Closed Bug 271588 Opened 20 years ago Closed 19 years ago

links clicked in messages immediately switch to browser instead of staying in Thunderbird

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
Mail Window Front End
Platform:
x86
Windows XP
Type:
defect
Priority:
Not set
Severity:
normal

Tracking

(Not tracked)

Status:
RESOLVED INVALID

People

(Reporter: worcester12345, Assigned: mscott)

References

(
URL
)

Details

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041108 Firefox/1.0 (MOOX M3)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041108 Firefox/1.0 (MOOX M3)

I get email notices from mozillazine forums. They are all filtered into a folder
in Thunderbird. What I used to do in older versions of Thunderbird was click on
message 1, click the link, which opened Firefox. Then I'd delete message 1, and
click message 2 with IT's link to IT's particular forum thread, and so on. This
would open up maybe 10 tabs in Firefox in the background and when done, that
forums message folder would be empty. I'd then close Thunderbird and read each
thread in the Firefox tabs. This functionality is now broken.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Click a link in a message in Thunderbird.
2. Link opens in Firefox in background.
3. Delete message from step 1.
4. Repeat 1-3 for all messages.
5. Close Thunderbird.
6. Go to browser to view threads in tabs.



Actual Results:  
Each time I click a link, the computer switches me to the browser and out of email.

Expected Results:  
It should leave me in the Thunderbird email program until I tell it I'm done.

see this thread: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=997270#997270
(In reply to comment #0)
> What I used to do in older versions of Thunderbird

Which version are you using now, and what's the most recent version you recall 
working as you expect?
Currently using version 0.9+ (20041123).

I'd say this was last working a few months ago.

It is still a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR pain every day, so it is up on the top of the
list for me.

Most users would expect that clicking on a link in an e-mail would load the page
in the browser and bring the browser window forward...I know I would.
click.
delete.
click.
delete.
click.
delete.
close thunderbird.
view clicked links.

THAT is the expected behavior.

Not this:

click
click back to thunderbird
delete
click
click back to thunderbird
delete
click
click back to thunderbird
delete
close thunderbird.
view clicked links.


Thanks for allowing me to clear that up. If not the default, can't you just make
it a preference?
that's a browser behaviour - it has nothing to do with thunderbird...we just
give the browser a url to run and it does with it what it wants. I suggest you
either switch the product, or close this bug and open a new one on the various
web browsers...
I tried to explain it was a browser issue in the mozillazine thread sasquatch
mentions in the initial comment, before this bug was filed. I really feel like
I'm wasting my time in the forums.

Sasquatch, there are two ways to approach this: as a regression bug, or as an
enhancement request. You're not going to be able to make the case that this is a
regression. It is standard behaviour after all for an app to be activated when
it's been asked to open a file/URL. (No doubt some unix WMs offer the ability to
configure this.) If Firefox failed to do that before, *that* was a bug.

As an enhancement, what you want is this:

1) Get bug 255123 fixed. It's a browser issue and that's the browser bug.
   With that fixed you'll be able to set a browser pref.
2) But if you don't want Firefox to always behave that way, if you want
   to request that this be exposed as a Thunderbird option,
   2a) File a new enhancement, dependent on 255123, to get Firefox's
       new "do not focus" ability exposed as something like
       a command switch.
   2b) This bug becomes a Firefox/Thunderbird interoperability enhancement
       to get TBird to throw the switch.
How about: middle clicking on links in TB (which in the Suite would open them in
new tabs) won't switch focus to the browser, but left clicking on them (which in
the Suite would open them in the current tab) would?
This is an automated message, with ID "auto-resolve01".

This bug has had no comments for a long time. Statistically, we have found that
bug reports that have not been confirmed by a second user after three months are
highly unlikely to be the source of a fix to the code.

While your input is very important to us, our resources are limited and so we
are asking for your help in focussing our efforts. If you can still reproduce
this problem in the latest version of the product (see below for how to obtain a
copy) or, for feature requests, if it's not present in the latest version and
you still believe we should implement it, please visit the URL of this bug
(given at the top of this mail) and add a comment to that effect, giving more
reproduction information if you have it.

