237164 - View Messages vs. View Threads: back out bug 189543's patch

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: MailNews: Message Display, enhancement)

Description

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

Between Mozilla 1.3 and 1.4, bug 189543 was implemented.  This changed the 
submenu formerly known as View|Messages to View|Threads, and put a new submenu 
for View|Messages in place.  The new View|Messages contains all of the items 
that appear in the MailViews dropdown.  (The menu has since been extended to 
include the 'Threaded' item -- bug 72493 -- but that is in the process of being 
relocated -- bug 219620.)

This change caused a fair amount of confusion (bug 206131 and its dupes).  It 
still is problematic for the following reasons:

1) On the View|Threads menu, 'All' and 'Unread' do not turn on threading; 
'Threads with Unread' and 'Watched Threads with Unread' do turn on threading.  
For the first two, since they are in a menu labelled Threads, the result is 
unintuitive; for the second two, the label appears redundant.

2) The impetus behind the change was that the MailView options 'All' and 
'Unread' did not synchronize to the View|Messages options 'All' and 'Unread'.
The basic problem is still unaddressed: View|Threads 'All' and 'Unread' are not 
synchronized to the MailView either; and now the two options appear in three 
different locations, two of which are synchronized.

3) The MailView is global: setting it for one folder, it remains set for all 
folders until it has been cleared.  It also prevents the use of threaded views.
The location of View|Messages in the menu is between View|Sort By and 
View|Threads, both of which are set on a per-folder basis.

I recommend reverting more-or-less to the state things were at before 189543 was 
'fixed': a single submenu, View|Messages, which contains the options currently 
found in View|Threads; and the MailView selection removed from the menu.

In order to solve the synchronization problem, I suggest:

1) Change the name of the 'All' MailView to something else -- even blank would 
do, given its location.

2) When a MailView is selected, disable all the options on View|Messages; 

3) Add a new item to View|Messages: 'Reset MailView' which is enabled only when 
a MailView is selected.

Comment 1

[Stefan Borggraefe]

(In reply to comment #0)
> I recommend reverting more-or-less to the state things were at before 189543 was 
> 'fixed': a single submenu, View|Messages, which contains the options currently 
> found in View|Threads; and the MailView selection removed from the menu.

I don't think this is a good idea. See
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=189543#c3.

> In order to solve the synchronization problem, I suggest:

You are speaking about the menu structure after bug 189543 is reverted, right?
 
> 1) Change the name of the 'All' MailView to something else -- even blank would 
> do, given its location.

A blank menu item? Can you explain this a little more? Doesn't sound like a good
idea to me.

> 2) When a MailView is selected, disable all the options on View|Messages; 
> 3) Add a new item to View|Messages: 'Reset MailView' which is enabled only when 
> a MailView is selected.

Currently when you select one of the menu items in View|Threads (which you
propose should be changed back to View|Messages) the Mail View is reset to
display all Messages. Doesn't this solve the problem already?

Comment 2

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

(In reply to comment #1)
> I don't think this is a good idea. See
> http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=189543#c3.

Stefan, my suggestions are to directly address the issue raised in bug 189543 
comment 3 -- in my opinion, that goal has not been met by the patch, because 
there is still a textual conflict between View|Messages|"All" and 
View|Threads|"All", and also "Unread".  While I certainly believe that some 
users expected to see these items on the menu, I don't agree that it should be 
put there.  If the MailViews are on the menu, why isn't the QuickSearch?  But if 
it absolutely has to be on the menu, it should be a submenu -- and the "All" and 
"Unread" texts need to be disambiguated.


> You are speaking about the menu structure after bug 189543 is reverted, right?

Yes.
  

> > 1) Change the name of the 'All' MailView to something else -- even blank 
> > would do, given its location.
> 
> A blank menu item? Can you explain this a little more? Doesn't sound like a
> good idea to me.

No, not a menu item; an item in the dropdown list.  I like having it blank 
because it would be similar to the QuickSearch field: if no text is visible in 
that bar, then no filtering is being done.  But it wouldn't have to be blank, 
maybe "(none)" or something similar; just not "All."


> > 2) When a MailView is selected, disable all the options on View|Messages; 
> > 3) Add a new item to View|Messages: 'Reset MailView' which is enabled only 
> > when a MailView is selected.
> 
> Currently when you select one of the menu items in View|Threads (which you
> propose should be changed back to View|Messages) the Mail View is reset to
> display all Messages. Doesn't this solve the problem already?

It solves a problem, but there is still the issue of the word "Unread."  We need 
to have a folder view for unread messages *and* a MailView for unread messages.  
If they both read "Unread," then the (perceived) lack of synchronization between 
the menu item and the MailView item is still an issue.

Maybe disabling the menu is a bad choice.  I couldn't think of an alternate term 
for "Unread" -- but, I suppose, the MailView could read something like
"Unread Only" to distinguish it from the menu selection (folder view).

Comment 3

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

Given that the MailView is now sticky on a per-folder basis, the suggestion in 
this bug needs to be re-evaluated.

In bug 263180 comment 1, David Bienvenu indicated that he will be working on 
providing threading for virtual folders -- which presumably would also allow 
threading for MailViews and QuickSearches (bug 135326).  At that point, there 
would be no difference at all between View|Messages|Unread and View|Threads|
Unread.

In fact, the current options under View|Threads could all then be placed in the 
MailViews dropdown (bug 207862) and customized, threaded views could be added to 
the list (bug 36024).

So, for now at least:   => WONTFIX

Comment 4

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

(In reply to comment #3)
> which presumably would also allow threading for MailViews and QuickSearches
> (bug 135326).  At that point, there would be no difference at all between
>  View|Messages|Unread  and  View|Threads|Unread .

Followup to this issue: bug 321739.