394728 - hidden folders should not show up as mail folders

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, enhancement)

Description

[Rudo Enserink]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.6) Gecko/20070725 Firefox/2.0.0.6
Build Identifier: 2.0.0.6

I use a sync program (Goodsync V6) which has a habit of putting hidden folders in each synced folder for fast reference, which is cool. The problem is that al these  "_gsdata" folders appear in the mail folder tree view in the left hand pane. Even though it's not a big deal, the hidden folders take up some screen real estate.
I suggest treating hidden items as such and not show them in the tree view.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

Confirming RFE.

Comment 2

[David :Bienvenu]

IMAP already has a way of dealing with this - you can have a folder in your account, but be unsubscribed to it, and by default we only show you subscribed folders - it's too bad Goodsync subscribes you to this folder...

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #0)
> "_gsdata" folders appear in the mail folder tree view

Excluding of special files for Tb(such as msgFilterRules.dat) is done by nsShouldIgnoreFile when local directory for mail folder.
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/mailnews/local/src/nsLocalMailFolder.cpp#188
And, special files in Unix or some other OS'es(starting "."/"#" and ending "~") is also excluded by the routine (seems to be since Netscape 1 or 2 era.) 
This excluding is OS independent.

If "Goodsync V6" can accept customize of the special file name, changing "_gsdata" to ".gsdata" or "#gsdata" or "gsdata~" may be a solution in your case.

Comment 4

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Local file of ".xxx or #xxx" was not killed when IMAP explicitly.
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/mailnews/imap/src/nsImapMailFolder.cpp#296
Sorry for my confusion.

As David says, unsubscibe seems to be best solution, if "Goodsync V6" is server side application and if "Goodsync V6" or your server forces IMAP client to subscribe "_gsdata" initially.

Comment 5

[Rudo Enserink]

guys, thanks, after reporting this this to Goodsync the 1st response was that it was a Thunderbird issue - that's why I posted here, but right after that they issued a new release 6.2.6, and the problem was gone.
Thanks again, great support by you dudes, regards
Rudo

Comment 6

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

->WFM (FIXED is only used when known code changes resolved the issue)

Though I'm a bit confused, wasn't the folders marked as hidden in the first place after all? 

Comment 7

[Rudo Enserink]

I just looked in the mailfolder, apparently Goodsync had decided to create folders for the sync data, but with an upgrade changed that to plain files, so there are no folders to show up anywhere.
Less confused now I hope?

Comment 8

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

:)
I was just thinking this might be a valid RFE after all...

Comment 9

[Rudo Enserink]

guys feel free to whatev, as for me it's fine! I do have a thought on thunderbird enhancemants, where should I go to discuss this?

Comment 10

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

To Rudo Enserink(bug opener):

Where do you run your "Goodsync V6"? On your PC? Or on IMAP server?
If on your PC, POP3 account(local mail folder)? Or IMAP account?

I assume on your PC and POP3 account.
Screen shot of "Options" of "Goodsync V6" says "_gsdata_\_saved_folder".
 ( http://www.goodsync.com/screenshots.html )
So design of "Goodsync V6" looks to be directories of ...\_gsdata_ and ...\_gsdata_\_saved_folder.
In this case, mail folder of Thunderbird by these directories(or files under the directory) won't occur, because "mail folder of Tb" consists of;
  file of <mail_folder_name>, file of <mail_folder_name>.msf
  and directory of <mail_folder_name>.sbd for sub-folders
I guess next.
  Goodsync V6 created file of "_gsdata_"(screen shot) or "_gsdata"(you say so)
  in Thunderbird's mail directory.
  But "Goodsync V6.2.6" won't create such file, then problem won't occur.

Comment 11

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Previous comment was wrong. Sorry for spam.

When directory of XXX exists under ...\Test.sbd(Test/Test.msf/Test.sbd and directory of \Test.sbd\XXX, not file), Thunderbird trunk recognized it as mail subfolder of XXX under Test folder. 
This is because excluding by nsShouldIgnoreFile in nsLocalMailFolder.cpp is currently based on last part of path only, and because all files/directories is passed to nsShouldIgnore. Directory is better to (may be "should") be excluded from candidates of mail folder file.

To Rudo Enserink(bug opener):
If you enable next option in GoodSync's "General Job Options",
   Save files deleted/replaced by Sync to _gsdata_\_saved_folder,
   so that they can be restored later
I think directory of _gsdata_ will be created then mail folder of _gsdata_ will appear.
If it is true, the reason why no problem when "Goodsync V6.2.6" is probably that V6 creates directory of _gsdata_ always but V6.2.6 doesn't create it if above option is off.

Comment 12

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

If directory name of "_gsdata_" were customizable, "directory name of _gsdata_.sbd and no file of _gsdata_" could be a effective workaround...

