337024 - Prev and Next between folders

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, enhancement)

Description

[Chris Watson]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.3) Gecko/20060426 Firefox/1.5.0.3
Build Identifier: Thunderbird version 1.5.0.2 (20060308)

I use filters on my inbox to move messeges (unread) into appropriate folders.  When reading a message in one folder, say the inbox of account "A", and there are no more unread messages in that folder, and I press the "Next" button to move to the next unread message,  The program responds with a prompt "go to the next unread message in folder such and such?".  Pressing "OK" does nothing.  Press the "Next" button again and the same prompt appears only this time the "OK" button will advance to the next unread message in folder "B".

Now let's say I want to return to the message I was just reading.  (Perhaps I decide to mark it or flag it so I am reminded to go back to later.)  If I press the "Previous" button, nothing happens!  Not even a prompt.  Perhaps, a simple list of message ID's could provide the means to locate messages previously viewed.  Sort of like the back button in a browser, except it would need to track the whereabouts of this message for a while.  I would limit the list to about 99 messages and the location tracking should include Junk and Trash.  How many times I have junked a message and then had to go searching for it in the junk folder because the "Previous" button does nothing when reading new mail!

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Have unread mail in two separate folders.
2.Read the message in the first folder.
3.Press the "Next" button.
4.Press "OK" when prompted to go to "Next unread message in folder "B""
5. Notice how it didn't go.
6.Repeat steps 3 and 4.
7. Notice how it works this time.
8.Press the "Previous" button.
9.Notice how nothing happens.
10.Repeat steps 8 and 9.


Actual Results:  
Actual results are just as described in steps 5,7, and 9.

Expected Results:  
Step 5 should have advanced to the next unread message in the next folder that contains unread messages the FIRST time the prompt comes up.

Step 9 should return you to the message and folder you were previously viewing, perhaps with a prompt similar to the one used when traversing folders using the "Next" button when nessesary.


I am using default theme and the bug does not crash the program.  It has existed throughout the entire version history of the application as far I know.  I keep waiting for it to be fixed in the next release, but nobody is paying attention!)

I use folders and filters extensively.  Many of my clients do as well, filing all correspondence asscociated with a particular case or client into respective folders PRIOR to reading them.  BCC to yourself and filing to the same appropriate folders is also popular as a method of using the filters and folders features.  Not having the Previous and Next functions work is annoying!

If you answer "No" when propted to advance to next unread message in folder such and such, it would be nice to be prompted again but for the next folder.  A "Cancel" button could be added to the prompt in order to cancel the "Next" Operation.  The "Previous" button should work the same way only in reverse.

Comment 1

[David :Bienvenu]

probably a dup...

Comment 2

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

(In reply to comment #0)
> Expected Results:  
> Step 5 should have advanced to the next unread message in the next folder that
> contains unread messages the FIRST time the prompt comes up.

Bug 264595?  Bug 270506?


> Step 9 should return you to the message and folder you were previously
> viewing

Why?  Isn't that message you were previously viewing now marked Read instead of Unread?  Those buttons navigate Unread messages.  If you're looking for different behavior there, you should file a separate bug (as an enhancement request).

But still: If the previously-viewed message was in fact left Unread, then you're right -- 'P' doesn't cross folders.  That's bug 310065.


> If you answer "No" when propted to advance to next unread message in folder
> such and such, it would be nice to be prompted again but for the next folder. 
> A "Cancel" button could be added to the prompt in order to cancel the "Next"
> Operation.  The "Previous" button should work the same way only in reverse.

That's an interesting idea, and worthy of another RFE, but I doubt that would be implemented; the behavior is too complex.

Comment 3

[Chris Watson]

I guess there is a difference in symantics. "Previous" to me, (and my clients) means the last message read.  Whether it has been "marked" as read or not seems not to matter to the user.  If I am reading mail, and come across a message that refers to a previously read message, then I expect the previous button to take me back to where I was, like the equivelent browser buttons.  People see those buttons in the same way, functionaly, as they do the buttons in their browsers.  After all, they are used in the same way to "browse" email.  All it would take to make this work is similar code used to implement the back button on a 
browser.  Wasn't that the original intent for those buttons?

Let me ask it this way:  Why would I go "back" to a message I havn't read yet?  That is what the button does now!  I can get there just fine by using the "Next" button!

Another reason for this change is simple user error.  Many times the next button is clicked twice by mistake.  Since the Previous button doesn't really take you back to the last message, then you never know what message it was you just accidentally skipped over.  How frustrating!  

In short, the Previous button should return you to the previously viewed message.  The Next button should move you to the next unread message or the next message in the current folder if there are no more unread messages.  Or just add a forward and back buttons.

Comment 4

[David :Bienvenu]

2.0 has forward and back buttons.

Comment 5

[Chris Watson]

WOO HOO!  Forward and back in vers 2 works great!  BINGO!

Comment 6

[David :Bienvenu]

great, thx, since Chris filed this, I'm marking it WFM given that we have forward and back buttons now.