Open Bug 1902912 Opened 2 years ago Updated 1 month ago

MSIX packaging does not set up MAPI Provider ( => MAPI not working on windows store version)

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Installer, defect, P2)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
Installer
Version:
Thunderbird 115
Type:
defect

Tracking

(thunderbird_esr115 wontfix, thunderbird_esr128 affected, thunderbird130 affected)

Tracking Flags:
Tracking Status
thunderbird_esr115 --- wontfix
thunderbird_esr128 --- affected
thunderbird130 --- affected

People

(Reporter: applesolvent, Unassigned, NeedInfo)

References

Details

Attachments

(2 files)

image_210.png
109.94 KB, image/png
Details
Screenshot 2024-06-17 122532.png
57.28 KB, image/png
Details

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/126.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 Edg/126.0.0.0

Steps to reproduce:

Open context menu of let's say a simple PDF-file with right mouseclick, go to Sent to => email recipient => error message : not possible because there is no standard mail program.

thunderbird (from ms store because easier updates) is set up as standard mail program, there is also the new outlook app installed from ms store.

Actual results:

Open context menu of let's say a simple PDF-file with right mouseclick, go to Sent to => email recipient => error message : not possible because there is no standard mail program.

Expected results:

Open context menu of let's say a simple PDF-file with right mouseclick, go to Sent to => email recipient => thunderbird opens up and a new empty mail has an attachement.

i wrote this to myself after a long time of not knowing why MAPI on windows 10 doesn't work: i am stuck again at error "send to => mail recipient" thx ms https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/send-to-mail-recipient-context-menu-not-working/7b85bf59-7485-4d87-9efa-b29477719108 answer: The Send To → Mail Recipient option needs a classic desktop email client with MAPI support, like Office Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. It will not work with Store apps like ... thunderbird from ms store.

attached you see an error from another bug: if you use thunderbird from ms store and klick on "searchable through windows-search" then this error appears.

i really like the store-version but i think i have to go back to the non-store version.

Attached image image_210.png —

can someone confirm that mail apps from ms store are not MAPI-compatible?

The screenshot is about windows search. That would be something else...

the windows search bug is the 2nd bug.

the first bug is the mapi bug.

can someone confirm that mail apps from ms store are not MAPI-compatible?

The work is occurring in bug 1879717

Status: UNCONFIRMED → RESOLVED
Closed: 2 years ago
Duplicate of bug: 1879717
Resolution: --- → DUPLICATE

The MSIX installer does not set up MAPI.

Severity: -- → S2
Status: RESOLVED → REOPENED
status-thunderbird130: --- → affected
status-thunderbird_esr115: --- → wontfix
status-thunderbird_esr128: --- → affected
Component: Untriaged → Installer
No longer duplicate of bug: 1879717
Ever confirmed: true
Priority: -- → P2
Resolution: DUPLICATE → ---
Summary: MAPI with Thunderbird from MS Store → MSIX packaging does not set up MAPI Provider

yes you are correct, thank you for explaining me.

the MSIX (file format for windows apps from ms store) doesn't set up the MAPI (sadly, that's why new outlook from ms store https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nrx63209r7b also doesn't work with MAPI, omg microsoft what are you planning???)

but the .MSI DOES SET UP MAPI (also .EXE from the official thunderbird site).

i am so sad, i don't know what to do except using msi or exe from official site, while firefox from ms store is fine (except profile manager still in english).

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #3)

The screenshot is about windows search. That would be something else...

the error of the windows search is because of c:\program files\WindowsApps ... everything in there has special permission rights because Windows Apps (MSIX) from ms store follow special rules. that's why the MSIX version of thunderbird has not just bug but two: first bug is mapi doesn't work and the second bug is that you can't enable "searchable through windows-search" because you as a user don't have permission on WSEnable.exe, because it's located under /WindowsApps...

I have the same problem with inkscape from MS Store and PDF. you can't open pdf-files with inkscape through context menu => open with ... inkscape, because the developer has to implement it, that's why it works with SVG-files perfectly. if you try to open inkscape.exe or you try to open a file with inkscape.exe located in /WindowsApps, you will get the same error: you don't have the permissions.

