341282 - f=f space-stuffing is included in quoted text in a reply

Status: NEW

(MailNews Core :: Composition, defect)

Description

[Arkady Belousov]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; ru) Opera 8.54
Build Identifier: http://mozilla-chi.osuosl.org/pub/mozilla.org/thunderbird/releases/1.5.0.4/win32/ru/Thunderbird%20Setup%201.5.0.4.exe

Send yourself letter with next body (without "|" prefix):

|test :) test
|>> test (two-level quote)
|>>> test (three-level quote)

After receiving this letter you will see, that quotes (with ">" prefix) are not recognized. Try to answer this letter, you get:

|> test :) test
|>  >> test (two-level quote)
|>  >>> test (three-level quote)

with broken quotation levels. Now go to main window and copy message body from there. Then you will see (in any place, where you may insert text from clipboard, including composer itself) extra spaces around smile:

|test  :)  test

Now send yourself plain-text letter from any other mailer with next content in body:

|> one level quote
|>> two level quote
|>>> three level quote
|AVB> quote with initials
|This is test.

You will see only first three lines recognized as quotes. If you try to answer, you get:

|>> one level quote
|>>> two level quote
|>>>> three level quote
|> AVB> quote with initials
|> This is test.

But if you try to copy received message body (from main window), you get in buffer next content (with doubled prefix):

|> > one level quote
|>> >> two level quote
|>>> >>> three level quote
|AVB> quote with initials
|This is test.

Terrible. :(

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

By default, Thunderbird sends out plain-text mail using format=flowed.  See 
bug 168420 for information about f=f, including the informative FAQ attached 
to that bug.

When composing, if you enter (paste or type) text that begins with '>' it will *not* be treated as a regular quote -- it will be space-stuffed.  If you want the text to be "quoted," use  Edit | Paste as Quotation.

I do think there is a small problem here: the space used for stuffing is being included in the quoted text.  That's unnecessary, unexpected, and it breaks one of the uses of f=f, which is to be able to paste in ASCII art where some lines may begin with space or '>' -- the extra space will break the alignment of the lines, in the reply.


The extra spaces around the smiley only occur if you're using graphic 
emoticons.  This is unrelated to the f=f styling, and should be a separate bug.


Finally: Neither of these symptoms qualify as a major bug.  If the actual appearance of the quoting characters is important to you, you probably should find another mail program to use.  Having quote characters that look like 
">> >>" is not a big enough problem to spend scarce developer resources on.

Comment 2

[Arkady Belousov]

> By default, Thunderbird sends out plain-text mail using format=flowed.  See 
> bug 168420 for information about f=f, including the informative FAQ attached 
> to that bug.

     Well, I turn off f=f (as suggested in FAQ:

user_pref("mailnews.display.disable_format_flowed_support", true);
user_pref("mailnews.send_plaintext_flowed", false);

) and retest my report. Send yourself letter with next body:

|test :) test
|> one-level quote
|>> two-level quote
|>>> three-level quote

After receiving this letter quotes are _now_ recognized and answering makes _valid quotation_. Now send yourself plain-text letter from any other mailer (without f=f) with next content in body:

|> one level quote
|>> two level quote
|>>> three level quote
|AVB> quote with initials
|This is test.

You _again_ will see only first three lines recognized as quotes. If you try to answer, you _again_ get (valid for first three lines, but not fourth line):

|>> one level quote
|>>> two level quote
|>>>> three level quote
|> AVB> quote with initials
|> This is test.

But if you try to copy received message body (from main window), you _again_ get in clipboard wrong content (with doubled prefix):

|> > one level quote
|>> >> two level quote
|>>> >>> three level quote
|AVB> quote with initials
|This is test.

     So, bugs not completely relate to f=f. And there is three issues:

- no way to (directly) control (in f=f mode) lines quotation status in Composer (or disable f=f through options in UI?);
- only ">" (without initials) recognized as quote prefix;
- quoted text copied to clipboard wrongly.

> If you want the text to be "quoted," use  Edit | Paste as Quotation.

     But I paste _all_ letter, with different levels of quotes and direct answers.

     (Why me need this? I have trouble with sending letters to some addresses from one my account (there is other mailer, not TB), so

- I re-send (forward) original letter (OL) to my account (with TB),
- also, send to my account with TB my answer (MA),

and, because, unfortunately, there currently is no Forwarding feature in TB and I can't just resend MA, so:

- in TB I Reply (^R) to OL,

and, because, unfortunately, TB composer isn't smart enough to write answer directly in it - it doesn't allows to customize banner (header lines, inserted to top of letter body), as I wish, and it doesn't support quoting with initials in quote prefix, so:

- copy to Reply window content of MA. But even with this there a lot of troubles.)

> The extra spaces around the smiley only occur if you're using graphic 
> emoticons.  This is unrelated to the f=f styling, and should be a separate bug.

     Ok, I fill bug 341476.

> Finally: Neither of these symptoms qualify as a major bug.  If the actual
> appearance of the quoting characters is important to you,

     Yes.

> you probably should find another mail program to use.  

     May you advise such another program?

Comment 3

[buovjaga]

Still repro.

Thunderbird 52.1.1 (32-bit)
Windows 7 64-bit