34342 - Addressbook UI to edit mail filter rules directly from Contact (address)

Status: NEW

(MailNews Core :: Address Book, enhancement)

Description

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

>------- Additional Comments From [e-mail] 2000-04-03 13:12 -------
>it would be great if I could set the filter directly
>on the address rather than making a rule.

I.e. a specialized UI for filtering based on From.

>In this case, some info would be
>stored in the AB that determines the handling for that particular address.

Why? This is a UI issue. The addressbook can easily store the rule in the normal
filtering database. That way, we don't have to modify the backend.

Comment 1

[David :Bienvenu]

woa, I'm not allowed near the UI.

Comment 2

[lchiang]

The backend enhancement filed is marked post Netscape 6.

(modifying summary.  We already have another bug open on having a filter UI in 
general :-)

Comment 3

[selmer (gone)]

What I'm looking for is more comprehensive than just changing filter rules. It
should also be easier for regular users to handle. In the AB, I'd like to have
attributes attached to the addresses I store such as "Friends", "Family", and
"CoWorker" categories and also rules like "send all mail from this address to
the [Trash] folder". The category designations would make a great sortable
column in the thread pane. The Collected Addresses Book could be annotated with
a "Spammer" category and the mail from those addresses wouldn't even get downloaded.

Anyway, the idea is to make building filter rules much more approachable to the
ordinary user (who typically doesn't think algorithmically as our filter
mechanism requires.) I don't care where the actual data gets stored, but I
think this type of UI would be more intuitive than what we do today.

Comment 4

[selmer (gone)]

Marking M20.

Comment 5

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

> Marking M20.

Did you mean "Future"?

Comment 6

[lchiang]

Yes, probably.  M20 was "future" back in april :-)  Also adding helpwanted 
keyword

Comment 7

[Ian Pottinger]

Does anyone know where the lost and found department is?  I think this little
bug is looking for its owner.

Comment 8

[Frank]

Using mozilla 1.2 Build 20021126, I think this could be marked fixed.
See  context-menu "Create Filter from Message" on any mail adress in mailheader
nice :-)

Comment 9

[Frank]

Mixed up...
What is solved is "Create Filter From Sender", which I think is for this
enhancement a quite comfortable workaround.
The addressbook doesn't support this creation nor it shows a filter assigned to
a person by using "Sender/CC/BCC is/contains [e-mail]".

nevertheless nice

Comment 10

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

Our Filter UI is still horribly complex, most normal users won't be able to use it.
Also, most users don't even know something like that exists. However, filters would be useful for almost everybody.

It should be discoverable and simple to use for average users, i.e. mom and dad.
1. Using the mail viewer From/To addresses or address book as starting point would be a good idea to make it discoverable.
2. When clicked, the dialog that opens shouldn't be the normal, full-power filter dialog. Rather, it should be a very simplified version with Name, When, Apply, Criteria fields all hidden (and preset), and only the Action is visible. The Criteria should be "From, To, Cc, Bcc is", not "From is".

Comment 11

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

(and the simple editor has an "Advanced..." button that gives the current, full filter edit dialog.)