If it is not a problem any longer, you need take no action. If this bug is not
changed in any way in the next two weeks, it will be automatically resolved.
Thank you for your help in this matter.

The latest beta releases can be obtained from:
Firefox:     http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/
Thunderbird: http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/releases/1.5beta1.html
Seamonkey:   http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/

(In reply to comment #6)
> I tried to explain it was a browser issue in the mozillazine thread sasquatch
> mentions in the initial comment, before this bug was filed. I really feel like
> I'm wasting my time in the forums.
> 
> Sasquatch, there are two ways to approach this: as a regression bug, or as an
> enhancement request. You're not going to be able to make the case that this is a
> regression. It is standard behaviour after all for an app to be activated when
> it's been asked to open a file/URL. (No doubt some unix WMs offer the ability to
> configure this.) If Firefox failed to do that before, *that* was a bug.
> 
> As an enhancement, what you want is this:
> 
> 1) Get bug 255123 fixed. It's a browser issue and that's the browser bug.
>    With that fixed you'll be able to set a browser pref.
> 2) But if you don't want Firefox to always behave that way, if you want
>    to request that this be exposed as a Thunderbird option,
>    2a) File a new enhancement, dependent on 255123, to get Firefox's
>        new "do not focus" ability exposed as something like
>        a command switch.
>    2b) This bug becomes a Firefox/Thunderbird interoperability enhancement
>        to get TBird to throw the switch.



1) Is marked as fixed, though it is not.

See also: Bugzilla Bug 56690 Allow opening link in a new background window
(behind current window)
Flags: blocking-aviary2.0?
Depends on: 56690
I believe if you configure tabs to be opened in the background (as I have), this
won't be an issue.

I regularly click on 5-10 links in TB before switching to FF to browse them.
This bug should be resolved as invalid.
(In reply to comment #10)
> I believe if you configure tabs to be opened in the background (as I have), this
> won't be an issue.
> 
> I regularly click on 5-10 links in TB before switching to FF to browse them.
> This bug should be resolved as invalid.

What versions of each, and how are each configured to do this? I have been
unable to get this working.
Install Tab Mix Plus (http://tmp.gary.elixant.com/) and deselect

General -> Tab Focus -> Select tabs from: -> Diverted Windows

Of course, "Open links from other applications in:" must be set to "New tab in
current window"


Recommend marking this bug as invalid now.
(In reply to comment #12)
> Install Tab Mix Plus (http://tmp.gary.elixant.com/) and deselect
> 
> General -> Tab Focus -> Select tabs from: -> Diverted Windows
> 
> Of course, "Open links from other applications in:" must be set to "New tab in
> current window"

You shouldn't need an extension to do this most basic of functions.

I have a similar problem when i want to open several link from different mails: firefox always take the focus ...
But i think it is a firefox issue, not a thunderbird issue ...
I suppose there was a setting in FF 1.0 before, but i couldn't find it in FF 1.5

But, for FF 1.5 go to about:config
and set browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground to true 

--> now, the link click inside TB will not give the focus to firefox ...
enjoy :-)

PS: i think you need the setting "Open links from other application in" --> "a new tab in the most recent windows" or "the most recent tab/window" set ...
If FF is set to "in a new window", it will open a new window, with the focus, even if browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground is true

SO ... WFM
This is not a bug in Thunderbird, nor do I want to get into some sort of special-casing for Firefox with code in both apps to handle this desired behaviour.  If you set browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground to true in about:config in Firefox, you get your desired behaviour.  There are no plans to expose UI for this pref or change its value.
Status: UNCONFIRMED → RESOLVED
Closed: 19 years ago
Flags: blocking-aviary2?
Resolution: --- → INVALID
FWIW, Thunderbird just started doing this again. Was something changed within the past 2 weeks affecting this?
(In reply to Worcester12345 from comment #16)
> FWIW, Thunderbird just started doing this again. Was something changed
> within the past 2 weeks affecting this?

We've never had Thunderbird/Firefox working in this manner except possibly by the pref mentioned in comment 15. If so, then you probably want to raise a new Firefox bug rather than re-opening a long closed bug.
You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.