321454 - CC and BCC can not be used sequentially.

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, enhancement)

Description

[John]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0; Q312461; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
Build Identifier: version 1.0.2 (20050317)

In Thunderbird, when I try to create a new message, I often send the message to a 'dead' address at my business (one nobody ever reads) and the n BCC all recipients.  This is a security measure to prevent long lists of e-mail addresses from being seen by 'trollers' who print out material passing through their server systems and then use those for generating lists of e-mail addresses for sale.

Apparently, it is not possible in Thunderbird to set the CC or BCC function and then have it repeat as addresses are added until the user decides to change it to something different.  As it stands now, when the user selects anything except To:, that selection is valid only for the current entry.  Then Thunderbird automatically produces a new line for address entry, but returns the address format to the To: function.  Another way to get a similar result would be to allow users to highlight all of the To: addresses for which they wish to change the function and change them all at once with a single selection.  Both methods are useful.

It is very annoying and time-consuming to create a long list of addressees and then having to go back and change every one but the first one to something other than To:, doing each address function change individually.

I believe this already is in a request(226468).  What is not there is one to allow messages to be created with nothing but BCC addresses.  That would eliminate the need to have some 'deadbox' address in a To: field.  For those who just are average users and not corporate 'giants' like me who have a 'deadbox' address available to them, this would be a real help.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Open a new message.
2.  Enter a To: address and press Enter.
3.  Change the function of the next address space to BCC.
4.  Enter a BCC address and press Enter.


Actual Results:  
The next address space has the BCC function reset to To:.


Expected Results:  
The next address space has the BCC function left as BCC:.

This is going to continue to be a pebble in the shoes of your users, since the right-click on address book entry function is not intuitive or clearly documented.  Also, the need for such a functional capability is growing, due to the incessant efforts of advertisers and other miscreants to usurp individual e-mail addresses.

Please fix this as soon as possible.  This area of the present user interface is both disfunctional and misleading, as well as intensely frustrating.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

For me this is working just the way you wanted it in the steps to reproduce. Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8) Gecko/20051201 Thunderbird/1.5 ID:2005120113

There is also no need to have a "deadbox", you can have only BCC addresses. Do try out thunderbird 1.5, rc2 is now available.

Comment 2

[John]

Sorry.  Not sure where Magnus Melin  is coming from with his comment, since I do not understand his statement that "...this is working just the way you wanted it in the steps to reproduce."  It works fine up until you hit return for the BCC message address.  Then, after entering the BCC address, Thunderbird opens a new message address line.  But in Version 1.07 the function listed in the new message address line is *NOT* BCC, as a user would expect it to be.  It is To:.  That is not expected, nor is it useful or acceptable.

BTW, from where did you get a copy of Moxilla Thunderbird at version 1.5?  When I go to Mozilla's Thunderbird site (http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/) the latest and greatest download available is 1.07, which is what I have.  If a later version is available, why is it not posted at Mozilla.com?

Comment 3

[John]

Also, in Version 1.07 I can create an e-mail message with no To: address.  However, when I try to send it, I get an error message that says there is no valid addressee.  The message will not send until I add at least one To: address.  So the assertion that sending such a message is possible seems to me to be incorrect.

Comment 4

[John]

I do offer apologies.  I went back and doublecchecked, and found that I inadvertantly had looked at the version number for Firefox on my system.  The correct version number of the Thunderbird copy on my system is 1.0.2, not 1.0.7.  I presume Magnus Melin meant I should download Thunderbird version 1.0.7, rather than 1.5 which is the version number for the latest edition of Firefox.

I will download both upgrades, and report back on what I find regarding this subject.

Comment 5

[John]

Now operating under Thunderbird 1.0.7.  Tested writing new e-mails and sending both a BCC: only message and also creating messages with BCC lists.  The product works as advertized by Magnus Melin.  Thank you and sorry to have taken your time with this issue.

To all users, REJOICE!  This irritation is now at an end!

Regards and respect -

John

Comment 6

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Glad it worked out for you! As for thunderbird 1.5 rc2, you can get it from http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/releases/1.5.html. (It's a release candidate, will be released as the final 1.5 version if no major problems are found within ~ a few weeks. )

->worksforme