539140 - Expand / collapse all folders in all accounts

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, enhancement)

Description

[lester]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; GTB6.3; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.4pre) Gecko/20091214 Eudora/3.0b4

I don't remember clearly; but I think that Eudora 7 has a folder window function that allows one to expand or collapse all subfolders.

Who cares about this?  Well, I do, because I have 2400 folders, nested several deep.  The command would save a lot of keystrokes.

"Expand all" would have another very useful function--to re-index all msf files.  The Thunderbird community has wanted this for years.  I now use the following workaround:
1.  Manually expand the entire tree
2.  Reprogram my keyboard to repeat at the slowest possible rate
3.  Position the cursor at the top of the tree.
4.  Press the down arrow while drinking a cup of coffee (or, if done late at night, a glass of wine)

Reproducible: Always

Comment 1

[Matt Dudziak]

What is the goal here? To expand the entire tree or to force a refresh (re-index)? I can understand the desire to force a re-index, but why would you want the entire tree expanded?

Comment 2

[lester]

(In reply to comment #1)
> What is the goal here? To expand the entire tree or to force a refresh
> (re-index)? I can understand the desire to force a re-index, but why would you
> want the entire tree expanded?

I'll answer in two parts
a.  Your question--why expand the entire tree--has only the use that you and I both suggested, to force a re-index.
b.  But **collapsing**the entire tree would be enormously useful for navigating.  I often get stuck too far out on a branch.

Comment 3

[Matt Dudziak]

I think this is something that should be done in Thunderbird. I'll assign this there and keep track of it by adding '[penelope_wants]' to the 'Whiteboard'. If we fix it, great, but at least this way the Thunderbird folks see it too.

Comment 4

[Wayland Moncrief]

I would like a similar function.  It just makes the folder interface easier.

Comment 5

[Joy H.]

I would like a keyboard shortcut to COLLAPSE all mail folders.
Having to collapse each folder by hand is a waste of time.
-Joy H.

Comment 6

[Joy H.]

To clarify my previous post, I'll add one more word to it:

I would like a keyboard shortcut to COLLAPSE all mail folders SIMULTANEOUSLY.
-Joy H.

Comment 7

[giordano]

I also would like a keyboard shortcut to COLLAPSE all mail folders SIMULTANEOUSLY.
I believe expansion were not necessary but collapsing allows to clean the tree with only one keystroke! Thanks.
A. Giordano

Comment 8

[D Merrick]

A slightly enhanced version of all this -
one should be able to place the expandedness of folders in the state you want them and then "save" that state for later recall.
that saved state is then applied ***whenever thunderbird is opened*** if it was closed for more than a specified length of time prior (0 means always apply on open, and an option for never automatically apply) or apply the state whenever a certain key or menu (main or context) is hit.

it is an incredibly frustrating and aggravating aspect of thunderbird to have one's folders not in the personally desired state of open/collapsedness. having such frustration isn't a minor issue for a product.

many thanks,

d

Comment 9

[Larry James]

I wish to see an Expand All/Collapse All button/option in Thunderbird.  I have hundreds of folders and subfolders.  It's very time consuming to navigate the folder list when I have to scroll down so many folders to find the desired one.

I'm constantly spending keystroke to collapse folders one by one.  Being able to collapse all of them, then just expand the needed folder(s) would be make things much more productive.

Many Thanks!

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
[e-mail]
www.apollo3.com/~ljames

Comment 10

[JLuc]

I'd love to have a "colapse all folders" command.

Comment 11

[admin]

I, too, would love to have a 'collapse all folders' button option. I am working with multiple email accounts with numerous folders and subfolders associated with each. By the end of the working day there are hundreds open.

It is now about half way through the working day and I have just scrolled down over 5 full screen-heights-worth of open folders and far from all of them are open.

Toad-Hall has suggested using the option to open folders in a tab. This would mean that closing the tabs option would operate on the open tab/folders but in tab view you don't see the structure of the subfolders, only in the folder pane.

A collapse folders button would definitely have my vote.

