Open Bug 580252 Opened 14 years ago Updated 1 month ago

[Faceted Search]: Option to make "Open as List" view the default view

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Search, enhancement)

enhancement

Tracking

(Not tracked)

People

(Reporter: themoz, Unassigned)

References

()

Details

(Whiteboard: [gs][addon: Search as List][ux-papercut?])

Attachments

(1 file)

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.4) Gecko/20100611 Firefox/3.6.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.7) Gecko/20100111 Thunderbird/3.0.1

I have been using Thunderbird since v3.0 and I have tried to appreciate the value of the faceted search results page.  Despite those efforts, I find myself always clicking the "Open as List" button when, in frustration, I know I will have better success finding what I am looking for if I can just see the full message list.

As an aside, I don't quite understand why the faceted results are rendered differently than a standard message list view.  I think I'd be very happy with the faceted search if the white panel of the results view was a standard message list that was filtered by the selections made in the blue left panel.  The list view is more interactive and capable, providing the ability to sort and quickly browse messages.

The point of this enhancement request is to ask for a preference allowing me to skip directly to the "Open as List" view when I execute a quick search.  (The Search Messages function, ctrl-shift-F, could then offer to render its results either way using radio buttons.)

I am comfortable that selecting this preference would remove the ability to filter results using the faceted controls (unless as a separate enhancement the faceted results view can show a standard message list in the white panel).

Reproducible: Always
I couldn't agree more, this is badly needed, great thing.
Not sure what Advanced "Search messages" (Ctrl+Shift+F) has to do with it, though.

Similar requests:

Bug 579109 - [faceted search] Last search result display format should be
remembered and used (option to skip faceted results, persist "open as list")
Bug 518336 - [faceted search]: Move "Open as list" button to the top-left of search results to toggle showing listview + oldstyle msg preview on the right of same tab
OS: Windows 7 → All
Hardware: x86 → All
Summary: Search: Option to make "Open as List" view the default view → [Faceted Search]: Option to make "Open as List" view the default view
Version: unspecified → 3.1
it also seems reasonable, that we should open in list view if the results set is trivial, even if "open in list" is not the default.

footnote: I am surprised brian's idea hasn't been expressed in other bugs in the 1+ year life of facet search. odd.
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Ever confirmed: true
See Also: → 518336
Whiteboard: [gs]
I just updated to Thunderbird 3.1.2  This STILL IS NOT FIXED.  For me, this was a USELESS UPDATE until they fix this problem.  Thunderbird would be far superior to Outlook, etc, except this one thing makes it inferior.  Aren't the coders listening to several complaints about this?
Please disregard my Comment #3 above as I was warned of being banned by this email:
vseerror@Lehigh.EDU
this type of comment is necessary. This issue is known, your comment doesnt change anything. Please alter your habits.
see 1,2 of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html

additionally, version 3.1.2 was strictly limited to important, highly visible stability issues. It was not intended to be a "general bug fix" release.

Please forgive me if I offended anyone with the above comment.
Thomas, this bug would also give you an immediate entre for Bug 525558] [faceted search] Add "Find" bar functionality to search results tab
PLEASE fix this. As users at getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging wrote, "This IS a serious issue for people who write and get a lot of mails," and "One extra click is a lot when you use email to search every day. I literally perform hundreds of searches per day. Scaling a feature is better than giving up and saying [just do] one extra click.'"
completely agree.  'show as list' by default needs to happen.

-g
Added my vote, this needs to be a default option.
I'm still waiting for the fix. 
This is absolutely inefficient which causes low productivity.
Please add an option to disable it, or at least make it remember my last choice!
Added my vote. It would be a real improvement.
I'm with everyone else, unless I'm completely lost. I just want to search for an email in the folder I chose, type in 'whatever' in the search box and then all those messages pull up right in front of me. I do not like this 'open list in a new tab' stuff. The old way was much much faster, and very convenient. I want that back. If what I'm asking for is fixable, and I'm not on the same page as what I believe I'm reading here (I think you guys are talking about what I'm talking about-sorry if I'm not), and anyone can help me, PLEASE help me!!!
Please, please make the "Open as List" view the default view!
It's really annoying to click "Open as List" every time one searches for something.
The current view is completely useless in my eyes...
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/search-as-list/
Whiteboard: [gs] → [gs][addon: Search as List]
Hi Wayne,
I tried the proposed addon. Out of 10 searches I did the addon only worked once - that means it showed the default not-list view 9 times.
How do I need to set the checkmarks?
I use TB 17.0.2 with Win7.
I tried the add-on too. (Running TB 24.2.0 on Kubuntu 13.10.) The first search failed, but it worked a half dozen times consecutively after that. It's a pretty ugly hack though, as the default list flashes up for a split second, and then the "open as list" view replaces it.

