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1423733

Comment 5

[Anje]

Identical bug 1855972 was set as a WONTFIX.
Can you offer some clarity on whether this bug really is a WONTFIX ?
Because if bug 1855972 is a WONTFIX does it mean this identical bug report is also going to be a WONTFIX.
Thanks.

Comment 7

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

That was apparently misclassified by the OP. It's just a dupe of this one.

Comment 15

[timbernie]

1423733 does not work on my comp.

Comment 16

[Francesco]

You can fix it in userChrome.css:

#threadPane {
  min-height: 110px !important;
}

Comment 17

[timbernie]

I copied it exactly as you have it. No color copied. Still no workie workie....thanks.

Comment 18

[timbernie]

(In reply to timbernie from comment #17)

I copied it exactly as you have it. No color copied. Still no workie workie....thanks.

And changed height to 10. Nothing.

Comment 19

[timbernie]

My path to userChrome.css.
C:\Users\timbe\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\4phwaroe.default-release\chrome

Comment 20

[softedge]

thank you very much francesco,

#threadPane {
min-height: 110px !important;
}

worked for me. now i have my 5 threads showing, just like the old thunderbird. cheers.

Comment 21

[Francesco]

(In reply to softedge from comment #20)

thank you very much francesco,

I didn't invent this, it's from here:
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/thunderbird-version-supernova-the-pane-showing-messages-in-the/m-p/45700/highlight/true#M16468
which quotes this
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/inbox-message-list-height-and-header-list/m-p/44117/highlight/true#M15933
which finally quotes this:
https://forums.mozfr.org/viewtopic.php?p=945290#p945290

Comment 22

[david]

Bugzilla is the new support forum? This was posted in SUMO and solution posted there. My expectation of Bugzilla is that the discussion focuses on the solution for rollout, not the typical CSS user-coded solution. Betterbird has already targeted this for next release. I will withdraw from further updates. This bug has been a complaint since the first days of 115 announcement.

Comment 23

[Anje]

(In reply to Francesco from comment #21)

(In reply to softedge from comment #20)

thank you very much francesco,

I didn't invent this, it's from here:
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/thunderbird-version-supernova-the-pane-showing-messages-in-the/m-p/45700/highlight/true#M16468
which quotes this
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/inbox-message-list-height-and-header-list/m-p/44117/highlight/true#M15933
which finally quotes this:
https://forums.mozfr.org/viewtopic.php?p=945290#p945290

You do not need to post information which has already been supplied in comment 4 in this bug report.
Support Issues are to be directed to the link I supplied for the Support Forum.

Comment 24

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Anje from comment #4)

...
This problem has occurred because the minimum height of Message List was increased.
As a result there has been quite a few Support Forum requests for help because people cannot use the Message Pane to see the message content. It has seriously effected usability for some people.

To Anje's point, here is a list of some of the support requests

Comment 25

[Francesco]

As was pointed out before, it's a one-liner (which can be done in userChrome.css):
https://searchfox.org/comm-central/rev/32327a21ede9487dda18fbb0b18ddfed3075b4ea/mail/themes/shared/mail/about3Pane.css#167

Comment 26

[LiveInHope]

Please, when are we going to get this fixed? Two months ago, 'David' said "Betterbird has already targeted this for next release."
Nothing - and there have been at least three updates since. It's just so simple and incredibly frustrating for absolutely no reason at all that I can see? I see a complex 'CSS' "solution" posted in several places, but not for me - I'm just a simple minded user.
All it needs is for 'The Developers' to reinstate a few lines of coding, exactly as they were before. Is there some hidden agenda here as to why they won't do it? Please.

Comment 27

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Attachment: Bug 1855611 - Allow smaller height for the Thread Pane. r=#thunderbird-reviewers

Comment 28

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/3a8d56442e9b
Allow smaller height for the Thread Pane. r=mkmelin

Comment 29

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Given the high interest, it would be great to take this on 115

Comment 30

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

There is one annoyance that this patch makes worse: when connecting the laptop to external larger (wide) screen, the way Thunderbird 115+ handles the internal re-sizing of internal panes is not great. IIRC pre supernova the thread pane maintained the same amount of rows. Now thread pane height is based on, well, this css I suppose? Anyway, now if I had 10 rows of thread pane and connect my monitor, I always have to go and drag-resized it because it gets the min height and with quick filter showing thats's like 1.5 rows which is not really usable (pre patch, it was a few rows). This all could probably deserve its own bug...

Comment 31

[Alessandro Castellani [:aleca]]

Indeed, that’s a very annoying behaviour.
I suspect the whole issue is due to a mix of xul and html splitters, probably similar to Bug 1877326, where the only expanding and contracting pane should be the message pane and not the thread pane.
I’m not sure I would uplift this. It’s not a deal breaker or a usability regression, better let it ride the release cycle and continue with the improvements in Bug 1877326