Many thanks, Mike Sims

Comment 12

[pascal.crb]

I wonder what has become of this feature request in Thunderbird. Does it exist and I simply did not discover yet ?
Summarizing what I would like:
- allow full collapse of folder structure (ideally with shortkey)
- right-mouse menu option on folder to allow moving it to ... 
- allow the option display of the "folder-path/structure" in a cell somewhere close to the toolbar
If any of these features already exist, I'm happy to receive email with guideline
:-)
Thanks, Pascal

Comment 13

[William]

(In reply to lester from comment #0)
> User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; GTB6.3;
> .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152;
> .NET CLR 3.5.30729)
> Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US;
> rv:1.9.1.4pre) Gecko/20091214 Eudora/3.0b4
> 
> I don't remember clearly; but I think that Eudora 7 has a folder window
> function that allows one to expand or collapse all subfolders.
> 
> Who cares about this?  Well, I do, because I have 2400 folders, nested
> several deep.  The command would save a lot of keystrokes.
> 
> "Expand all" would have another very useful function--to re-index all msf
> files.  The Thunderbird community has wanted this for years.  I now use the
> following workaround:
> 1.  Manually expand the entire tree
> 2.  Reprogram my keyboard to repeat at the slowest possible rate
> 3.  Position the cursor at the top of the tree.
> 4.  Press the down arrow while drinking a cup of coffee (or, if done late at
> night, a glass of wine)
> 
> Reproducible: Always

It's very easy to explain WHY I would like to collapse all folders of every accounts: I have 24 accounts configured in TB and many of them are open during the use. When I launch again TB I need to collapse a lot of these accounts, if not all 24...
I know there are also many viewing options but they are not always adequate to my scopes. 
At least, it would be something if there was an option to have the folders/accounts collapsed at the re-launch.

Thanks, William

Comment 14

[John Pardoe]

You may collapse all folders of every account using a key combination of your choice by installing extension keyconfig, choosing Add New, and then pasting the script below. With acknowledgements to Morat at http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=2729693


// collapse all tree nodes in folder pane
// except [e-mail] and [Gmail] folders
var view = gFolderTreeView;
for (var i = view.rowCount - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
  var name = view.getFolderForIndex(i).abbreviatedName;
  if (view.isContainer(i) &&
      view.isContainerOpen(i) &&
      name != "[e-mail]" &&
      name != "[Gmail]") {
    view.toggleOpenState(i);
  }
}

Comment 15

[William]

It says it's not compatible with current, last, version of TB

Comment 16

[John Pardoe]

(In reply to William from comment #15)
> It says it's not compatible with current, last, version of TB

I have Thunderbird version 38.5.1 (the latest at time of writing) on both Windows 10 and Windows 7 and it is working alright for me.

Comment 17

[John Pardoe]

(In reply to William from comment #15)
> It says it's not compatible with current, last, version of TB

I got mine from here:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keyconfig_extension

Comment 18

[William]

Great! In fact, I hadn't found the way to download the .xpi file to use not in Firefox but in TB and inside TB I got that message. Now I managed to download and I configured it. Thanks a lot: I had been looking for a way to solve this issue for ages! :-)

Comment 19

[John Pardoe]

(In reply to William from comment #18)
> Great! In fact, I hadn't found the way to download the .xpi file to use not
> in Firefox but in TB and inside TB I got that message. Now I managed to
> download and I configured it. Thanks a lot: I had been looking for a way to
> solve this issue for ages! :-)

That's good news. A tip; if you exit TB by clicking the X button top right the status of your collapsed folders will not be saved; use the exit command instead.

Comment 20

[Larry James]

This sounds very promising.  I have installed keyconfig and the script.

Can someone help me with how to assign the key to active it?

Thanks!

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
[e-mail]
www.apollo3.com/~ljames

Comment 21

[William]

(In reply to John Pardoe from comment #19)
> (In reply to William from comment #18)
> > Great! In fact, I hadn't found the way to download the .xpi file to use not
> > in Firefox but in TB and inside TB I got that message. Now I managed to
> > download and I configured it. Thanks a lot: I had been looking for a way to
> > solve this issue for ages! :-)
> 
> That's good news. A tip; if you exit TB by clicking the X button top right
> the status of your collapsed folders will not be saved; use the exit command
> instead.

Actually, I usually TB almost only under OsX and so I always quit it by CMD-Q.

Is there a similar way to expand all folders by keyconfig?

Comment 22

[William]

(In reply to Larry James from comment #20)
> This sounds very promising.  I have installed keyconfig and the script.
> 
> Can someone help me with how to assign the key to active it?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -- L. James
> 
> -- 
> L. D. James
> [e-mail]
> www.apollo3.com/~ljames

Indeed wasn't that clear and I too needed some time to find... After pasting the code, you have to click on the firs button from the left below the list of shortcuts.