Stefahn, could it be that you didn't wait long enough for the change to occur? The default settings work fine for me. i.e. "Show search-as-list tab" checked and "Leave original consolidated search tab open" unchecked.

Wayne, thanks for the tip. It's a adequate workaround, but I feel that this really needs to be in vanilla TB.
Thanks for the info Sparhawk!
I use the same checkmarks as you - and I tried waiting longer - but no changes occured.
Maybe updating TB will help...
All: I am the developer of the hack/add-on search-as-list. This is a side-project and as such is definitely hackish. It's great to get some feedback in this comment stream.

The add-on was developed on TB 24.0 and has had little testing otherwise. I'm going to setup an earlier TB instance but haven't got to it yet.

Sparkhawk has it right! The first check mark should be checked. The second check mark should be unchecked, that is unless you want to keep the original (non-list) tab open.

Basically, I use TB's vanilla search routine to execute the search, then I take the results into a list view. That's why their is a wait period. I'm looking at changing the wait period from interval based to an eventhandler type.

Keep the comments coming and I'll work to get all of these issues fixed. I know we've all been waiting a long time for something like this, so bare with me and we'll try to get it sorted out and somewhat prettier.

- psoebr
Hi psoebr,

thanks for your extension.

I know found out exactly what doesn't work (at least on my TB):
If I enter the first letters of an email address into the search field, and then use the auto-completion to select the full address, then I get the default (not-list) view.

If I enter a search term without using the auto-completion the list view works.

Hope that helps - would love to see a fix for this.
Thanks Stefahn: I think I solved that issue. Also, tag-based searches weren't functional.

I've uploaded v1.1 which should get approved within 24 hours.

Keep the feedback flowing.
It works like a charm now. Thanks for your great work psoebr! :)
Wonderful !
That's really helpful, useful...
Regards,
(In reply to Neil Phillips from comment #4)
> Please disregard my Comment #3 above as I was warned of being banned by this
> email:
> vseerror@Lehigh.EDU
> this type of comment is necessary. This issue is known, your comment doesnt
> change anything. Please alter your habits.
> see 1,2 of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html
> 
> additionally, version 3.1.2 was strictly limited to important, highly
> visible stability issues. It was not intended to be a "general bug fix"
> release.
> 
> Please forgive me if I offended anyone with the above comment.

I conversely, understand your frustration and don't find it offensive. But that's fine. I understand the feedback too. Just saying.
OT:

(In reply to Heather from comment #11)
> I'm with everyone else, unless I'm completely lost. I just want to search
> for an email in the folder I chose, type in 'whatever' in the search box and
> then all those messages pull up right in front of me. I do not like this
> 'open list in a new tab' stuff. The old way was much much faster, and very
> convenient. I want that back. If what I'm asking for is fixable, and I'm not
> on the same page as what I believe I'm reading here (I think you guys are
> talking about what I'm talking about-sorry if I'm not), and anyone can help
> me, PLEASE help me!!!

I'll answer Heather's support request in public just in case there are others also affected by this misunderstanding.

Heather, sorry for not coming back to you earlier, for support questions like yours, it's better to ask at https://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/.

The "old" way of searching in a single folder still exists (and I use that 98% of the time). It's called "Quick Filter Bar" and you can show it via Ctrl+Shift+K (or View > Toobars > Quick Filter Bar; or Appmenu > Options > Quick Filter Bar). That feature is documented here:
https://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/quick-filter-toolbar
The list of keyboard shortcuts is here:
https://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/keyboard-shortcuts

Using quick filter bar, you can just type some words and it will filter only the messages of the current folder right there in your message list.

