21210 - Reply with template

Status: REOPENED

(MailNews Core :: Composition, enhancement)

Description

[Phil Peterson]

Subject: Messenger Wishlist
        Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1999 13:47:02 -0500
        From: "Brian J. White" <[e-mail]>
Organization: Central Ad Software, Inc.
  Newsgroups: netscape.public.mozilla.wishlist

2.  Need for "Reply using Template".   In the current version, you can
compose new messages using a template, but it would be awesome if I
could hit this button (or menu item) and the message is replied to using
some pre-written text (and quoting their message at the bottom).

Comment 1

[Scott MacGregor]

moving way out there.

Comment 2

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

*** Bug 92082 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 3

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

From bug 92082:

This feature should look like if you click reply, then standard Reply would be 
used. If you hold button clicked (same behavior as in Netscape Navigator's 
Back/Forward buttons), icons with predefined templates for Reply will be shown 
or a somehow changed icon with text Reply using 'name of template' text.
Template should contain who to Cc, Bcc, Subject, body (in fact whole email). 
Templates should be defined so that you fill in all desired field while in 
standard Reply and in some menu there will be option 'Save this email as 
template...'. While saving template, there should of course be an option 'Make 
this template available using Reply button' so that it gets promoted into main 
toolbar.


------- Additional Comments From P P 2001-07-24 06:15 -------

Yet addition to comparing to NN's 'pulldown' behavior - I personally don't like 
Mozilla's small triangles with Back/Forward button to skip more pages 
backwards/forward.


------- Additional Comments From P P 2001-07-24 06:40 -------

oh, now I realised - talking of NN I mean oldstyle 4.77 version, not the new 
mozilla-based ones.

Comment 4

[Vaclav Dvorak]

Would be nice. It should also be possible to put placeholders in the template
that would mark where to put the original subject, where to put the sender's
name, where to quote the original text, where to place the cursor, insert the
date/time of original message, list of attachments in original message... and
whatever else the implementor comes up with. It should also be possible to mark
a template as the default for replying, and another as the default for
forwarding. Thus, one could change the template that currently seems to be
hardcoded:
Subject = "<Re: (but only once)><original subject>"
Body = "<original name> wrote:\n<original text>\n<cursor>\n-- \n<signature>"

Mmmm, brings back old memories of FidoNet and GoldED...

Comment 5

[Kaitlin Duck Sherwood]

Vaclav --

That's a fine idea.  Could you open a separate enhancement request for it,
marking it as depending upon this RFE?

Comment 6

[Vaclav Dvorak]

When looking for dupes, I found bug 107876 which might depend on this one as it
assumes the existence of reply-templates. As for the placeholders I mentioned in
comment 4, I filed bug 178263 for that; I actually don't think it's blocked by
this bug because it's marginally useful even for composing new emails.

Comment 7

[Fabien Coelho]

the same feature would be welcome with the contextual on-email-address popupmenu
which could add a "compose-to with template" item.

The current procedure to get this is :
1. right-click on the email address and select "copy address"
2. click on template folder
3. double-click on the chose template
4. paste the address in the "to" field in the new compose window

all this could be solve on the first click.

Comment 8

[Chan Min Wai]

May I know what is the status for this?

Thank You

Comment 9

[Sander]

*** Bug 205369 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10

[Robert B. Denny]

Comment #7 - would break a thread. You need to actually reply to preserve threading.

Comment 11

[Seth Master]

Can we mark this as target milestone of 1.6a?

Comment 12

[william drescher]

(In reply to comment #7)
> the same feature would be welcome with the contextual on-email-address popupmenu
> which could add a "compose-to with template" item.
> 
> The current procedure to get this is :
> 1. right-click on the email address and select "copy address"
> 2. click on template folder
> 3. double-click on the chose template
> 4. paste the address in the "to" field in the new compose window
> 
> all this could be solve on the first click.
> 


This would not preserve the threadding and would not copy the replied to message
into the new message.  This workaround is inadequate.

Comment 13

[Fabien Coelho]

(In reply to comment #12)
> (In reply to comment #7)

> This would not preserve the threadding and would not copy the replied to 
> message into the new message.  This workaround is inadequate.

It is not a workaround but a desired feature. 

We have a web form where people put there e-mail address.
When completed, we receive an email which contains the address
and other information. The email address IN the mail content
is hilighted, and we would like to send a mail to this personne
with a standard template.

So there is no thread to preserve, nor actual mail that we really want
to append to the template.

Comment 14

[Mark Jansen]

Templates could be very advanced, which would be great....

