465571 - Message compose window lacks ability to change format to HTML from plaintext mode

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 216132

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Adrian Wilkins]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.4) Gecko/2008102920 Firefox/3.0.4 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: version 2.0.0.17 (20080914)

If you start to compose an email in plain text mode, and discover that you need formatting, you cannot change to HTML compose mode. (e.g - you know your target audience uses a mail client that displays plaintext in a proportional font but you need to use monospaced fonts for preformatted text). If your account settings are to compose in plain text mode by default, it is also unclear how to compose a mail in HTML format.

I now know about the shift-click shortcut to open the compose window in the opposite-to-the-default mode, but without specifically knowing this, I previously would edit the preferences for that one email, and change them back after. Since I prefer to send email in plain text (HTML is just rude unless you need it), this is an occasional but tedious chore ; I am much happier now I know this shortcut, but feel that the user interface could benefit from being more intuitive. 

The option to change format to plain text from the menu exists in HTML mode, so it's incredibly frustrating to hunt around for it in plain text mode when you want to switch to HTML mode.

You can find the shortcut in the help wiki, but people don't want to view the help - countertintuitive UI hurts adoption!

Suggestions :
 * Have the same menus and options in both modes, greyed out as appropriate
 * Add a drop-button menu to the write and reply buttons so you can choose a non-default format.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Uncheck "Compose messages as HTML" in account settings
2. Click "Write"
3. Observe lack of format menu in options menu.