Comment 23

[Larry James]

Ok.  It works in Thunderbird 38.5.1 on Ubuntu 15.10.  A great tool.

I initially missed the bottom left field for assigning the key combination... it has some random characters there from the initial plugin install.  But after some experimenting, I figured it out and it's very seamless and easy to use.

Also, Thanks, William.  I see you came to my rescue quickly.

Kudos to the contributors and the community!

By the way, I had a Mid-air collision detected!" when posting.  Not sure if the post is going to work this time.

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
[e-mail]
www.apollo3.com/~ljames

Comment 24

[John Pardoe]

(In reply to William from comment #21)
> (In reply to John Pardoe from comment #19)
> > (In reply to William from comment #18)
snip
> 
> Is there a similar way to expand all folders by keyconfig?

I don't know but you might get some help here among its 206 pages! ;) :
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=72994

Comment 25

[WolfgangC]

I am coming this debate for the reason mentioned by someone high up here: I am hoping that if all subfolders were open, then thunderbird would finally re-index ALL subfolders and not only those that I have visited "physically" with the current instance of thunderbird. 

I am using shared imap archives and the only way I can actually see subfolders that my colleague has created or changed is by physically navigating to them which is very tedious, awkward and, as it seems to me, unnecessary.

So the function I am looking for would actually walk through all subfolders and display those that exist, while also of course re-indexing them. This would make thunderbird a great tool for collaborative maintenance of an imap treee.

Comment 26

[William]

So, after some years of very comfortable use of keyconfig and just a quick pressing of a combinations of two key (as I had set it) to collapse all threads, the new TB 68 has ruined everything and the authors of Dorando Keyconfig let us know they are in trouble to rewrite the plugin, currently not compatible at all with TB 68...
Great.

Comment 27

[CrfzdPQM6]

I hate to revive an old thread but it seems that the bug here reported is still very much alive and kicking, and has been for over 10 years! Thunderbird on a mac "remembers" the state of the folder hierarchy. Can we achieve the same for Thunderbird on Linux, just as @merrick requested 8 years ago?

(my reason is the same as most people's here: I have a wide and deep folder hierarchy, many of which I don't need frequent access to (previous years of conference travel) but which are ALL opened when I open thunderbird and which are a pain to close one by one)

Comment 28

[kinryuuko]

Me too! As mentioned above, Dorando Keyconfig no longer works, so I can't use it. I don't care about expanding all, but I would very much like to have the ability to collapse all with one action.

Comment 29

[ManOwaRitits]

Anyone with an update or suggestion for TB 78 on this?

A decade plus later and still no built-in function or toolbar button to collapse all folders :)
Tragic...

Comment 30

[Lloyd Ewing]

My Thunderbird has started expanding all folders when the system is booted. It is time to look for an alternative to Thunderbird as these annoyances accumulate to the point where it is easier to find another E-mail program that to put up with the accumulated annoyances and awkwardness as Thunderbird becomes ever more bloated and unresponsive.

Comment 31

[ungeahnt]

First of all, thanks for the awesome software!

But I have the following problem and request: Sometimes - under circumstances still unknown to me - the folder lists (several hundred folders and subfolders) are completely unfolded/expanded and would have to be clicked individually to be folded/collapsed. Independently of this, even after an intensive working day, there are many folders open that one would like to close in one step.

So I would like to have a function/keyboard shortcut where you can select a folder (or account) and then collapse all subfolders with one click. This is actually such an elementary function.

btw: if for certain TB functions (re-index, repair *.msf) still unfolded folders are necessary, then I would also plead for an unfold function.

Thanks!

Comment 32

[ungeahnt]

btw: my Thunderbird version is 91.8.1 (32-Bit) on Winx64 8.1/10

Comment 33

[Ed]

Please implement; it's necessary for effectively using Quick Folder Key Navigation (https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-us/thunderbird/addon/quick-folder-key-navigation/).

Comment 34

[Binarus]

I would like to support this feature request. It would be very nice if we could collapse all folders at once if we've lost the plot, and besides the reasons that have already been mentioned there is an additional aspect:

When working with IMAP, we often must collapse a folder and re-expand it to make its new subfolders visible that have been created elsewhere (i.e., that have been created by other users, e.g., in a public folder structure). If we could recursively collapse all folders at once, that would be a great time saver. In that sense, this feature request is slightly related to the discussion in bug #1843637.

In certain situations, it would also be advantageous if we could not only collapse all folders at once, but also expand them; however, IMHO, collapsing would be more important.