So Heather's problem is unrelated to this bug which is about "Global Search" (sometimes called Gloda search or faceted search), started from the upper "Search..." box which you get with Ctrl+K.
Wayne, if you agree, can you pls confirm this as an ux-papercut?
Flags: needinfo?(vseerror)
Whiteboard: [gs][addon: Search as List] → [gs][addon: Search as List][ux-papercut?]
(In reply to Thomas D. from comment #23)
> OT:
> The "old" way of searching in a single folder still exists (and I use that
> 98% of the time). It's called "Quick Filter Bar" and you can show it via
> Ctrl+Shift+K (or View > Toobars > Quick Filter Bar; or Appmenu > Options >
> Quick Filter Bar).

And there's a [Q Quick Filter] button on the main mail toolbar which also toggles showing/hiding the quick filter bar.
(In reply to psoebr from comment #19)
> Thanks Stefahn: I think I solved that issue. Also, tag-based searches
> weren't functional.
> 
> I've uploaded v1.1 which should get approved within 24 hours.
> 
> Keep the feedback flowing.

psoebr, thanks a lot for providing the addon, which I'm sure many users will appreciate.
Could you add the current .xpi of your addon as an attachment to this bug, so that volunteers with a potential interest of implementing this feature in TB can get some inspiration and starting points in code from your addon?
Flags: needinfo?(psoebr)
(In reply to Bernd Wechner from comment #22)
> (In reply to Neil Phillips from comment #4)
> > Please disregard my Comment #3 above as I was warned of being banned by this
> > email:
> > vseerror@Lehigh.EDU
> > this type of comment is necessary. This issue is known, your comment doesnt
> > change anything. Please alter your habits.
> > see 1,2 of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html
> > 
> > additionally, version 3.1.2 was strictly limited to important, highly
> > visible stability issues. It was not intended to be a "general bug fix"
> > release.
> > 
> > Please forgive me if I offended anyone with the above comment.
> 
> I conversely, understand your frustration and don't find it offensive. But
> that's fine. I understand the feedback too. Just saying.

Bernd, whether it was offensive or not, or whether the user is frustrated is not relevant. My email to Neil is and was appropriate, and equally relevant to some other comments here in this bug, for example comment 7, 8, 10. If everyone with a viewpoint or frustration ignored etiquette and commented in a bug then we'd all be buried in email - thus the etiquette bar is relatively high so that every bug comment should add value. I hold myself to the same standard.  And note, I am certain I would not have told Neil he would be banned - such sternness wouldn't be appropriate for a first time offender of a minor offense. Neil may have gotten that impression from seeing 1.3 of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html

Comment 6 however begins to add some insight. (although it perhaps doesn't go far enough) Comments which are explicit and detailed about specific workflow and specific usecases add value, because it helps everyone understand the utility of the feature being proposed, how it can be applied, and helps developers devise solutions. I wish all comments had more such detail.
Flags: needinfo?(vseerror)
(In reply to Thomas D. from comment #24)
> Wayne, if you agree, can you pls confirm this as an ux-papercut?

The short, and far from complete, version of my thoughts is 
a) this is definitely a problem for a subset of users and I'd like to see it resolved, and I'll think further on papercut 
b) I don't consider this a slam dunk easy to fix bug. My concerns, some of which perhaps go beyond this bug report:
 1. ability for user to reverse the choice 
 2. good verbiage in the UI so that an uneducated user is unlikely to choose the choice in the first place when it was not intended
 3. performance implications for large results sets being opened
 4. what if there are more than 400 results (which is what facet results initially maxes out at)?
 5. consider whether to "short cut" to "open in list" when there is a small, trivial result set, even if "open in list" is not "the default"
Thomas: the source code is available through the 'View other versions' link of https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/search-as-list/ and thanks for the ux-papercut info, I'd never known of those before.

Wayne: thanks for all the suggestions.
1. reverse the choice is now available in v1.2 by holding shift and clicking the close [x] button
2. maybe the people of this forum can help with verbiage, recommend away
3. i could load a blank listing with a waiting indicator instead of the seeing the facet/consolidated view.
4. since I use the original Gloda collection performance of search is out of my control
5. shortcut to open in list is now available for small set of results, with configurable count threshold even when open in list is not the default.

