345396 - signature appears in wrong place upon replying

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 365927

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Matt Mathews]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4
Build Identifier: Thunderbird version 1.0.2 (20050317); Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4

Setup:  in Tools menu, select Account Settings..., <User ID>, Attach this Signature (text file).
In Composition & Addressing, use "Compose in HTML" and "Automatically Quote Original Message...", Then "Start my reply above the quote" and "Place My Signature" below my reply (above the quote).  Choose OK.  



Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open an email from someone & choose Reply.  
2. 
3.

Actual Results:  
Cursor is at top of page (OK) but my signature is at the bottom of the page--below the original message.
Workaround:  To get the correct appearance, I have to go to the bottom of the page, Cut my signature and paste it at the top of the page.  

Expected Results:  
I'm expecting my signature to at the top of the page, above the original message, and the cursor at a blank line above my signature.  I think this should be the default configuration for replies since people start reading them at the top (reverse chronological order; i.e., most recent appears first; LIFO order) and probably won't think to go to the end, & possibly have to scroll back up to see where the reply started.

Comment 1

[axiom]

Thunderbird 1.5.0.5 here.

Really makes the reply button a lot less usefull when you have to go grab your sig and move it to the right place.  Please fix this one!

Comment 2

[Jean-Francois Dionne]

Same bug here, and I try the last version of thunderbird, nighty build

Comment 3

[Herrmann, Tom]

Same Bug here in 1.5.0.7 and alpha_1!

"improved" workaround

use the "options/advanved/config editor" dialoge, search for "sig_bottom" and change all (something like mail.id*.sign_bottom)to "false"

DONT use the "mange identities"-button

Comment 4

[Claus Berghammer]

I can confirm this bug (Thunderbird 1.5.0.7). I hope that mozilla sets the state of this to "new" soon.

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

dup of bug 284058 ?

Comment 6

[Roger]

Yes, I have the same gripe.

In MS Outlook, when you hit the reply button, the signature appears just under where you start typing. Also, the earlier email appears *underneath* the signature.

Right now, the signature appears underneath the old email.

This is not a small matter. For me, it is a massive problem.

I use email for business, and need to work fast. I can't spend time, for each email, shifting the signature to the position underneath what I've written.

Right now, it is simply wrong. It is wrong to place a signature below the old email, because that implies that the old email is what I've written. In business emails, that is not how it is done.

I cannot use TB for busines emails until this feature is fixed.

Comment 7

[Herrmann, Tom]

Its even more a problem for German(/EU?) business as it is !required by law! to add a signature with all legal information and it has to be above the "to replying message", to enforce the fact that it is dedicated to the "replying" writer and not the "original message creator"

Comment 8

[Pascal HULLIN]

I have already noticed this problem with version 1.5.x. I have just upgraded to version 2.0.0 and this bug remains. It is quit a shame for business use. I'm currently evaluating thunderbird to replace MS Outlook in all the company and I will not be in position to go further until this bug would have been fixed. The major part of our staff uses a signature in their e.mail.

Comment 9

[BvdG]

I also have this bug. Version 2.0.0.0 (20070326).

The workaround with "Tools... Options... Advanced - Config editor", changing every variable whose name contains "sig_bottom" to FALSE, works. (Thanks, Tom Herrmann!) But it's still an annoying bug that the same result can't be accomplished with the Identities button in the Accounts dialog box. 

Comment 10

[Pascal HULLIN]

It seems working for me for a "reply" but it doesn't work for a "forward". The signature remains at the bottom of the mail.
Good try BvdG !

Comment 11

[BvdG]

Pascal, the problem with forwarding is not resolved yet. See Bug 273114.

Comment 12

[Roger]

Whilst we're on the topic of signatures for business use, I think TB needs to improve the facility for making HTML signatures.

Right now, the user has to create an HTML file that is specified to be attached to the email.  When you think of it, the average internet user has no idea how to create such an HTML file. I myself do webpages in MS Frontpage, so I am not totally ignorant, but I myself have not yet figured out how to createe an HTML file that meets the requirement of TB, for insertion in the email.

Why does it have to be external to the TB software? Why can't it be inside, like in MS Outlook?

Hence, if TB2 is ever to have widespread business use, it really has to improve this whole area of creating signatures. In Microsoft Outlook, the creation of signatures -- in the right location in the email -- is so standard that I never anticipated it could be so difficult in TB.

Comment 13

[Pascal HULLIN]

Thanks BvdG for the reply. I didn't notice that there is another bug report that deals specifically with the "forward". I have added my e.mail to the CC list because I think that this bug is important for business use.

Comment 14

[Robert Ahola]

I observe the following:

I have one account, robert, with identities robert, bob and grandbob.  The signature placement for robert works properly.  I am offered proper dialogue to configure signature placement for identities bob and grandbob, but on final commit, they do not adhere.  Identities bob and grandbob perform as improperly configured.

I am trying to reply above the quote with signature after the reply and above the quote.

Comment 15

[Johan]

Just tested with version 2.0.0.6 (20070728) and this bug is still present.

Comment 16

[Nathan]

As far as I can tell the bug is as follows:
TB updates the mail.identity.id1.sig_bottom correctly when multiple identities for one account are present.  However, for any further identities (id2, id3), the sig_bottom variable is NOT correctly updated (set to false) when the drop-down field "below my reply (above the quote)" is selected within the identity settings dialog (Account Settings > Manage Identities > Edit > Composition and Addressing > place my signature).

Manually changing the variable to false in about:config fixes the issue.  However, if I go into the application and change the variable back to true, I can no longer change it to false via the interface.  The only way to change the variable is via about:config.

I hope this isn't too confusing.

Comment 17

[Xisco Fernandez]

Tested with version 2.0.0.9 and still remains, and I may complete a little more the approach of this bug.
I have forced the position of my signature. Reply above the original mail, and place my signature below my quote. I can not change this behaviour, it's a requierement of my users.
I'm using multiple identities for the same account, each identity with a HTML signature associated.
When you create a new mail, you can switch between identities, and the signature goes changing through the switchings, but when you reply any mail, and then switch between signatures, the old signature does not get removed, and so you can fill a full page with signatures just switching between them.
I had to force the position of both signatures using advanced options, but I can not go forward with this email client behaving like this...

Hope it helps.