47008 - Multiple smtp mail account reconfiguration corrupts config

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 35803

(MailNews Core :: Backend, defect, P3)

Description

[Jim Roskind]

I got into a lot of trouble when I used a total of three accounts (netscape
internal nsmail-2, netcenter, and my @home.com cable modem account).

After getting in a lot of trouble trying to reconfig, I eventually realized at
least some of the corruption brought on by doing reconfiguration.

I'll list the nastiest one first:

a) Attempts to select a new smtp server as the "default" server corrupts the
list of servers.

Suppose you have 3 servers (I'm shortening for example purposes)
nsmail-2
netcenter.com
home.com

Suppose the current "default mail server" (see the last entry in the mail prefs
config menu) is currently nsmail-2.  Try to change the default to being
netcenter.com

The process is:
a) Bring up the mail-news prefs
b) Select the Server portion of the prefs (bottom of the list in the pane)
c) Select Advanced
d) View the three servers
e) Highlight "netcenter.com"
f)Click on "set as default"
g) Notice how the word "default" jumps to the "netcenter.com" line
h) click OK on this advanced menu, and then OK on the prefs menu.
i) exit the app
j) come back in, and look at the list of servers in the advanced menu.  You'll
now see:

nsmail-2
nsmail-2
home.com

This will then lead to problems trying to use netcenter.com account to send any
mail :-/.

Other bugs around this area include (but I haven't tried to nail the cause:
a) Sometimes when you add or change defaults, the list gets reduced to appearing
as if there is only one element. When you try to add back a lost server, the
missing servers suddenly appear.  (I looked at the prefs.js file and often saw
the pref for "mail.smtp.servers" include dups, like "smtp2, smtp2, smtp4,
smtp3").  I'm not sure of what this means to internal structures, but it really
confused the UI, and the user (me).

b) Attempts to change the smtp server used for an individual account also seems
to impact the list of smtp servers.  I don't believe the choice "use default
server" has the semantics one would expect, and instead think it participates in
the corruption.

I could try to write up separate bugs, but I suspect that a code review of the
menu code, and the actions taken by the service routines, will reveal some
logical error that will fix all this stuff up (I'm just guessing).

Be cautious when trying to reproduce this bug to use a netcenter account, as it
seems to have attributes that are a little less common, and might be party to
the problem.  Also note that in my example, home.com was pop3, and nsmail-2 was
imap, as was Netcenter (sort of).

I'm running on the beta2 branch, using the 7/27-08 build, as well as the 7/29
build.  Both seemed to have the same problems.  None of this was tested on the
M18 trunk builds.

Comment 1

[Jim Roskind]

I'm nominating for beta2.  If we don't do this, it *might* be very hard to craft
demo's of the multiple account support, including Netcenter.  I also suspect
that the fix might be VERY simple, as it is clear that the intent of the
configuration menus is not being carried into the prefs.js settings.  The only
way I was able to climb out of this problem was to delicately edit the prefs.js
file :-( :-(.

Comment 2

[Jim Roskind]

Hmmm...
Looking closer, I can show that the mere act of visiting the "server" pane of 
the mail-news prefs causes (as a side effect) some corruption of configuration.
I first examined my prefs.js, and saw what the mail.smtp.defaultserver" was (it 
was "smtp4" in my prefs.js). 
Next I started Seamonkey. started mail, brought up mail-news prefs, and *viewed* 
the server pane.
At this point I pressed "cancel" to exit the prefs pannel, and then exited the 
application.  Must to my surprise, the default server had changed (in prefs.js) 
to smtp1.

Something is very rotten in the config viewing and manipulation :-(.

As a side comment, when the default server is viewed, not only is it wrong 
(different form the prefs.js suggests, and matching what the resulting prefs 
*will* say), in additon the value of the user name is also wrong (it is blank 
for me, despite the fact that mail.smtp_name is set).

I guess there is a tiny chance I'm "fixing" the prefs by hand, and putting in 
illegal combinations.  I've found that I can "fix" the problems by hand, and 
then I'm fine as long as I don't bring up the mail-news prefs.  I first had 
trouble when I added my *third* account (which is done via the mail-news prefs).

Comment 3

[Scott MacGregor]

account wizard --> over to alecf.

Comment 4

[Alec Flett]

this is a dupe of a bug that we nsbeta2-'d a long time ago. It's kind of tricky 
to fix and I'd rather not fool with it for beta2.

Basically we're assuming 99% of people don't need to use multiple SMTP server 
support even if they have multiple accounts, so it's ok to have it slightly 
broken in beta2.

Comment 5

[Jay Patel [:jay]]

Putting on [nsbeta2-] radar. Not critical to beta2. 

Comment 6

[lchiang]

I don't have time now to find that dupe bug.  - per mail triage.

Comment 7

[Alec Flett]

good news - I have a fix for this with an nsbeta3+ bug.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 35803 ***

Comment 8

[Ninoschka Baca]

Verified Duplicate.

Comment 9

[scottputterman]

removing mail2 keyword.