602247 - missing application/smil section causes whole message to be blank

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1283731

(Thunderbird :: Message Reader UI, defect)

Description

[Eric Moore]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.0; rv:2.0b6) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0b6
Build Identifier: Thunderbird 3.1.4

I sent somebody a email message to their Verizon cell phone. I got back a reply which was blank regardless of whether I set "view -> message body as" to Plain Text , Simple HTML , or Original HTML. I had to use Control-U to see the raw message source to read it.

It was a multipart/mixed message where the first section used SMIL, and the next section plain text. Thunderbird should have displayed the plain text. I suspect that it just gave up after running into a section that it didn't know how to display.

Windows Mail had the same problem with the message, but webmail (my browser) displayed it correctly. This problem occurred with both Thunderbird 3.1.4 and the latest nightly build. I also saved the message as a .eml message using file -> save as -> file, double clicked on the file in windows explorer, and had it displayed in Thunderbird. It had the same problem. 

I copied and pasted the message source after the Subject header.

Message-ID: <212153143659347754@-212153143659347755>
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 16:47:39 +0000
MIME-Version:1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
 type="application/smil";
 boundary="__CONTENT_64564_PART_BOUNDARY__33243242__"
X-Truedomain-Domain: vzwpix.com
X-Truedomain-SPF: None
X-Truedomain-DKIM: None
X-Truedomain: Neutral

--__CONTENT_64564_PART_BOUNDARY__33243242__
Content-Type: text/plain;
 charset=utf-8;
 name="text_0.txt"
Content-ID: <text_0>
Content-Location: text_0.txt

Thanks!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

--__CONTENT_64564_PART_BOUNDARY__33243242__--



Reproducible: Always

Actual Results:  
Blank message.

Expected Results:  
Plain text section of the message

Comment 1

[Eric Moore]

Oops - after I submitted this I noticed it didn't have a Content-Type: application/smil  section.

Comment 2

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Oops - after I submitted this I noticed it didn't have a Content-Type:
> application/smil  section.

Does it work with the proper mime type ?

Comment 3

[Eric Moore]

I modified the message to add a application/smil section based on an example I found on the web but it didn't make any difference.

Comment 4

[David :Bienvenu]

attaching the .eml file might be helpful.

Comment 5

[Eric Moore]

Attachment: .eml file that claims it has a application/smil section

I replaced the phone number (username of sender) with number_replaced in the .eml file. Other than that its unchanged.

Comment 6

[David :Bienvenu]

I can load that .eml file fine - do you have a handler for "application/smil" or something else about your profile that would make it behave differently?

Comment 7

[Eric Moore]

Not that I'm aware of. I had never even heard of "application/smil" until I tried to figure out why the message was blank. I searched for smil using regedit. I found:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{eb124705-128b-40d4-8dd8-d93ed12589a4}\Instance\PropertySetStorage\{EEBB82B9-EACE-4Af7-AA64-B7F3C7C996B4} had several keys setting Xpath to /smil/head/viewstate/mode, /smil/head/viewstate/previewpane, /smil/head/viewstate/iconsize, /smil/head/viewstate/columninfo, /smil/head/viewstate/groupstate, /smil/head/viewstate/timestamp

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{eb124705-128b-40d4-8dd8-d93ed12589a4}\Instance\PropertySetStorage\{F29F85E0-4FF9-1068-AB91-08002B27B3D9} had /smil/head/title and /smil/head/author

I found "WPL property store string" for eb124705-128b-40d4-8dd8-d93ed12589a4 in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved

Looking at the context menu for a file in windows explorer I see added entries for catalyst control center (ATI video drivers) , 7-zip, agent ransack (a grep utility), treesize free (lists tree sizes), jujuedit (very large file text editor), avast antivirus, malwarebytes anti-malware, and unlocker (unlocks locked files).

I used the control panel to look at the list of file associations. I don't have an entry for .smi or .smil. I don't have Apple Quicktime, RealPlayer, Real Alternative, Nullsoft Winamp, RM Downloader, RM recorder, Xplayer, or SMOX Pad installed. They supposedly can play .smil files. Internet Explorer 5.5 or later supposedly supports smil. I have IE 8.0.6001.18943

I do have the DivX codec/player installed but I don't think it knows about smil. I used to have Veoh player installed but I don't think it knew about smil either.

The only things unusual about my profile is that IMAP message synchronization , global indexing , and the cache are disabled, I have mainly IMAP accounts, and I load Thunderbird using a 2 line batch file that first loads a java based proxy that adds a "IMAP ID command" in order to support Yahoo IMAP. http://sourceforge.net/projects/imapidproxy/

I also ran 2.0.0.24 in safe mode (with no batch file) and used it to view the saved message. It was empty and the menu command to view the message source was greyed out. I then ran 3.1.4 in safe mode from a console window so that the proxy wasn't loaded. It showed a blank message body but could display the message source.

Comment 8

[Joe Sabash [:JoeS1]]

FWIW, I just received a "properly" formatted message from that verizon service and it worked fine with TB current trunk. Here's the format:
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: multipart/mixed; boundary="Boundary_(ID_rbt+MjpTV1VJ/f9Yntfb/Q)";
 type="application/smil"
Importance: Normal
X-Priority: 3
Original-recipient: rfc822;[e-mail]


--Boundary_(ID_rbt+MjpTV1VJ/f9Yntfb/Q)
Content-type: text/plain
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

--Boundary_(ID_rbt+MjpTV1VJ/f9Yntfb/Q)
Content-id: <Resampled_2011-12-21_07-27-06_682>
Content-type: image/jpeg; name=Resampled_2011-12-21_07-27-06_682.jpg
Content-transfer-encoding: base64
Content-disposition: attachment; filename=Resampled_2011-12-21_07-27-06_682.jpg
Content-Location: Resampled_2011-12-21_07-27-06_682.jpg

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQY
etc. etc.

Comment 10

[Mark]

Attachment: Another example of a nonworking message

The bug still exists in Thunderbird 38.3.0. Hopefully someone will find a quick method to extract the "Content-Type: text/plain" portion of the message.

Comment 11

[Mark]

If it helps, Default Apps shows .SMI and SMIL file types to be set to opened with TextEdit.app by default. But nothing happens when I open the message in Thunderbird. The text portion of the message does not show either in the body of the email nor as an attachment.

Comment 12

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

Both attached messages (attachment 482248 [details] and attachment 8671632 [details]) display fine in TB 60 ESR.

This was likely fixed in the various bugs that now select a suitable MIME part for display.

Comment 13

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

For a remaining Verizon issue, see bug 1283731.

Comment 14

[Jorg K (CEST = GMT+2)]

Oops, I had attachments inline, so this is a dupe of bug 1283731.