558014 - Stop that annoying modal dialog when mail can't connect to the mail server from connection time out error

Status: NEW

(SeaMonkey :: MailNews: Backend, defect, P3)

Description

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #123440 +++

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:0.9.6) Gecko/20011120
BuildID:    2001112009

I have my Mozilla mail open all day so I can see when new messages come in. I
have mozilla set to get new messages from an Exchange POP server every 5 minutes. 

The problem is that when mozilla can't connect to the mail server (it happens
quite frequently), it puts up a confirmation dialog box. Since I am usually
doing something else, and I have virtual desktops (via Litestep) I often don't
notice that the dialog is up. It's not until I try to do something with Mail
that I notice it's not working.

When I click OK, it usually connects just fine.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open Mail
2. Make server unavailable (eg. pull network connection)
3. MozMail tries to get mail and puts up a dialog
4. Make server available
5. Moz should go and get new mail

Actual Results:  Moz doesn't get new mail. Mail can't be used until OK is clicked.

Expected Results:  Moz should close the dialog (or not have shown it in the
first place) and get new mail.


Note: bug 123440 has the fix for Thunderbird, something similar could be done for SeaMonkey.

Comment 1

[[e-mail]]

Except we don't have the activity manager yet?

Comment 2

[Robert Kaiser]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Except we don't have the activity manager yet?

We probably should port it anyhow. Still, wherever it's done, the solution could look similar.

Comment 3

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Except we don't have the activity manager yet?

You don't need the activity manager for fixing this. There's already a hook in the mailnews backend for handling the alerts, and you just have to have something that hooks into it.

Comment 4

[Serge Gautherie (:sgautherie)]

(In reply to comment #3)

I might take this bug, but I know little about "Activity Manager".
What do we need to do? (I'm looking for some more hints.)
Just copy/port bug 123440?
Copy/Port bug 482466 first?
Anything we should do in addition or differently?

Comment 5

[Jens Hatlak (:InvisibleSmiley)]

(In reply to comment #4)
> (In reply to comment #3)
> 
> I might take this bug, but I know little about "Activity Manager".

AFAIU it consists of (at least, top level) two parts: the (shared) back-end and the (currently TB-only) front-end. The front-end is (again, at least) a menu item which opens a window that shows anything that has been logged through the back-end API, plus the ability to show alerts directly with an icon and stuff, similar to biff (new mail alerts).

> What do we need to do? (I'm looking for some more hints.)
> Just copy/port bug 123440?

It looks like that contains all that is needed to actually create the alert.

> Copy/Port bug 482466 first?

Well sure, that's what introduced the hook. ;-) I don't know what's needed to make it actually work, though.

> Anything we should do in addition or differently?

Well, unless you have plenty of time, you should not introduce the Activity Manager window at this point but just concentrate on implementing the minimal set of APIs for getting this alert thing working.

Comment 6

[Robert Kaiser]

Getting the activity manager window would be cool, though ;-)