605007 - Cannot compose mail messages (new, reply or otherwise) can't shift keyboard focus into message-body portion of composition window.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 604493

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[Robert M. Enger]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.10) Gecko/20100914 Firefox/3.6.10 ( .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET4.0E)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:2.0b8pre) Gecko/20101017 Thunderbird/3.3a1pre 

hi:
I run the nightly build of Shredder.  I take every nightly update that is offered.
After one of the nightly updates this past week, I lost the ability to compose new mail messages.  I cannot shift keyboard focus into the message-body portion of the composition window.  (I can click all day, no blinking cursor shows up.)

I also note that in the pull-down menu bar near the top of the composition window, the "INSERT" and "FORMAT" pull-down menus are greyed-out (nothing happens when you click on them).

Also, if I reply to a message two items are worthy of note (in addition to above):
a) the recipient address is not inserted into the message (but I CAN type one in by hand; keyboard focus can go into the "To" and other destination input area)
b) the message-body window does NOT "include copy of original message".  (normally when one replies, it automatically inserts a copy of the message to which you are responding; it has stopped doing that).

I connected to the IRC thunderbird help channel, explained the issue and asked if it was just me, or if others had seen this.  A couple of people responded that this was a new bug, they did see it (not just me) and that they would write it up and submit it to get fixed.

HOWEVER, I searched around on Bugzilla and didn't spot anything that looked like this problem.  (I even looked through the general list of most recently posted bugs, in case I was searching using incorrect terminology).  I didn't spot any bug report that sounded like this problem.

SO, I'm filing one.  


Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.In the main shredder window, click on the "write" button at the top (which then causes a composition window to open)
2.click to the right of the first "To:" and enter some valid address (text is entered)
3.click in the Subject input box and enter some text there (text is entered)
4.Click inside the big message-body window.  (Keyboard focus does not shift into that sub-window; you cannot type; no text appears)
Actual Results:  
You are unable to type inside the message-body portion of the composition window.
The keyboard focus never moves into that area.  (no blinking cursor appears; the menu bar directly above the message-body window (containing font-size, bold/underscore/italics and other commands) remains grayed-out)
If you go ahead and push the SEND button (even though there is no message-body text) it doesn't do ANYTHING.  The send button has no effect.

Expected Results:  
It used to work as we all know and love it.  It stopped working after one of the nightly builds this past week.

I reported this on the Thunderbird help IRC channel.  They said they saw the issue too; that it wasn't just me having the problem.  They said they would log it into the system to be fixed.  It does not appear that happened.

I have dutifully installed every nightly since it broke, but it still hasn't started to work again.  I figured this would be fixed right away (since being able to send E-mail is pretty fundamental to the utility of a mail program).

Given that the respondent on Tbird Help IRC corroborated my report, I can't imagine how this could be my fault.  HOWEVER, anything is possible.  So, as usual I apologize up-front if this is some sort of dumb user error on my part.

Thank you for making Tbird available to us!

For reference, I'm running on a Dell D820 laptop with external monitor attached (extended desktop).  Running Windows XP Pro SP3 with all the MS patches.  All the other applications seem to work ok.  (e.g. no keyboard focus issues at all)

Bob

Comment 1

[rsx11m]

Yes, that's some major bustage on the trunk builds right now. A patch is posted and awaiting review. While waiting, you could go back to 20101013.