420132 - The filter action 'copy message to' appears to work but the to folder is always empty

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: General, defect)

Description

[Tom Cominsky]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.11; .NET CLR 2.0.50727) Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11
Build Identifier: Mozilla Thunderbird version 2.0.0.12 (20080213)

I created a filter named Saved Emails as follows:

'For incoming messages that: Match all messages'
'Perform these actions: Copy Message to Saved Emails on [e-mail]'

The filter log indicates that the messages are copied but in reality they are not, i.e. the folder named Saved Emails is always empty.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Start Thunderbird for [e-mail]
2. Enable the filter named Saved Emails
3. Exit Thunderbird
4. Use Earthlink Web Mail to send an email(message) to [e-mail]
5. Start Thunderbird for [e-mail]
6. New messages are downloaded automatically at startup
7. The email(message) has arrived in the inbox
8. Check the folder named 'Saved Emails'
9. The folder is always empty
10. Check the filter log and verify that Thunderbird thinks that the filter worked, when, in fact, it did not.
Actual Results:  
The email(message) is stored in the inbox for [e-mail].  The filter log indicates that the email(message) is copied to the folder named Saved Emails but in reality it is not, i.e. the folder named Saved Emails is always empty.

Expected Results:  
The email(message) should be stored in the inbox for [e-mail] and copied to the folder named Saved Emails.

I have other filters, but the filter named Saved Emails is at the top of the list.

Comment 1

[Tom Cominsky]

This bug was discovered using Mozilla Thunderbird version 2.0.0.12 (20080213)

Comment 2

[Zhiming Wu]

I encountered the similar situation, with some differences:

I have a pop3 mail account, and I used the "move the message" filters based on mailing list information to sort the received messages to subfolders of that account, and they worked fine. But recently I want to add an new filter to select some important messages to be copied to also a subfolder of that account before they are sorted by the existing filters. I use the "copy message" filter because the rule for selecting important messages has effects overlapping the existing filters and I want the existing subfolders not to be affected by the newly added filter. I add the new filter at the top of the filter list. Although there shown the message copied to the specified subfolder, but they are all empty ones with no subject, sender and so on. All the sending time is set to 1970/01/01 00:00:00.

I also have tested by disabling all the "move message" filter, then the "copy message" filter works fine. It seems that maybe moving actions are taken place before the copying actions mistakenly.

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #2)
> I have a pop3 mail account,
> and I used the "move the message" filters (snip), and they worked fine.
> But recently I want to add an new filter (snip) to be copied to also
> All the sending time is set to 1970/01/01 00:00:00.

To Zhiming Wu:
Your problem is probably Bug 398498, and is different from this bug.    

Comment 4

[Zhiming Wu]

To WADA:

It seems that you are right. I am sorry posting my problem to a wrong place.

> To Zhiming Wu:
> Your problem is probably Bug 398498, and is different from this bug.    
> 

Comment 5

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #0)
> 'For incoming messages that: Match all messages'
> 'Perform these actions: Copy Message to Saved Emails on [e-mail]'
>(snip)
> I have other filters, but the filter named Saved Emails is at the top of the  list.

Do you define other filter rules which has action of "move to folder"?
If yes, same situation to Bug 398498 can occur.
 Bug 398498. with local mail folders.
 (A) Rule-1 : copy to folder-1, Rule-2 : move to folder-2 (different folder)
     =>  phantom mail in folder-1(copy target), Zhiming Wu's case    
 (B) Rule-1 : copy to folder-1, Rule-2 : move to folder-1 (same folder)
     =>  move step fails. (filter log for copy exists, but no log for move)
         single mail is copied to target folder.
But your case is different from above - no copied mail in copy target.
> 'Perform these actions: Copy Message to Saved Emails on [e-mail]'
What do you mean by "on [e-mail]"?
Mail folder named "Saved Emails" on an IMAP server?
If IMAP, and if IDLE is supported by your IMAP server, it's possibly similar problem to Bug 423419. (See IMAP log attached to Bug 423419).  
  Bug 423419 : Move some POP3 mails to IMAP folder by message filter 
  Your case  : Copy all downlod'ed POP3 mails to IMAP folder by message filter 
Get IMAP protcol log, and check protcol level flow first.

Comment 6

[Tom Cominsky]

Yes; I have dozens of filter rules which have action "move to folder".

[e-mail] is the name of my Pop3 account.

Comment 7

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #6)
> Yes; I have dozens of filter rules which have action "move to folder".
> [e-mail] is the name of my Pop3 account.

Your case is following?
 - POP3 account-A (not for [e-mail])
   POP3 account-B (for [e-mail])
 - Message filter of POP3 account-A
   Rule-1 (top of rules) : Copy all messages to folder-B of account-B
   Rule-N                : Move filtered mail to folder-A of account-A
                           (or other folder-X of account-A or other account)
"copy then move" always occurs if a mail hits Rule-N, because Rule-1 exists.
So your problem is a new variation of phenomena of Bug 398498, copy to different account's local mail folder case.

Comment 8

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Phenomenon will be altered by additional copy step?
 - Message filter of POP3 account-A
   Rule-1 (top of rules) : Copy all messages to folder-B of account-B
   Rule-2 (inserted)     : Copy all messages to folder-Z of account-A
                           (Other rule won't move mail to folder-Z)
   Rule-N (no change)

Comment 9

[Tom Cominsky]

All of the filters are for the same POP3 account, i.e. [e-mail].
All of the "move message to" actions have target folders belonging to this same POP3 account.
The folder named "Save Emails", which is the target of the "copy message to" action, also belongs to this same POP3 account.

Comment 10

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

No copied mail/no phantom mail in copy target folder looks to be similar to old phenomenon when Tb 1.5 - Bug 378235.
Sorry but I can't guess reason why no phantom mail when your case although Tb 2.0.0.12. 

Anyway, your problem is apparently DUP of Bug 398498 (or Bug 378235).
Following can be a workaround(inserted copy action)?
 - If folder-Z1, folder-Z2 already exists, "Rebuild Index"(via folder property),
   delete all mails if mails appear, compact folder.
 - Message filter of POP3 account-A
   Rule-1 (top of rules) : Copy all messages to folder-Z1 of account-A
   Rule-2 (inserted)     : Copy all messages to folder-Z2 of account-A
                           (Other rules won't move mail to folder-Z1/Z2)
                           (Other rules won't copy mail to folder-Z1/Z2)
   Rule-N (no change)    : Move filtered mail to folder-N of account-A

Comment 11

[[:Aureliano Buendía]]

Reporter what you think about comment #10?
Your issue is a dupe of bug #398498 (or bug #378235)?

If your answer it is yes, can you close this bug as WFM?

Comment 12

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESO INCO due to lack of response to last question. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.