323710 - allow creation of new identity from compose window

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, enhancement)

Description

[Max Waterman]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050922 Fedora/1.0.7-1.1.fc4 Firefox/1.0.7
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050922 Fedora/1.0.7-1.1.fc4 Firefox/1.0.7

Currently, you can create identities from the 'Manage Identities...' part of the 'Account Setting' window, which works well.

I use fastmail.fm, which automatically filters messages based on the 'filter' part of <username+filter@domain> addresses, into IMAP folders named 'filter'

The above is very useful for automatically filtering email lists. I sign up as <username+email-list@domain> and create an identity for that list which I always use when posting to that list.

However,

I use multiple computers, with different installations of Thunderbird.

Sometimes, I sign up on one computer, where I create the IMAP folder, and the identity.

When I move to another computer, the IMAP folder exists, and the messages are filtered correctly by the ISP, so I am easily tricked into just replying to messages that are in the IMAP folder.

When I reply on the computer where I created the appropriate identity, it nicely selects the corresponding identity.

When I reply on a different computer, where I did not create the identity, the defauly identity is used.

Usually, I will not notice that it's the wrong identity, and will compile a big long message (or whatever).

Often I send the message which will bounce (because the from address is not on the list) which means I have somehow resend after creating the correct identity (hopefully, I have a copy of the bounce contains a copy, else I have to do it again from memory). Of course, I might not notice the bounce until much later (because I'll not check my email for a while, or the message takes a long time to bounce) and so there's a big delay in my message actually getting to the list.

Sometimes, I notice the incorrect identity before I send the message, and so do not need to go through as much hassle as above. I have to save the message as draft, create the correct identity, re-edit the draft message, select the correct identity and send.

Of course, it would be nice if I could somehow identify a folder as 'belonging' to an email list and attempting to send to a message in the folder using the incorrect identity would invoke a warning (potentially offering to create the identity for you?).

However, what I am suggesting here, is that there be an option in the 'identity list' next to 'From:' in the compose window that would allow you to create a new identity, and automatically select it. This avoid the having to 'save as draft'/etc.

Please consider adding a 'create new identity'.

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

(In reply to comment #0)
> it would be nice if I could somehow identify a folder as 'belonging' to
> an email list and attempting to send to a message in the folder using the
> incorrect identity would invoke a warning (potentially offering to create
> the identity for you?).

See these: bug 230247, bug 36482, bug 264770


> what I am suggesting here, is that there be an option in the 'identity
> list' next to 'From:' in the compose window that would allow you to create
> a new identity, and automatically select it. This avoid the having to 'save
> as draft'/etc.

Hm.  This sounds like a dupe of bug 257713, but that one's actually a bit of a mess.

Comment 2

[Jerry Baker]

(In reply to comment #0)
> Often I send the message which will bounce (because the from address is not on
> the list) which means I have somehow resend after creating the correct identity
> (hopefully, I have a copy of the bounce contains a copy, else I have to do it
> again from memory).

You can always go into the "Sent" folder and do Message -> Edit Message as New.

Comment 3

[Max Waterman]

> You can always go into the "Sent" folder and do Message -> Edit Message as New.

Not true. This can only be done if you have tb configured to put a copy in 'Sent'.

Comment 5

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

https://addons.mozilla.org/de/thunderbird/search/?q=identity

Comment 7

[:aceman]

The identities are a property of the account. So if there is a single button, which account do we open in the identity editor? The one that the currently selected identity in From belongs to?

Comment 8

[Jerry Baker]

Why do we need to open an identity editor, why not just allow arbitrary addresses to be entered in the "From" field? A properly configured MTA will reject unauthorized email addresses from sending mail anyway.

Comment 9

[:aceman]

Because in TB every identity has some more state and settings associated to it.

Comment 10

[Jerry Baker]

(In reply to :aceman from comment #9)
> Because in TB every identity has some more state and settings associated to
> it.

Why do you want to create an identity for every email address?

Comment 11

[Mike Yates]

In bug 507640 I sggested:
So why not make "Manage Identities" available when you pull-down the "From" when composing?
It could even be the last of the pull-down options. That would be really handy for all mailers, so why not get ahead of them?
And Blake Winton replied at 2013-11-05 08:05:00 PST:
Interesting idea, Mike!
Would you mind filing this as a new bug?

So, I'm adding it to this one.

Comment 12

[azrdev]

"make "Manage Identities" available when you pull-down the "From" when composing?"

I support this one, however I'd like to freely insert the From: address, maybe even without creating an Identity. (My setup is a mailserver where I own & receive mail to any address)

Comment 13

[:aceman]

(In reply to azrdev from comment #12)
> "make "Manage Identities" available when you pull-down the "From" when
> composing?"

Yes, I understand this feature is what is requested in this bug.
 
> I support this one, however I'd like to freely insert the From: address,
> maybe even without creating an Identity. (My setup is a mailserver where I
> own & receive mail to any address)

This case is being worked on in bug 87987.

Comment 14

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

I don't think we want this.