335981 - should use format-flowed encoding when HTML message is forced to plain text

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: General, enhancement)

Description

[Mikel Ward]

If I use the HTML message composer [1] but a recipient's HTML/text preference is unknown [2] and the message contains only text and no mark up, Thunderbird forces [3] this message to plain text.

Unfortunately, this bypasses the format-flowed encoding [4], so it ends up being wrapped not only for transport but also for presentation.

1. Tools->Account Settings->Account Name->Compose messages in HTML format
2. Tools->Address Book->Address Item->Properties->Prefers to receive messages as: Unknown
3. http://lxr.mozilla.org/aviary101branch/source/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js#2614
4. http://lxr.mozilla.org/aviary101branch/source/mailnews/compose/src/nsMsgCompose.cpp#966

Comment 1

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

This isn't an RFE, it's a bug, pure and simple -- the text/plain part is *marked* as f=f but not properly formatted for that.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 125928 ***

Comment 2

[Mikel Ward]

This bug is different from bug 125928.

In this case, the HTML tags are simply stripped and the resulting MIME type is only text/plain.  No additional spaces (for soft breaks) are added because Thunderbird does not pass the message body thru the format-flowed encoder.

I just wish it was encoded using format-flowed as a message composed with the plain text composer would be (providing the user hasn't disabled format-flowed).

Comment 3

[Mikel Ward]

Attachment: message composed using HTML composer

Mike

This is a message composed in Thunderbird 1.5 using the HTML message composer (enabled via Account Settings->Composition & Addressing->Compose messages in HTML format, indicated by a formatting bar appearing after the subject field in the New Message window).

I typed a single long line, which at send time gets hard wrapped at the number of columns specified by the Options->Composition->General->Wrap plain text messages at <n> characters.  There are no extra spaces added at the end of lines.  The message body does not pass thru the format-flowed encoder.  The MIME type is set to text/plain (with no format-flowed).

Comment 4

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

You are wrong, but I'm not going to bother re-resolving this bug, since you "know better" and you'll just continue to override me.

Comment 5

[Mikel Ward]

I don't know.

You said it's marked as f=f, but my attachment clearly shows it is not.

Why am I wrong?

Comment 6

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

I've sent a HTML message that was converted to plain text. This is what was sent. Note the extra space at the end of the lines, so the flowing works:

===
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

this is a HTML message that will be sent as plain. this is a HTML 
message that will be sent as plain. this is a HTML message that will be 
sent as plain. this is a HTML message that will be sent as plain. this 
is a HTML message that will be sent as plain. this is a HTML message 
that will be sent as plain. this is a HTML message that will be sent as 
===

I don't see a problem, so closing this.