Comment 35

[Sarah A]

I would also love to see this. I have 7 imap accounts , and several of them have nested folders, and folders within folders. This would likely save some resources as well.
and from an accessibility point of view, for those of us with cognitive disabilities and / or temporary issues, who cannot handle a lot on the screen at once, hiding the clutter is also a plus.

thanks.

Comment 36

[Roland F]

Yes, when you have hundreds of folders in Thunderbird (as I do) it would be very helpful to have a function/keyboard shortcut where you can select a folder (or account) and then collapse or expand all subfolders with one click.

(Although I do use AutoHotkey quite a lot I can't really think of a way how to accomplish this. Has someone found such a workaround?)

Comment 37

[Ed]

(In reply to Roland F from comment #36)

Yes, when you have hundreds of folders in Thunderbird (as I do) it would be very helpful to have a function/keyboard shortcut where you can select a folder (or account) and then collapse or expand all subfolders with one click.

(Although I do use AutoHotkey quite a lot I can't really think of a way how to accomplish this. Has someone found such a workaround?)

While waiting for this bug to be implemented, take a look at Quick Folder Move. It can't collapse, but does expand and is very useful for copying, moving, or just navigating.

Comment 38

[Sarah A]

I've used that add on, it is not all that accessible from a screen reader standpoint. usable yes, accessible, needs work. Thanks for the suggesiton however. it is very much appreciated.

Comment 39

[D Merrick]

Only 15 years since this basic functionality was raised... it's why I never bother submitting things for certain projects, which even where a thing is noticed by actioners gets discussed for a decade or so before anything might happen.
On the other hand, there are some very complex one or two-person projects on the web where functionality requests are implemented very rapidly.
d

Comment 40

[ungeahnt]

Please increase the severity to S2, as the workaround from post 14 (for years) no longer works and there is no other workaround. In addition, this issue affects my workflow to a high degree (meanwhile no longer in version 3 , but in V128 ... 15 years later!?).

I would be very grateful for a solution as I have been struggling with this problem for years.

Comment 41

[WolfgangC]

The persistence of this bug over 15 years is just amazing.

But my tb mail archive has grown massively since then, and more than ever it is incomprehensible for me that there is no function that allows to re-synchronize all my thousands folders, besides "visiting" every single one of them manually.

Does anybody even recognize the need for this functionality, and if so, why isn't there a solution?

Comment 42

[Ed]

(In reply to ungeahnt from comment #40)

Please increase the severity to S2, as the workaround from post 14 (for years) no longer works and there is no other workaround. In addition, this issue affects my workflow to a high degree (meanwhile no longer in version 3 , but in V128 ... 15 years later!?).

I would be very grateful for a solution as I have been struggling with this problem for years.

Morat's still around, so you could ask for an update of that script here. If you're forced to make a new post, refer to the old one by mentioning the URL of it.

Comment 43

[Binarus]

(In reply to WolfgangC from comment #41)

The persistence of this bug over 15 years is just amazing.

But my tb mail archive has grown massively since then, and more than ever it is incomprehensible for me that there is no function that allows to re-synchronize all my thousands folders, besides "visiting" every single one of them manually.

Does anybody even recognize the need for this functionality, and if so, why isn't there a solution?

While I won't comment on 15-year-old bugs any longer and generally have lost my interest in TB because that's not a single case, but a pattern, I'd like to state that your problem (synchronization of messages) does not have anything to do with collapsing folders, which this bug is about.

There are some methods to synchronize all of your messages at once. The easiest one (IMHO): Have a look into "File -> Offline -> Download / Sync now ...". You should be able to find your way from this starting point. Note that you actually do not need to switch to offline mode to synchronize your messages.

Comment 44

[WolfgangC]

Thanks Binarus, maybe I am wrong, but the way I understand this case is different. Others have already commented higher up that the opening/collapsing of folders is an issue associated with the synchronization. To be more specific, once I move a subfolder (with its contents, including deeper subfolders) from one place in the subfolder tree to another, then no synchronization happens inside it any more, unless I manually open it and then access every single subfolder in it. I cannot understand why that has to remain the way it is.

Comment 45

[Binarus]

(In reply to WolfgangC from comment #44)

Thanks Binarus, maybe I am wrong, but the way I understand this case is different. Others have already commented higher up that the opening/collapsing of folders is an issue associated with the synchronization. To be more specific, once I move a subfolder (with its contents, including deeper subfolders) from one place in the subfolder tree to another, then no synchronization happens inside it any more, unless I manually open it and then access every single subfolder in it. I cannot understand why that has to remain the way it is.