See http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/samples.html

Comment 15

[Lee_Dailey]

howdy y'all,

[1] my tb info ...
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.8) Gecko/20051201 Thunderbird/1.5 - Build ID: 2005120115

[2] REQUEST - change "Product" from "mozilla application suite" to "core".
why? cuz the following bugs ...
- Replying using templates
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=92082
- standard reply option
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=205369

...were duped to this one and THEY are "product=core". plus, it will make it easier for tbird users to find this bug.

take care,
lee

Comment 16

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

A user interface suggestion: Copy Eudora. In Eudora the Message menu has New Message With and Reply With menu items, each of which opens a hierarchical menu. The hierarchical menu lists the templates (stationery in Eudora terminology). So it looks like this:

New Message With
   Thanks for the comment
   I'm working on it
   You've got to be kidding
   Your order has been received
   We're looking into it

You can very quickly select the template you want to use in one smooth mouse motion. 

Comment 17

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

Attachment: Picture of Eudora's Reply with Template functionality

This is how Eudora handles reply with template and New with template. This could also be placed in a content menu, though it should not be just there. 

Please note that there is *no* separate templates window. The template names simply become menu items. 

Thunderbird seems to like to put everything in panels, and that is much harder to use than menus. In particular filing in Thunderbird is harder than filing in Eudora because Eudora puts the archive folders in a dynamic menu like this one.

In this case, you don't choose "Reply with template" and then choose the template to reply with in a second action. One action does it all.

Comment 18

[Martin]

(In reply to comment #4)
> Would be nice. It should also be possible to put placeholders in the template
> that would mark where to put the original subject, where to put the sender's
> name, where to quote the original text, where to place the cursor, insert the
> date/time of original message, list of attachments in original message... and
> whatever else the implementor comes up with. It should also be possible to mark
> a template as the default for replying, and another as the default for
> forwarding. 

Well, that's very a good idea! But don't forget to stipe the HTML from the original message and insert it as plain text...ortherwise, after 5 replys, you'll have a big and ugly HTML-soup :-) And I think there should also be a drop-down option on the reply button, to select a template.... 

Hmmm, what's about the subject of the template and the original message? How to name a template, if there is only a place-holder??? http://www.lahr.net/martin/tb1.jpg 


How ever - for me, this would be a very important feature - and the only thing  really miss in thunderbird. I search since almost 2 two years for a extension or hack to do this... since taht time, I use sopy and paste to answer with a template

Maybe it's no core-bug, but it would be a great extension ;-)

Comment 19

[Mike Ferdinando]

This functionality is make-or-break for the business world.  My office (100+ employees) has been a Eudora shop for years, and we rely on Eudora's "Reply With:" function for over 90% of our business correspondence.  I'm testing Thunderbird as our lead candidate for a Eudora replacement.  This absolutely needs to be a core feature of Thunderbird for it ever to make an inroad into the business world.

We really really want to use a non-Microsoft solution, but this is a make-or-break core funtionailty for us.  If Thunderbird can't do this out-of-the "box", we may have no choice but to go with Outlook.  Bleah.

Comment 20

[g_consoles]

Mike:

Since it is absolutely essential for your company to have this functionality, can your company pay for someone to implement this functionality into thunderbird? That would be a boon for us personal users. I have been waiting for this functionality for a really long time.

Comment 21

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

They're a couple opf other questions here:

1. If they pay somebody, will the patch be accepted?
2. Are any committers available to be hired to implement this functionality? 

Comment 22

[Maciek Mikrut]

This functionality has already been implemented with "stationery" add-on.
Stationery add-on combined with Quicktext add-on has been tested in our office for last couple of weeks with excellent results.

https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/4394/

Comment 23

[Jeff]

Probably the very very very worst thing about TB functionality is it's naff reply header format. 

Some suggestions above are complex or kludgy (yes, I tried many of them, including quicktext and stationery). The original posts are interesting, but have obviously been filed in the 'too hard!' basket. 

My simple request is, "Please incorporate 'Change Quote and Reply Format' extention or equivalent functionality into main application." 

http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/changequote-en.html

Comment 24

[Franc]

Yep I would like this possibility very much.
Alsop the possibility to attache a template permanetly to a personality so that it opens automaticly when i reply with an personality

Comment 25

[Martin]

(In reply to comment #24)
> Yep I would like this possibility very much.
> Alsop the possibility to attache a template permanetly to a personality so that
> it opens automaticly when i reply with an personality
> 


I use the stationary add-on since about 8 month and I am very happy with this solution. Maybe stationary add-on should be a default feature of thunderbird...
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4394

Just create a html-template or download a stationary html and use it in thunderbird
http://www.lahr.net/martin/martin-wehrle_email.jpg

Comment 26

[Franc]

It is a bit off-topic here but I work with the penelope add-on (eudora version 8) and that is incompatible with de stationary add.on sadly enough

Comment 27

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

I use the stationary add-on too, and it is a nice extension. However it's not as nice as Eudora's old reply-with template.