See Also: → 1879717

Thunderbird when right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient"
Please check registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
'Start' > Run > type regedit
Locate this registry entry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
on right side double click on 'Default'
Enter Mozilla Thunderbird in 'Value Data'

If required you could also do the same for:
Registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

Setting the Windows OS default MAILTO option does not seem update that particular registry.
Age old issue in Windows OS.

Does the above help with right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient" issue ?

Flags: needinfo?(applesolvent)

(In reply to Anje from comment #11)

Thunderbird when right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient"
Please check registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
'Start' > Run > type regedit
Locate this registry entry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
on right side double click on 'Default'
Enter Mozilla Thunderbird in 'Value Data'

If required you could also do the same for:
Registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

Setting the Windows OS default MAILTO option does not seem update that particular registry.
Age old issue in Windows OS.

Does the above help with right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient" issue ?

This whole thing could be an addon if it won't get fixed elsewhere. That, or if someone can detail that somewhere and people can hack their own registries if they "WONTFIX" it here.

(In reply to Anje from comment #11)

Thunderbird when right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient"
Please check registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
'Start' > Run > type regedit
Locate this registry entry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\Mail
on right side double click on 'Default'
Enter Mozilla Thunderbird in 'Value Data'

If required you could also do the same for:
Registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

Setting the Windows OS default MAILTO option does not seem update that particular registry.
Age old issue in Windows OS.

Does the above help with right-click on a file and select "Send to" "Mail Recipient" issue ?
Sry for taking so long
I don't have \Mail in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\ but I have \Mail in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\

I changed it from Microsoft Outlook to Mozilla Thunderbird (I have recently installed Thunderbird from ms store on this laptop but i need neither outlook nor thunderbird on this laptop, i need thunderbird somewhere else and i thought the ms store version could be nice but it has severe problems) but only an ms outlook pop-up appears i have never seen before and says there is no standard mail recipient

https://i.imgur.com/4Flc0bH.png

Flags: needinfo?(applesolvent)

The image error translates - hopefully this is correct:

There is no default email client or the current email client cannot meet the message request. Run Microsoft Outlook and set Outlook as the default email client

Which makes me ask..
In Windows OS defaults....
Have you set up Thunderbird as the default email client?
Have you set up 'Mailto' protocol to use Thunderbird ?
If no to these queries then please make the necessary changes.
REstart everything and report on results.

Previously you mentioned :

thunderbird (from ms store because easier updates)

That's not necessarilly accurate. If you have Updater Software which auto updates various programs including Thunderbird, then you may discover you run into problems when major updates occur. This is because Updater Software just overrules Thunderbird and auto updates to versions, which at that point in time are only offered...and I quote the following as an example:

Thunderbird version 128.0 is only offered as direct download from thunderbird.net and not as an upgrade from Thunderbird version 115 or earlier. A future release will provide updates from earlier versions.

Those people already on 115* would continue to get updates specific to that version and not to the new 128 version.
Auto Updater Software does not know this and has caused various issues by updating to the wrong version at the wrong time. Thunderbird is perfectly capable of updating itself accurately either via auto update or manually by yourself.

Flags: needinfo?(applesolvent)

(In reply to Anje from comment #14)
...

Auto Updater Software does not know this and has caused various issues by updating to the wrong version at the wrong time. Thunderbird is perfectly capable of updating itself accurately either via auto update or manually by yourself.

Is this true only in Windows? I have recently installed an Ubuntu Linux computer, and there are numerous different ways to install and update programs: sudo apt install, snap, flatpak, pip, "tarball", "Wine", and more that I don't remember at this moment.

(In reply to Worcester12345 from comment #15)

(In reply to Anje from comment #14)
...

Auto Updater Software does not know this and has caused various issues by updating to the wrong version at the wrong time. Thunderbird is perfectly capable of updating itself accurately either via auto update or manually by yourself.

Is this true only in Windows? I have recently installed an Ubuntu Linux computer, and there are numerous different ways to install and update programs: sudo apt install, snap, flatpak, pip, "tarball", "Wine", and more that I don't remember at this moment.

As an example, I use Norton AntiVirus and it has the ability to check for other software updates, eg: Notepad++ but there are specific Updater Sofware programs that some people use. It's those types of programs which I advise you do not use to update Thunderbird.