Thanks for the explanation.

However, I believe that every post in this report should be looked at with respect to its historical context. I really do not know when "File -> Offline -> Download ..." has been implemented, but I could imagine that it wasn't available when the first posts in this bug report have been written. That's just a guess, though.

Currently, for me, that method works as expected. However, TB needs to be configured properly. Notably, if all messages should always be synchronized, the option "Always synchronize all messages ..." (I don't remember the exact wording) in the account settings should be activated. If this is not desired, the correct configuration takes more work: After "File -> Offline -> Download ...", a dialog opens with a button (again, I forgot its caption). When you hit that button, TB presents a list of all folders in every account, and it is up to the user make sure that every desired folder is included in the synchronization.

Regarding your problem (synchronization of messages after having moved a folder):

Did you try "File -> Offline -Download ..." after having moved the folder? Did this synchronize the folder?

You can try that without being afraid that it takes a long time. It only synchronizes the folders and messages that are not synchronized yet. In that sense, it is a "differential" synchronization. If you watch the status bar while it does its thing, you probably will be baffled about how many messages in other folders have unexpectedly not been synchronized yet. At least, that's what I have experienced.

Because you said that TB synchronizes the moved folder at the new location once you click onto it, I believe that you have configured everything correctly. If that folder would be excluded from synchronization for some reason, a mouse click onto it wouldn't trigger the synchronization either. Therefore I believe that "File -> Offline -> Download ..." should solve your issue, too.

Now that we've got a little bit off-topic (at least taking the current TB version into account), I'd like to state again that collapsing all folders would be very useful independently of the synchronization problem. If you have opened several dozens of folders from 10 different accounts during an average work day, it's just a pain to close them one by one. The latter is necessary because otherwise you need to endlessly scroll the folder list if you want to do something with another folder than the currently opened folder. That's a real time and nerve killer.

Comment 46

[WolfgangC]

Thanks for the help - and sorry if this appears off-topic to some (it does not to me).

My configuration is (and has been) as you suggest for a long time. But when I go into "Message Synchronizing" and then "Advanced", then any subfolder that has been displaced at some time is unticked and thus "unsubscribed" and therefore not sync'ed. And going manually through these to "subscribe" to them is even less feasible than visually clicking on them in the tree. And, yes, in the "Server Setting" - "Advanced" I have NOT clicked "Show only subscribed folders" and I have clicked "Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages".

For me all of this is useless. I have many folders, I want them to be synchronized no matter what, and that seems to fail whenever I manually displace a folder or subfolder.

Thanks for any more suggestions if there are possibilities to fix this.

Comment 47

[Binarus]

(In reply to WolfgangC from comment #46)

Thanks for the help - and sorry if this appears off-topic to some (it does not to me).

My configuration is (and has been) as you suggest for a long time. But when I go into "Message Synchronizing" and then "Advanced", then any subfolder that has been displaced at some time is unticked and thus "unsubscribed" and therefore not sync'ed. And going manually through these to "subscribe" to them is even less feasible than visually clicking on them in the tree.

Yes, that's really a pain. For me, it's not feasible as well.

And, yes, in the "Server Setting" - "Advanced" I have NOT clicked "Show only subscribed folders" and I have clicked "Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages".

"Show only subscribed folders" would hide unsubscribed folders at all; this AFAIK wouldn't change synchronization behavior. Regarding the other option, I am not sure what it does, but I have it set as you (and probably everybody else), and that setting should be safe.

For me all of this is useless. I have many folders, I want them to be synchronized no matter what, and that seems to fail whenever I manually displace a folder or subfolder.

Thanks for any more suggestions if there are possibilities to fix this.

In my messages above, I already have mentioned the remaining setting that comes to my mind:

In the account settings, under synchronization and storage, there is a account-global setting named "Keep messages in all folders for this account on this computer". It does what its name says. If you enable it, you do not any more need to go through the folders in "Message Synchronizing / Advanced" to enable synchronizing. Rather, the checkboxes there are ignored then, and instead, TB synchronizes every folder.

Normally, keeping all messages is enabled for new accounts as far I can remember. If it's already enabled for you, I am out of ideas. If not, enable it for the account in question and then try the synchronization via "File -> Offline ..." again. I would be interested in the result.