The stationary add-on takes up extra screen real estate and turns a one-step process into a two-step process. 

This makes me wonder if that can be improved? Can an ad-on create a hierarchical menu in the menus rather than just a button? Anyone know? 

Comment 28

[Arivald]

Hi

I am developer of "Stationery" extension.

> Comment #27 : 
It is already one-step solution. 
 1) When you need to reply, using default stationery,  then click on "Reply" button on top of 3-pane window or message view window.
 2) When you want to reply, using different template, click on "drop-down" trinagle on same "Reply" button.

But i assume you want to reply with selecting stationery from popup menu? 
I may add this functionality. It is not a technical problem. I not add it already, because i not use this menu for myself ;-).

Some additional question: Should i re-use menu entries "reply to sender", "reply all" and "forward" to show list of templates? or should i add new menu, "Reply With" with submenus? "Reply With" will do same action as "reply to sender", but addictionally  it will select stationery.


Comment #26 : As far as i remember, Penelope (and Eudora on TB) promise to implement stationery feature. So i do not think about testing my extension with Penelope. In any way the will conflict in future.


Comment #24 : Binding stationery to identity is in my plans, but first i want to  switch to use SQLite db to store internal data. 

And there is one problem: what to do if user change identity while composing? It is a little problem, if user does not modify mail body yet. But if he does, exchanging template will delete his modifications.

Comment 29

[kuro68k]

The "Stationery" extension is a step in the right direction, but I think misses some important points.

First, it only seems to work with HTML templates. I don't send HTML email, only plain text, which your extension does not seem to support.

Also, there is a definite need for variables in reply templates. The current system only allows very basic control over the format of replies.

Perhaps a scripting solution might be best. Having a user defined javascript program run when new mails or replies are created. Full variable and formatting features would then be available.

Comment 30

[Arivald]

> First, it only seems to work with HTML templates.
> I don't send HTML email, only plain text, which
> your extension does not seem to support.

Yes, currently it works only when editor is in HTML mode. But this not prevent you from using template for plain text. Even if editor is in HTML mode, when you have configured TB to send mail in plain-text mode, then HTML will be degraded to plain text. Most of my work templates are prepared for this degradation, they remain readable. I do it specially for recipients which want plain text only, and because i have configured TB to send both HTML and plain text (for people who want read plain, and because spam filters does not like HTML mails without plain-text alternative).

Of course i may prepare my extension to work with plain text templates. But nobody request it yet.


> Also, there is a definite need for variables in reply templates.
> The current system only allows very basic control over the format of replies.
> Perhaps a scripting solution might be best.

I thinking about this problem already.
One thing i know: i do not use/allow JS,  because of security reasons. If script will work in restricted, content mode, then it will have no access to TB needed variables. If script will work in chrome mode, then hackers may use it.

> variables in reply templates.
Yes, i currently thinking how to implement this feature. I am not sure how it should be implemented. Currently (in my not published version), i use something like:

 <span stationery="recipient.name">Recipient Name</span>
 <blockquote stationery="quoted.text">lorem ipsum...</blockquote>

And when stationery file is processed, whole <span> is replaced by requested value. I match to attribute name, so any HTML tag may be used.
In this way, i got some preview when i edit stationery in WYSIWYG editor, or when i checking it in browser.


There may be also other way to provide scripting/variables/dynamic content. I plan to use remote URL as source of template. This will allow company webserwer with PHP (or local apache+php installation) to serve dynamic, most accurate stationery.

Comment 31

[kuro68k]

Arivald, your extension is excellent, and your ideas for the future sound very promising. I think though that rather than making an extension it might be better to code this functionality in to TB itself. It would avoid security and HTML/plain text issues.

My take on HTML in email is that it is generally evil, and so full native plain text support for all features is vital. HTML mail is at best annoying and at worst prevents you from reading the mail. For example, I prefer white text on a black background, but most HTML mail is black on white. I like to choose my own fonts etc too. HTML mail often does not render well on small screens (mobile phones etc) and can sometimes be unreadable. It also breaks things like text searching, e.g. if words are separated by HTML code or are in an image.

Comment 33

[Karsten Düsterloh]

There's no point in duping a core bug to a Penelope bug.

