2011092 - virtualFolder.dat / search Folders are emptied on thunderbird start, when local folders are not connected

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, defect)

Description

[rally-123]

Steps to reproduce:

I have start Thunderbird Version v 146.x actual V147.0 (64Bit) on Windows 11 Prof, earlier versions Thunderbird have not this bug.
At this moment, the local folders are exceptionally not yet connected, e.g., due to a network problem.

Actual results:

After start, the search folders are lost.
If i search the file virtualFolders.dat in Profiles the file was emptied, the search folders are lost in the folder view of thunderbird.

If a have a backup of virtualFolders.dat i can copy this to repair.

Other users have the same problem.

Expected results:

Thunderbird should not emptied virtualFolders.dat on start without connected local folders.

Comment 1

[rally-123]

https://www.thunderbird-mail.de/forum/thread/97153-virtuelle-ordner-verschwinden/?postID=561898#post565257

Comment 2

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

So local folders are mapped to an external drive not yet connected?

I don't immediately see where it would be a problem, if it's still in the list of incoming servers.
https://searchfox.org/comm-central/rev/2d1b2333dd18d9c50ae4357b3218ce624637206c/mailnews/base/src/nsMsgAccountManager.cpp#2925

Comment 3

[rally-123]

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #2)

So local folders are mapped to an external drive not yet connected?

=> Thunderbird is operated locally. The virtualFolders.dat file is located under C: in the user profile. The “local folders” are in a VeraCrypt .hc file. If you forget to open this VeraCrypt file, which should correspond to an unavailable network connection to the Thunderbird folders, and then start Thunderbird, the virtualFolders.dat file will appear to be empty. If you reconnect the .hc file the next time, the local folders will of course be available again, but the search folders will be missing because they are visually displayed in Thunderbird under “Local Folders” but are actually located in virtualFolders.dat. Why not place your own search folders where the local folders are located?

I don't immediately see where it would be a problem, if it's still in the list of incoming servers.

=> Thunderbird is operated locally, so there are no “incoming servers” with local folders.

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

rally-123, can you find the regression range using nightly builds with https://mozilla.github.io/mozregression/ ?