558573 - Clicking on HTML link in TB no longer works -- Suspect bad code in Firefox update is cause!!!

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: General, defect)

Description

[J B Burling]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.9) Gecko/20100317 Thunderbird/3.0.4

I was using Thunderbird 3.0.3 when this problem first started, on about 5/5/10 or the next day. I just today (5/8/10) updated Thunderbird from 3.0.3 to 3.0.4 and the same problem persists. I run Windows XP SP3, with Firefox as my default browser, I don't know exactly when I installed the Firefox update to version 3.6.3, but it was just about then that my problem started with Thunderbird.  This makes me believe that something in the Firefox update broke some shared code in Thunderbird! 

In case the Firefox build identifier is needed, the following was copied from the latest "About Mozilla Firefox" window:
 
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)

Until a few days ago, when I clicked on an HTML link in an email in Thunderbird, it worked exactly the way you would expect it to.  If Firefox was already open, it would display the linked page in a new window, or a new Firefox tab.  If Firefox was not already open, the click in Thunderbird would cause Firefox to start. Alternatively, right click on a link and "Open Link in Browser" worked.

All of a sudden, this week, that all changed.  Now, a click in a link in Thunderbird, or a right click and "open in a new window" or "open in a new tab", and absolutely nothing happens.  No error message, no nothing.  The first few times that happened, I thought I had a bad mouse.  However,
I could right click on the link, and "Copy link location" without any problems.

After I updated Firefox, I tried to check for updates for Thunderbird, through Help/Check for Updates.  I think I got a "No Updates Available" message, but I'm not sure -- the program may have just frozen. In any case, I know that I tried to check for Thunderbird updates several days after Thunderbird 3.0.4 was released on 3/39/10 and AFTER the Firefox update had been installed. I can't tell if this is also connected to the links problem.  

Links clicked on inside Firefox seem to work OK.  Just links inside Thunderbird now longer work.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Open Thunderbird and get mail
2.Open mail containing an HTML link
3.Click link, or alternatively right click an select "Open Browser IN Browser"

Actual Results:  
Nothing, nada, zilch!

Expected Results:  
I expected the linked page to open in Firefox, my default browser.

I temporarily changed my browser default from Firefox to IE8.  Same results -- links don't open.

I can right click on the link inside Thunderbird and "Copy link location", open a browser window manually, and paste into the browser's address bar, and open the linked page.  I have done this with both Firefox and IE8.

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

J B Burling, do you still see this problem?

Comment 3

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESOLVED INCOMPLETE due to lack of response to previous comment. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.

Comment 4

[maybe-the-one]

I believe this should not be closed as it is still a recurring problem.  I confirm it with Firefox 12.0 and Thunderbird 12.0.1 (on my wife's desktop.  It used to work right, now exhibits exactly these symptoms.

Clicking on a link in an email does not work.
The link does show in the bottom info bar.
Firefox is set as the default browser.
htm and html are associated to Firefox.
Also does not work in safe mode.

This scares me, because my research on this issue shows that it is common, and has been for years. I have tried all of the fixes I saw while web reading--none worked, except...

I DID partially solve it by going tools>options>attachments and selecting "Other" for htm (Firefox was already showing there), then drilling to the Firefox executable in Programs (x86).  It only PARTIALLY fixes the problem because it now works (clicked links open) if and only if Firefox is already open.  If Firefox is not open, it acts just as described above, i.e., absolutely nothing happens on link click.

A web search on [Thunderbird links email don't work] will reveal the extent of this problem.

Request the RESOLVED status be changed. It is not resolved.

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to fm_mozbugs from comment #4)
> This scares me, because my
> research on this issue shows that it is common, and has been for years. I
> have tried all of the fixes I saw while web reading--none worked, except...
> I DID partially solve it by going tools>options>attachments and selecting
> "Other" for htm (Firefox was already showing there), then drilling to the
> Firefox executable in Programs (x86).  It only PARTIALLY fixes the problem
> because it now works (clicked links open) if and only if Firefox is already
> open.  If Firefox is not open, it acts just as described above, i.e.,
> absolutely nothing happens on link click.

> A web search on [Thunderbird
> links email don't work] will reveal the extent of this problem.
> Request the RESOLVED status be changed. It is not resolved.

this is an area which is easily broken by the user's configuration, and there have also been various bugs (fixed and not fixed) over long periods of time - thus giving the appearance that there is a long open, pervasive problem.  But generally this is not the case.

Additionally, unconfirmed, incomplete bugs are not good choices to reopen, unless you are the original reporter. Suggest 
a) check support doc / references
b) check bugs that are still open - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?list_id=3053276;short_desc=link;bug_severity=major;bug_severity=normal;resolution=---;resolution=INVALID;query_format=advanced;short_desc_type=allwords;longdesc=open%20click;type0-0-0=nowords;value0-0-0=count%20counts;component=General;component=Mail%20Window%20Front%20End;component=Message%20Reader%20UI;component=OS%20Integration;product=MailNews%20Core;product=Thunderbird;longdesc_type=anywordssubstr

Comment 6

[maybe-the-one]

Apparently, you missed the portion of my comments that none of the suggested configuration fixes fixed it.  Furthermore, I have not changed the configuration at all, nor my wife.  She just opens emails, reads, and clicks.

And if it is configuration issues that can "easily break" this (and that would seem to be an issue in itself), would you please list those so I can check them?  Note things already stated as being done.

Finally, I can't help but feel that there was a dismissive tone presented--that this is not representative of a long standing problem. Perhaps not, but the symptom/phenomenon is EXACTLY identical to what has been reported over a long period.  So, I guess we are concluding that there is a NEW bug that causes the same symptom--in which case, clearly there should be a bug open.

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I don't mean to be dismissive.  And you did make a good match on symptoms in finding this bug report.  But we have zero way of determining whether your issue and the reporter's uncofirmed report 2 years prior have the same cause, assuming the OP's issue was a bug.

THere's no lack of bug reports that you can ride coat tails if you don't want to file your own bug - see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?list_id=3054344;short_desc=link;field0-0-0=longdesc;bug_severity=major;bug_severity=normal;resolution=---;resolution=INVALID;query_format=advanced;short_desc_type=allwords;longdesc=open%20click;type0-0-0=substring;value0-0-0=thunderbird;product=Firefox;longdesc_type=anywordssubstr