Comment 34

[Matt Dudziak]

(In reply to comment #33)
> There's no point in duping a core bug to a Penelope bug.
> 

Other than the fact that the Penelope team might actually implement this in less than the 8 1/2 years this bug has been open ;-)

Comment 35

[kuro68k]

I have to agree with Matt, when it's so hard to compile TB on Windows so you can't do it yourself and the core dev team doesn't seem to be interested in implementing basic features (they would rather focus on advanced stuff, a bit like trying to build an upside down pyramid) I'm all for trying to get more people on board.

Comment 36

[Karsten Düsterloh]

The point is somewhat different:
If they "might implement" it and it's part of the core, the fix should happen in a core bug. If it's just part of Penelope, a Penelope bug will suffice.
The core is used by at least SeaMonkey and Thunderbird and Penelope, so "hiding" stuff in product-dependent bugs doesn't exactly help in keeping an overview...

Comment 37

[Jeff Berger]

Hi, I'm just another user but I write about technology for Fortune 500 companies (I know, big deal...) I want to filter messages and reply with a template. I wrote the template but to incorporate it I have to refer to a template folder; I have no clue how to find what / where the template folder is, and under "Filter Rules" "Perform these action" "Reply with template" there's noplace to insert the template location even if I had it. This would be a great feature if it were there. :) 

Comment 38

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

wanted‑thunderbird3-; don't see this making thunderbird3 unless someone steps up and writes a patch.

Comment 39

[Forbin]

Wow.  This feature request has been open since 1999, with 38 comments and 55 votes, and it is =STILL= hanging around?

The =MINIMAL= functionality shouldn't be too hard to implement!
Admittedly, that doesn't achieve a lot of what has been discussed here, but it is a start, and would probably satisfy at LEAST 50% of the functionality requirements.

I feel guilty posting this without also volunteering to implement it, but I already have too much on my plate as it is (on other Open Source projects, plus my real work).  And I'm not set up to compile Thunderbird.

Can we please get a volunteer to attempt implementing this?

Comment 40

[kuro68k]

I'd like to try, but don't have a suitable environment to compile TB either... To be honest, the barriers to starting development seem quite high :(

I think the reason no-one has attempted to implement this is simply because it is a very big job. No "minimal" solution will ever be accepted into TB, and the requirements go way beyond what a plugin can offer. Basically, someone needs to re-design and re-write the entire template system, then fully test it and have it all accepted into the main codebase.

Comment 41

[william drescher]

"minimal" works for me.  I just want a button that says, Reply with Template, which brings up a list of template to pick from.  I am even willing to had code the templates and put them in a template directory.

Comment 42

[Mike Ferdinando]

Follow-up to my comment #19 (from two years ago).  After a two-year experiment with open-source e-mail, my organization has decided to go with an Exchange/Outlook solution.  Lack of this functionality was one reason cited (albeit a very minor reason).  I'll be off Thunderbird shortly, so, from my POV, this bug report is now moot.

Comment 43

[kuro68k]

(In reply to comment #41)
> "minimal" works for me.  I just want a button that says, Reply with Template,
> which brings up a list of template to pick from.  I am even willing to had code
> the templates and put them in a template directory.

The problem is not implementing such a simple solution. There is already an add-on which does something similar to what you suggest, although only with HTML email and not with any variables IIRC.

The problem is that such a solution would never be accepted into TB. To see it in the next version, it would have to be a fully functional and configurable feature. As I said before, that means a complete overhaul of the templates system.

I don't know why it wasn't included in the original design, since pretty much every other email client ever has it, but it wasn't.

Comment 44

[Jeff Berger]

For us, it's still really annoying that TB doesn't have this when almost every other significant player in this space does....

Comment 45

[Jeff Berger]

For us, it's still really annoying that TB doesn't have this when almost every other significant player in this space does...and especially annoying that it has been requested for almost 10 years!

Comment 46

[rsx11m]

An experimental add-on is available to allow the definition of reply and forward templates as suggested here. This extension may serve as a workaround for the time being, and also provide some ideas on a full implementation in
the regular releases.

https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/addon/14662

Comment 47

[rsx11m]

Unfortunately, the add-on referred to in comment #46 apparently hasn't been updated for Thunderbird 5.0 and later, but a replacement has been made available with https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/addon/324497 (SmartTemplate4).

Comment 49

[Ales]

Oh my. I filled RFE and now I see it's a duplicate of this 21 years old one. This doesn't look very promising.

I've been using the great Stationery extension (https://addons.thunderbird.net/cs/thunderbird/addon/stationery/) for this. But it's gone and it seems there's no other option. The last working TB version is 60.9.1. In fact I'm still using it with updates disabled. Not too secure I guess.

Can't you just adopt the extension or at least some of its parts? Its author is not able to update it to the latest TB version so He quit.

Comment 50

[chrizilla]

added based on comment #19