Summary: MSIX packaging does not set up MAPI Provider → MSIX packaging does not set up MAPI Provider ( => MAPI not working on windows store version)
Duplicate of this bug: 2011296

(In reply to Anje from comment #14)

Have you set up Thunderbird as the default email client?
Have you set up 'Mailto' protocol to use Thunderbird ?

Thunderbird from MS Store (MSIX) has been set as the defaut mail client

but Thunderbird doesn't reacto to mailto: I am confused.

Flags: needinfo?(applesolvent)

(In reply to applesolvent from comment #18)

Thunderbird from MS Store (MSIX) has been set as the defaut mail client

but Thunderbird doesn't reacto to mailto: I am confused.

Status: REOPENED → NEW
Flags: needinfo?(toby)

I did a somewhat speedy pass through our code to understand how MAPI is included atm, and I think the problem is with the MSIX packaging rather than the MAPI implementation.

The NSIS installer still performs all of the expected MAPI work:

  • Packages MapiProxy.dll and mozMapi32.dll via mail/installer/package-manifest.in.
  • Copies the DLLs to their _InUse variants.
  • Registers MapiProxy_InUse.dll.
  • Writes the LocalServer32, ProgID, VersionIndependentProgID, MozillaMapi, and related COM/CLSID registry entries in mail/installer/windows/nsis/shared.nsh.
    The MSIX packaging appears quite different. The manifest (mail/installer/windows/msix/AppxManifest.xml.in) contains:
  • file associations (.eml, .ics),
  • protocol handlers (mailto, news, webcal, etc.),
  • accessibility COM registration,
  • **but nothing related to MAPI, MapiProxy, mozMapi32, MozillaMapi, Clients\Mail, or the COM registration used by the NSIS installer.
    **
    I also searched the MSIX packaging area (mail/installer/windows/msix and the Taskcluster MSIX configuration) for:
  • MAPI
  • MapiProxy
  • mozMapi32
  • MozillaMapi
  • Clients\Mail
  • LocalServer32
  • ProgID
  • CLSID

and found no MAPI-specific handling.

The Taskcluster configuration has an MSIX packaging pipeline (repackage-msix using the linux64-msix-packaging toolchain), but I couldn't find any Thunderbird-side code that appears to add the equivalent of the NSIS MAPI registration to the package.

This seems to be consistent with bug 1879717, where Rob mentioned that the work to package 32-bit MAPI only included the DLLs and did not register them with Windows/MAPI.

My suspicion is that we have some form of packaging gap rather than a problem with the MAPI implementation itself.

I think the next step would likely be for someone more familiar with the MSIX packaging (Corey, Stephen, Daniel, Evandro - with perhaps with Geoff's support?) to determine whether the linux64-msix-packaging toolchain can handle packaging/registering these COM components already, or whether we need to extend the MSIX packaging to provide the equivalent of the NSIS MAPI registration.

We should:

  • ensure the MAPI DLLs are included in the package,
  • register the required COM server(s) through the MSIX packaging mechanism,
  • reproduce the registry/COM registrations that the NSIS installer currently performs.

These are the main files I looked at while investigating:

  • mail/installer/windows/nsis/shared.nsh — existing MAPI DLL registration and COM/registry setup.
  • mail/installer/windows/nsis/installer.nsi — copies the MAPI DLLs during installation.
  • mail/installer/package-manifest.in — packages MapiProxy.dll and mozMapi32.dll.
  • mail/installer/windows/msix/AppxManifest.xml.in — MSIX manifest (file associations, protocols, accessibility COM, but no apparent MAPI registration).
  • taskcluster/kinds/repackage-msix/kind.yml
  • taskcluster/kinds/repackage-shippable-l10n-msix/kind.yml

The MSIX packaging also appears to be driven by the external linux64-msix-packaging toolchain, so that's another place I'd expect the implementation (or limitation) to live if it isn't in the Thunderbird repository.

Sorry to be passing this off but it's definitely not my area of expertise.

Flags: needinfo?(toby)
Flags: needinfo?(sking)
Flags: needinfo?(daniel)
Flags: needinfo?(corey)
You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.

Attachment

General

Creator:
Created:
Updated:
Size: