279284 - Switching smtp servers is a common operation and should be easier

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 202468

(Thunderbird :: Preferences, defect)

Description

[Philippe Fremy]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0

I am a laptop user and I use my laptop both at home and at work. I need to use a
different smtp server when at work and when at home. And I have two accounts.
This means that every day, I'll probably switch the smtp server two times for
each accounts.

My case is quite common, laptop are becoming a commodities and switching network
is a common operation for users.

My complaint is that switching servers is a bit tedious to do, 4 times a day,
especially with a touchpad instead of a plain mouse.

Current behaviour:
Account Setting (1 click) -> Advanced (1 click) -> SMTP (1 click) -> server list
combo box open (1 click) -> select the right server (1 click) -> ok (1 clock) ->
ok (1 click). That's 7 click for a common operation.

I suggest the following improvements:
- provide the smtp server list combo directly in account settings. If the user
has more than one server, it seems normal that he would want to switch between
them quickly
- select the smpt server tab by default insted of the pop tab (this is would
save one click)
- provide a an open list of server instead of a combo box (this save one click)
- provide a way to switch the smtp server when sending the mail (I think kmail
does that).



Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Sam Halliday]

i'd also request SMTP servers to be associated with the different identities for an account. if i send 
yahoo email.. i want it to go through the yahoo SMTP (for spam detectors) and similarly for other 
accounts.

but quick SMTP should definitely be an easier thing to do.

on OS X and TBird-1.0 i agree with phil's comments... and added on top i must also *restart* TBird as 
nothing seems to notice when i change the default SMTP.

Comment 2

[Sam Halliday]

note that is say "different identities" here... not different accounts.

i have a single IMAP account and several identites attached to it... i wish the SMTP to change as i change 
identities.

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #0)

Does your SMTP servers accept "From:" of other than provider's mail address and
"To:" of other than provider's mail address?
(Whether single SMTP server use, but the SMTP server depends or your working
place, is sufficient at any your working place or not.)
If yes, there is very simple way based on current good design on multiple SMTP
use (ie. independency of POP3/IMAP account from SMTP server, based on
POP3/IMAP/SMTP design.)    
 (1) Choose "Always use default SMTP server" for all your accounts
     thuru "Server Settings"/"Advanced"
 (2) Change "deafult SMTP server" when you changed your working place
     thru "Outgoing Server(SMTP)"/"Advanced"
By above, defaulted SMTP server is always used by any account.

Read thru next FAQ first.
 http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_FAQs_:_Multiple_SMTP_Servers
Then check/change your account's SMTP choice(Server Settings/Advance) and SMTP
definitions (Outgoing Server/Advanced).

Philippe Fremy, can this be a workaround of your SMTP server choice problem? 
 
(In reply to comment #1 & comment #2)

Sam Halliday, your problem(SMTP choice of additional identities) is
different/independent problem from this bug, although both are related issues.
See Bug 272354(closed as DUP of FIXED Bug 235762) for SMTP choice problem when
identity definition.
See Bug 277998(still open) for problem on SMTP choice of identities when primary
account's SMTP choice change.  

By the way, Philippe Fremy & Sam Halliday, couldn't you find any already opened
or DUPed or FIXED bugs?
Try to search bugzilla for next conditions :
 Summary contains "SMTP"
 Resolution = --- (=still open) (or FIXED or DUP)
 Product    = Core or Mozilla Application Suite or Thunderbird (or Toolkit).
Please note that many mailer related components have "Product=Core" after
bugzilla's Product/Component structure change.

Comment 4

[Philippe Fremy]

Thank you for your answer. The proposed solution is a better workaround than
what I was using.

I'll try the buttons extension to see if yields something better.

Globally, having global options and local accounts options makes the whole topic
quite complicated to configure.

And I did look through 10 or 20 researched bugs before filing mine. But the
search is pretty lame. It would pop up every bug with smtp in it. If I could had
restricted it to smtp+switch, I probably would have found the right bug.

Comment 5

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #4)
> The proposed solution is a better workaround than what I was using.
Philippe Fremy, you can do any of nexts.
 (1) If you think "your problem can be avoided if 'Always use default SMTP"
     is defaulted", close as DUP of Bug 222388.
 (2) If you think "your problem was caused by unkind UI",
     close as DUP of Bug 202468.
 (3) If you want to continue to complain on current design,
     close as DUP of Bug 119609 and transfer to it.
Don't choose (3), please. :-)

Comment 6

[Philippe Fremy]

I can switch smtp servers quicker, and once at a time for more than one identity
so my initial problem has weaken. But still, I need around 9 clicks to do that
which looks a bit too much for me for a daily action.

So, I would say that it belongs to #3. But actually, my problem is not a bug, is
just a feature request.

SMTP server management seems like a complex topic. The fact that you have to
manage it at two different places is user unfriendly. With two identities open,
the 'Outgoing mail' setting is hidden from the 'Account setting' panel.

So, a definite enhancment would be to arrange the 'Account setting' so that
'Global inbox' and 'Outoing mail' are always the first two items, and everything
else downward is considered by the user as specific account configuration.

It looks like I chose #2 after all.

Thank you for your thorough bug followin.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 202468 ***

Comment 7

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #6)
> But still, I need around 9 clicks to do that which looks a bit too much for me
for a daily action.

There is more easy way for daily operation, if you can restart Thunderbird when
your working location change,
because "Always use deafult SMTP server" can be used for all accounts/any
working location in your case, 
and because "Default SMTP server" is currently controlled by
"mail.smtp.defaultserver" setting in prefs.js only.

 (1) Create user.js-XXX files where XXX is your working location.
     - user.js-HOME
         user_pref("mail.smtp.defaultserver", "smtp1");
     - user.js-OFFICE
         user_pref("mail.smtp.defaultserver", "smtp2");
 (2) Create BAT files of START-TB-XXX.BAT where XXX is your working location.
     - START-TB-HOME.BAT
         C:
         CD <Your Thunderbird's Profile Directry>
         COPY user.js-HOME user.js
         CD <Your Thunderbird's Program Directry>
         thundebird.exe -p <Profile Name>
     - START-TB-OFFICE.BAT
         C:
         CD <Your Thunderbird's Profile Directry>
         COPY user.js-OFFICE user.js
         CD <Your Thunderbird's Program Directry>
         thundebird.exe -p <Profile Name>
 (3) Create shortcuts(and Start menu) for BAT files.

Only one click when shortcut on desktop, and a few clicks when Start menu.
How about this?