Again, I need some help with language, and also some recommendations regarding the option panes.

Thanks everyone.
Flags: needinfo?(psoebr)
Psoebr, I wonder if you can add easily the Location and Folder columns to the default view and/or remember selected columns.  Being a global search one of the issues we deal with is always having to show these as we do want to know where the email is.
Bernd: Thanks for the reminder, I forgot to mention in my last post that I have setup an option (in add-on options) in v 1.2 and soon to be v 1.2a where you can customize the columns for the search results. Hope that helps.
Would it be possible to add an option that the search result is always displayed unthreaded?

I made a button with the Custom Buttons extensions that just calls MsgSortUnthreaded(); this works but it doesn't stick between sessions.
All other mail GUIs I have ever used (both web-UI and client-SW) display search results as a list.  Why do Thunderbird users have to install a plugin for this basic functionality?
Even if I had to go into Config Editor to find the option, it would be better to have it available for those that want to make the change. For continuity throughout the programs I use on a daily basis, the list view is more consistent with other search based functions. Causing less adaption time when looking at search results. Just my 2 cents.
Any updates on the about:config option to adjust for this default view of "Open email as list"?
Either one of these extensions will do the job:

"Unified Search" (many options and shows list view directly without opening extra tabs)

"Search as List" (designed specifically for this purpose)
I want to support this. Please make the list view the new default.

The current search results page is completely horrible in multiple ways:

- It always defaults to "relevant" as criteria which simply doesn't work very well. When I search something I usually know the approximate date I received the e-mail and thus it's far more efficient to simply sort everything by date.

- The right side of my WQHD monitor isn't used at all and...

- ...at the same time it only displays around 5 emails on the screen at the same time (at 1440p, 120%). This is extremely inefficient!

- Yet the big potential upside, the preview is almost completely pointless. It either cuts off right after the salutation, shows the signature or shows something else that's completely useless.

I have to work on ~500 emails a day and do a lot of searches. The current way Thunderbird displays search results is extremely inefficient and the sorting criteria and choice of preview text seems completely arbitrary.

Please continue to work on this feature.

It would be a big help if as a first step if you could make these 2 simple changes:

1. In the current faceted search results page make Thunderbird remember when I choose "date" as the criteria. This would make the search results at least somewhat functional instead of the mess it is right now.

2. When doing a new search in the list view STAY in the list view! This would allow us to open the list view once and then continue to do new searches there.
This issue is well understood and the last few comments are entirely unhelpful, so please stop with the bumps or the next such comment may result in commenting being restricted.
See #2 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html

As for the add-on, if it doesn't work, please directly engage the author or volunteer to take over the code.
Wayne --

I totally understand your point about ranting.

But let me add that this "bug" is still classified as "NEW" and therefore doesn't seem to be well understood. Especially it is not well understood why it is not easily doable to add a default setting for a functionality which is already there: You can click on "Open email as list" to have the kind of view everyone is requesting here.

Please provide any hints about what is missing in this bug report for the bug being triaged.
Comments on this bug have been closed by request of the Thunderbird team.
Restrict Comments: true
See Also: → 1022228

(In reply to erik from comment #44)

...
But let me add that this "bug" is still classified as "NEW" and therefore
doesn't seem to be well understood. Especially it is not well understood why
it is not easily doable to add a default setting for a functionality which
is already there: You can click on "Open email as list" to have the kind of
view everyone is requesting here.

NEW = understood enough that it is known how to reproduce and known that it is not a duplicate of an earlier bug report. It is not an indication of whether "how to fix it" is known or identified. That would normally require that someone has assigned it to themselves to investigate how to fix it. The fact that it is not assigned (which would be the next step) doesn't mean it is not wanted, but rather is primarily an indication it has not yet reached such a priority - relative to thousands of other requests - that it has been deemed appropriate to put developer resources into it. (The implications of a long prioritized list plus limited resources is hopefully self explanatory)

Severity: normal → S3
Duplicate of this bug: 1858619
Duplicate of this bug: 1842471
Duplicate of this bug: 1135116
See Also: → 1672143
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