187145 - Putting messages in deleted status while I'm offline

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: MailNews: Backend, defect)

Description

[Marco Brandizi]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.1) Gecko/20020826
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.1) Gecko/20020826

When I want to make some clean up to my mailbox, I do it offline, marking as
"deleted" the messages I want to throw away (moving them to trash folder is 
practically the same under IMAP, since they're first deleted, then moved). 

Sometime, when I switch back online, Mozilla read back the messages status from
IMAP server, switching back previous deleted messages to "non deleted", wiping
away a 30-45min of work and getting me very **** off... 

Also that's happens in other message status flags, such as the "read" one

Moreover, that's only one of several buggy behaviour when managing offline mode
(I verified other problems already have been reported) and that's very bad in my
opinion, since one of the main reasons I use the cumbersome, memory and cpu
eating Mozilla, is that is one of the few mail client with a conceptual offline
managment which is decent.


Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
1) Use an IMAP account (ex. www.libero.it)
2) Download some message and then go offline
3) Delete some message (they are marked as deleted) and then go back online
Actual Results:  
Messages are marked back as "non deleted"

Expected Results:  
Messages should become deleted on server too. Messages were locally deleted and
server non-deleted. The version ON THE SERVER should be updated with the local
version. NOT the opposite. Generally speaking, when comparing local messages
versions and remote versions, every case should be revised carefully, in order
to establich which version is better to consider the most recent. For example,
under my point of view, a message which is not locally present is to be
downloaded. A message which is remotely read becomes locally read too. Etc. You
should think to a user who uses an IMAP account from different machines. If
someone wants contact me I'm willing to collaborate to write a set of sample
cases...

Comment 1

[David :Bienvenu]

try running a later version of Mozilla, like 1.3a - a bug was fixed where if you
went online when you didn't have a network connection, offline events could get
lost.

Comment 2

[Scott Davis]

I am running Mozilla 1.3a on a Windows 95 laptop, and I think I'm seeing this
same behaviour. I'm seeing it in particular with offline IMAP mail folders other
than INBOX. IS there a particular sequence of steps when going online to ensure
that that folders get updated the right way? I also use Mozilla on my desktop
workstation against the same IMAP server during the day.

Comment 3

[David :Bienvenu]

you either need to select the folder that has the offline deletes, while online,
or go online, which will do a full sync.

Comment 4

[Scott Davis]

The following sequence seems to exhibit the buggy behaviour on MS Windows 95
running Mozilla 1.3a.

1) Click the "go offline" connector in the bottom right corner of the window.
2) Click Download in the "Work Offline" dialog box and wait for to disconnected
symbol in the main window.
3) Quit Mozilla
4) Disconnect the network cable
5) Start Mozilla Mail. It comes up "online". This may be another bug?
6) Click "Work Offline", and select "Don't Download", as the network cable is
disconnected.
7) Read and delete a message.
8) reconnect network cable
9) Click "go online"
10) Enter IMAP password
11) Click work offline, and choose download. The deleted message reappears!

I'm not sure this is happening every time, but it seems to be > 50%

Comment 5

[grylchan]

using commercial trunk
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.3b) Gecko/20030130 
on win2k

This seems to work for me.

In mark as deleted mode, when I delete mesgs and go back online
they 'stay deleted'.

As for comment 4.
I tried the steps using all 3 delete modes (not sure which one you
are using) and in all cases the delete mesg does not reappear
when i do your last step.

What type of mail server are you using? Exchange, Cyrus, etc.

Maybe try upgrading to 1.3b?

And for this statement:
>5) Start Mozilla Mail. It comes up "online". This may be another bug?

yes another bug. We had feature to 'remember' if you were on or offline
mode but that is not working. So a workaround is to create a 2nd profile
that will brign up profile mgr, click the 'work offline' checkbox,
and when you will start up in offline mode.

Comment 6

[Marco Brandizi]

> yes another bug. We had feature to 'remember' if you were on or offline
> mode but that is not working. So a workaround is to create a 2nd profile
> that will brign up profile mgr, click the 'work offline' checkbox,
> and when you will start up in offline mode.
>

I've done something alike: I've an icon on my desktop that starts the profile
selector, without need to have two profiles. However I wonder: why? Isn't
simpler to add an -offline option, just like the already existing -mail ?

Comment 7

[jquinn]

I have now seen this three times in 1.2.1. All three times there was a
significant amount of data loss - over 30 minutes each of classifying messages
undone.

I am the person who was nagging in the comments for a similar bug - bug 67172.
Eventually I reclassified the behaviour that I was seeing as bug 14058, which
was then resolved. I thought all was well. Now I see that it is definitely not.

I suspect that 67172 was a catchall for several similar bugs - including 14058 -
of which the remaining unsolved cases are covered by this bug. I don't know
which one should be marked as a duplicate, but one should. More importantly,
they should be upgraded - this is IMO data loss and the enduring pain this bug
causes me has literally made me reluctant to check my mail.

More data: I have seen this happen mostly in "move to trash" mode. I believe,
but cannot swear, I've seen it in "mark as deleted". [For other reporters, these
options are in "edit->mail&news account setting->server setting->when deleted"]  

Comment 8

[David :Bienvenu]

Attachment: possible fix

from code inspection, this could cause a problem.

Comment 9

[David :Bienvenu]

fix checked into aviary branch. We'll see...

Comment 10

[David :Bienvenu]

fixed on trunk