Comment 13

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #7)
> I just looked in the mailfolder, apparently Goodsync had decided to create
> folders for the sync data, but with an upgrade changed that to plain files,

Where(in which directory) do you see "_gsdata_" or "_gsdata"?
Is the "_gsdata_" or "_gsdata" directory? Or file?
Following is simplest way to check directory struncture.
(1) Create directory of C:\WORK
(2) Go Command prompt
CD C:\Document...\Thunderbird\...\...\Mail
DIR *.* /S > C:\WORK\DIRLIST.TXT
notepad.exe  C:\WORK\DIRLIST.TXT

Comment 14

[Rudo Enserink]

Again, the problem only occured in an earlier version of goodsync, they have been releasing updates about weekly lately, ans since the last two updates the problem is gone (at least for thunderbird). 
When the problem did occur, each mail directory contained a directory named _gsdata. The developers of goodsync must have recognized that this would cause unwanted display of these directories in other software, anyway in the latest releases the directories _gdata have been replaced with files named _gsdata_.msf. These files don's show in thunderbird.

So as far as I'm concerned there is no need to continue with this, unless you want to avoid listing of directories with "hidden" status in thunderbird.

Comment 15

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #14)
> anyway in the latest releases the directories _gdata have been replaced with
> files named _gsdata_.msf.

Oh, "Goodsync V6.2.6" has worked around by use of ".msf", which is also excluded by Tb.

Is "file named _gsdata_.msf" instead of "directory named _gsdata_.msf"?
If "directory named _gsdata_.msf", problem is probably only that you can not use mail folder named "_gsdata_", because Tb can not delete directory named "_gsdata_.msf"(try to delete as file) and Tb can not create file named "_gsdata_.msf".
But, if "file named _gsdata_.msf", it may cause problem;
  When you create mail folder of "_gsdata_", Tb creates file named "_gsdata_",
  and Tb my use the hidden file named _gsdata_.msf for mail folder,
  then data written in "_gsdata_.msf" by Goodsync can be lost.
  And after restart of Tb, mail folder named "_gsdata_" may appear,
  because files of "_gsdata_" and "_gsdata_.msf" exist.

To Rudo Enserink:
Will above problem occur in your environment?   
Or protected successfully by "Goodsync V6.2.6"? 

> unless you want to avoid listing of directories with "hidden" status in thunderbird.

No, I myself don't need such thing.
But, something wrong in Thunderbird should be corrected, and some enhancements, such as "excluding hidden file/directory" as you say, will be required for co-existence with other software such as "Goodsync", even when problem with "Goodsync" on you won't occur anymore.
So I simply try to figure out problems when you use "Goodsync", because inconsistency seems to exist between design/implementation of Thunderbird and design/implementation of "Goodsync".
And, it was found that there is something wrong exists in Thunderbird's implementation (at least one problem of "directory under mail directory is considered to be a mail folder file", and it caused problem when Goodsynch V6.)
And, it seems that new "Goodsync V6.2.6" is going to produce new problem...

Comment 16

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #14)
> When the problem did occur, each mail directory contained a directory named _gsdata.

Really? Wasn't it named "_gsdata_"?

> in the latest releases the directories _gdata have been replaced with files named _gsdata_.msf

Really? Isn't it still *DIRECTORY* named "_gsdata_" if created by Goodsync?

I can't imagine other than next;
 1. Goodsync V6 created directory of "_gsdata_"
    (Not "_gsdata". If "_gsdata", "_gsdata.msf" should remain after V6.2.6)
 2. Tb considered the directory of "_gsdata_" to be a mail folder file,
    and created file of "_gsdata_.msf", and displayed mail folder of "_gsdata_"
 3. Design/implementation change by Goodsync V6.2.6
    - directory of "_gsdata_" is created only when option which I mentioned in
      comment #11 is enabled (probably deletes it if the option is off)
 4. Goodsync V6.2.6 deleted directory of "_gsdata_",
    because your option setting is off
 5. Then you see file of "_gsdata_.msf" only 

To Rudo Enserink(bug opener):
Try "the option is on", and check name of directories/files Goodsync creates.

Comment 17

[Rudo Enserink]

Hi, yes I'm sure, when the problem occured, there was a directory named _gsdata, as I recall it and as written in the bug report, where I was trying to be as accurate as possible in order to be of help. I didn't make a screenshot or so to prove, and now (after the goodsync update) the directories are gone and replaced by the file _gsdata_.msf.

Goodsync dev team probably decided it was not such a good idea to use directories to store their sync data, and changed it to plain files.

As I'm very busy, and consider the problem solved, I'm not going to experiment further with this. Thanks again for your precious time, best regards,
Rudo Enserink