534523 - Move to / Copy to Recent context submenu list doesn't sort folder names alphabetically [v3.0 regression]

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, defect)

Description

[Jim Frame]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.5) Gecko/20091102 Firefox/3.5.5 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.5) Gecko/20091204 Thunderbird/3.0

The Move to Recent and Copy to Recent context submenu displays a list of most recently used folders.  However, the folder list is not sorted alphabetically.  (It might be sorted by most recently accessed, but if so the sort operation appears to include folders used by Thunderbird in its own actions, as in my installation the Junk and Inbox folders are always present in the list, despite the fact that I never manually move messages to them.)  The absence of alpha sorting makes finding the desired folder name very tedious.  This behavior is different from Thunderbird 2, in which alpha sorting was the norm.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Right-click on a message in the folder list.
2. Expand the Move to / Recent or Copy to / Recent submenu to reveal the list
3. Observe the absence of alpha sorting in the list.
Actual Results:  
Observe the Recent list sorted by some means other than alphabetically.

Expected Results:  
The list should be sorted in alphabetical order, or an option provided to control the manner in which the list is sorted.

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

other "recent folder" bugs https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?type0-1-0=nowordssubstr;field0-1-0=component;short_desc=recent%20folder;field0-0-0=short_desc;bug_severity=major;bug_severity=normal;bug_severity=minor;bug_severity=enhancement;resolution=---;query_format=advanced;value0-1-0=tab%20feed%20address;short_desc_type=allwordssubstr;type0-0-0=nowordssubstr;value0-0-0=tab%20feed%20address;product=MailNews%20Core;product=Thunderbird

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

indeed, this is a regression. v2 folder list had special folders at the top, and remaining folders alphabetical

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

what will help is for someone to hunt with big game guns for the regression range. see bug 551137 comment 2 for regression range hunting hints. One possible time frame to hunt is around when de-rdf bug 414038 landed circa 2008-11-12.

other *regression* "recent folder" bugs:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?type1-0-0=anywordssubstr&emailreporter1=1&emailcc1=1&short_desc=recent%20folder&field0-0-0=short_desc&bug_severity=major&bug_severity=normal&bug_severity=minor&bug_severity=enhancement&field1-0-2=keywords&type1-0-1=substring&value1-0-1=regression&classification=Client%20Software&classification=Components&type1-0-2=substring&emailtype1=substring&value1-0-2=regression&chfieldto=Now&query_format=advanced&chfieldfrom=2008-01-01&value1-0-0=regression&short_desc_type=allwordssubstr&email1=vseerror%40lehigh.edu&type0-0-0=nowords&value0-0-0=count%20counts&field1-0-0=short_desc&product=MailNews%20Core&product=Thunderbird&field1-0-1=status_whiteboard

Comment 6

[william.allen.simpson]

For the record, in Bug 551136 I'm talking about the "Recent Folders" pane 
at the left side (selected by the little arrows from "All Folders"), not 
the "Recent" list in the Move/Copy.  The latter seems to be an entirely 
different list -- much shorter, and much older access by date, with none 
of the blue highlighted folders in it!

Moreover, my Move/Copy Recent list has entries at the bottom that haven't 
been touched for over a year (according to the file dates), and are not 
in the "Recent Folders" pane.

Finally, my Move/Copy Recent list has only 15 entries, while my "Recent 
Folders" list has mostly different entries, including the folder that's 
populated by bugzilla messages (now at the top).

Comment 7

[william.allen.simpson]

Attachment: Both forms of Recent folders

Here is a picture showing both forms of Recent folders. Note that they 
don't match each other, neither is sorted in the same order, and they 
don't have most of the 26 recently downloaded folders.

(Private emails blanked.)

Comment 8

[AirBoss]

SO, a YEAR later, is it so difficult to simply revert to the v2.x.x logic, where IT WORKED?

Comment 9

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

Attachment: A screenshot of the patch applied.

Comment 10

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

Attachment: A patch to sort the two recent folder lists alphabetically.

I almost hate to work on this, lest people think that they can get results by complaining, but it has been bothering me for a while, and I did touch this code in the not too distant past, so here's a patch that alphabetizes the recent folders before displaying them.

Later,
Blake.

Comment 11

[AirBoss]

Thank you.  Seriously and sincerely.  Now, how and to what does one apply the patch?

Comment 12

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

You would apply it to http://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/  (In theory, anyways.  I've actually developed it on comm-central rev 42371756f234, and mozilla-central rev cdb7dae6fdbb.)

Also, just as an fyi, reverting really would be that difficult, because the bit of code that handles the folder popups (and recent folder mode) has been completely rewritten since Thunderbird 2.x, in an incompatible (but much easier to work with) way.

Later,
Blake.

Comment 13

[Bryan Clark (DevTools PM) [:clarkbw]]

Comment on attachment 498773 [details] [diff] [review]
A patch to sort the two recent folder lists alphabetically.

Yeah, that's cleaner.  Thanks Blake!  You are a warrior :)

Comment 14

[David :Bienvenu]

Comment on attachment 498773 [details] [diff] [review]
A patch to sort the two recent folder lists alphabetically.

this is not working for me at all - I don't know if it's a build issue or what...

Comment 15

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

In the interests of my actually taking a vacation, I'm going to mark this checkin-needed, instead of checking it in and having to watch the tree myself.  ;)

It also needs tests, which I'll probably write in the new year.

Thanks,
Blake.

Comment 16

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

Checked in: http://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/f740eccc287e

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

appears to be working in current trunk.