562782 - SENT folder has FROM column instead of TO or RECIPIENT

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, defect)

Description

[Edward]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.2.3) Gecko/20100401 Firefox/3.6.3
Build Identifier: Version 3.0.4

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, all my mails in the SENT folder are listed under FROM instead of TO, so I can only see my own name and not the name of the person I sent the mails to.

Reproducible: Always




It should list mails under the heading of TO, so that I can see who they were sent to. I already know who they were FROM....

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Column choice/width/position etc. is per folder setting in Tb 3.0.x and is currently saved in .msf file. Rebuild-index currently resets the column choice/ settings in .msf. Internal rebuild-index probably happened on Sent folder by some reasons(e.g. after abnormal termination of Tb).

Change column setting by yourself, please.

Comment 2

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Local mail folder(POP3, "Local Folders")? IMAP folder? Or both?

Comment 3

[Edward]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Column choice/width/position etc. is per folder setting in Tb 3.0.x and is
> currently saved in .msf file. Rebuild-index currently resets the column choice/
> settings in .msf. Internal rebuild-index probably happened on Sent folder by
> some reasons(e.g. after abnormal termination of Tb).
> 
> Change column setting by yourself, please.

Thanks very much for your reply, but I'm afraid I'm not a programmer and can't understand the technical information you're giving me. 
Edward

Comment 4

[Edward]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Local mail folder(POP3, "Local Folders")? IMAP folder? Or both?

Thanks for replying. Actually, it's only in the Smart Folder. When I go into the sub-menu Local Folder or IMAP folder I get the usual list of recipients.
Edward

Comment 5

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #4)
> (In reply to comment #2)
> > Local mail folder(POP3, "Local Folders")? IMAP folder? Or both?
> Thanks for replying. Actually, it's only in the Smart Folder. (snip)

I'm asking about Account Settings/Server Settings, Server Type: value. 

(In reply to comment #3)
> Thanks very much for your reply, but I'm afraid I'm not a programmer and can't
> understand the technical information you're giving me. 

Look into .msf file of local null mail folder by text editor. Even if non-programmer, you can understand what kind of data is written for column setting.
(1) Create a local mail folder(POP3 or Local Folders), say TEST.
(2) Change column choice, position, width etc. of TEST, and terminate Tb.
(3) See file content of file named TEST.msf by text editor.
    Although it's hard to know detailed structure of data or meaning,
    data writtn in readable text are for column name, position sort order,
    width, and folder nsme/file name etc.
AFAIR, such data in .msf is kept by Tb 3.0.4, if manual rebuild-index, and if local mail folder. AFAIK, problem you reported remains on IMAP folder(and news, rss) only.

By the way, check with folder view of "All Folders" at folder pane(same as Tb2's one), instead of new "Smart Folders" view of Tb 3, to make problem anaysis simple, please.

Comment 6

[Edward]

(In reply to comment #5)
> (In reply to comment #4)
> > (In reply to comment #2)
> > > Local mail folder(POP3, "Local Folders")? IMAP folder? Or both?
> > Thanks for replying. Actually, it's only in the Smart Folder. (snip)
> 
> I'm asking about Account Settings/Server Settings, Server Type: value. 
> 
> (In reply to comment #3)
> > Thanks very much for your reply, but I'm afraid I'm not a programmer and can't
> > understand the technical information you're giving me. 
> 
> Look into .msf file of local null mail folder by text editor. Even if
> non-programmer, you can understand what kind of data is written for column
> setting.
> (1) Create a local mail folder(POP3 or Local Folders), say TEST.
> (2) Change column choice, position, width etc. of TEST, and terminate Tb.
> (3) See file content of file named TEST.msf by text editor.
>     Although it's hard to know detailed structure of data or meaning,
>     data writtn in readable text are for column name, position sort order,
>     width, and folder nsme/file name etc.
> AFAIR, such data in .msf is kept by Tb 3.0.4, if manual rebuild-index, and if
> local mail folder. AFAIK, problem you reported remains on IMAP folder(and news,
> rss) only.
> 
> By the way, check with folder view of "All Folders" at folder pane(same as
> Tb2's one), instead of new "Smart Folders" view of Tb 3, to make problem
> anaysis simple, please.

Thanks again, Wada. Your new information about editing the msf file is still above my head, unfortunately, but your second solution is perfect. I don't really need the "Smart Folders", especially if the "smart" Sent Folder isn't working problem, so by clicking on "All Folders" I have the old view and everything's fine with that.
Grateful for your help.
Best wishes,
Edward

Comment 7

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(comment 6) sounds like the sent folder is not "special" for reporter with unified folders

Comment 8

[Edward]

Thank you, Wayne Mery, but I've solved the problem. There is a VERY VERY SMALL ICON in the top right-hand corner of the window frame - follow your column titles "From" "Subject" "Date" "Size" "Priority" from left to right and you'll find it. We are supposed to click on that and select the columns we want to see. So we can select "To" and de-select "From" etc. Problem solved. Such a tiny icon with such an important function - I think Thunderbird should do something about that.
Edward

Comment 9

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

thanks for that clarification. the place you click is the folder column picker. More discoverable might be nice.

Do you think the column changed when you upgraded from version 2?

Comment 10

[Edward]

(In reply to comment #9)
> thanks for that clarification. the place you click is the folder column picker.
> More discoverable might be nice.
> 
> Do you think the column changed when you upgraded from version 2?

There was no apparent reason that I can think of, Wayne, no upgrade, no changes to the account settings, it just seemed to come out of the blue when I started the program one day, although I realise that is unlikely. Sorry I can't be more specific, but I guess the important thing is that there is a solution.

Comment 11

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Edward, thanks for the update. toss of the coin, incomplete/WFM(wins).