617622 - 2 large address books with underscore _ in AB name deleted - 1000 contacts gone

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Thunderbird :: Address Book, defect)

Description

[fccor]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/4.0; SLCC2; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; MS-RTC EA 2; .NET4.0C; Amazon Toolbar; Creative AutoUpdate v1.40.02)
Build Identifier: 3.1.6

Created 16 address books.
the 2 main address books with over 450 address deleted - devasted was in proscess of creating and then exporting.
Just gone disappeared - I did not accidentally delete them.
Next created 2 more address books - the names were deleted - ADB is there -  names gone.
The 2 adress books that were deleted had underscores so they would be near the top _Buyers and _Sellers were the names.

Reproducible: Couldn't Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce:
1.created new address books
2.Removed all underscores
3. None have deleted


Expected Results:  
the address books have not deleted.
I have been using yous e-mail program from 1995
Never have had this problem.
Did having the uderscores in the names create the deletion

Not Delete the address books - you have no idea how much work was lost with that
I have been using yous e-mail program from 1995
Never have had this problem.
Did having the uderscores in the names create the deletion

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Following is example of definition of address books in profile.
> ldap_2.servers.pab.description          = Personal Address Book
> ldap_2.servers.pab.filename             = abook.mab
> ldap_2.servers.history.description      = Collected Addresses
> ldap_2.servers.history.filename         = history.mab
> ldap_2.servers.MyAddrBook01.description = My_Addr_Book_01
> ldap_2.servers.MyAddrBook01.filename    = abook-1.mab

What entries are defined?
(check via Tools/Options/Advanced/General, Config Editor)

Is there double booking of filename?
Do all files specified in .filename exist in profile directory of Tb?

Comment 2

[fccor]

No Double booking of file name.
No.
The only reason I believe could cause the deleting;
were the underscores in the names.
The Address Books were there - open total time.
Closed the address book;
Opened address book - address books with underscores were gone.

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #2)
> No.
> The only reason I believe could cause the deleting;
> were the underscores in the names.

When did the created address books disappar at prefs.js?

(1) Keep backup-1 of prefs.js
    Check prefs.js entries via Config Editor. Close Config Editor(mandatory)
    Check size/timestamp of xxx.mab files
(2) Create address books, add entries to them
(3) Keep backup-2 of prefs.js
    Check prefs.js entries via Config Editor. Close Config Editor(mandatory)
    Check size/timestamp of xxx.mab files
(4) Update address books
(5) Keep backup-3 of prefs.js
    Check prefs.js entries via Config Editor. Close Config Editor(mandatory)
    Check size/timestamp of xxx.mab files
(4) Close "Address Books" window.
(5) Keep backup-4 of prefs.js
    Check prefs.js entries via Config Editor. Close Config Editor(mandatory)
    Check size/timestamp of xxx.mab files
(6) Terminate Thunderbird.
(7) Keep backup-5 of prefs.js
    Check size/timestamp of xxx.mab files

As seen in example I presented before, "_" is removed from internal entry name in pres.js(XXX in servers.XXX.description). " " is also removed, or replaced.
> ldap_2.servers.MyAddrBook01.description = My_Addr_Book_01
> ldap_2.servers.MyAddrBook01.filename    = abook-1.mab
AFAIR, Tb generated new internal name with a kind of suffix if "MyAddrBook01" was additionally created. It might be rejecting with "already exists", but I'm not sure.

Comment 4

[fccor]

Attachment: the prefs.js to review

Submittthe file for you to reviwe

Comment 5

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #4)
> the prefs.js to review

prefs.js at which step? prefs.js you are currently using? (after you experienced problem of comment #0?, i.e. at step (1) in my procedure)

Comment 6

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Attachment: LDAP_2 entries in your prefs.js

(1) No double booking of file name is seen.

(2) Following entries are seen. 
>       2011SELLERS.description"  , "");
>       2011SELLERS.dirType"      , 2);
>       2011SELLERS.filename"     , "impab-3.mab");

impab-NN.mab is used or imported local address book.
Why "" is set in your prefs.js for 2011SELLERS.description?
How is this address book shown in your Address Book window?

(3) Following is seen.
>        Buyers2006.position"     , 0);
>
>      Buyers2006_1.description"  , "Buyers 2006");
>      Buyers2006_1.dirType"      , 2);
>      Buyers2006_1.filename"     , "impab-8.mab");

Buyers2006.position=0 is probably garbage after delete of first "Buyers 2006"(entry name==Buyers2006, space is removed).
"_1" in Buyers2006_1. for "Buyers 2006"/"impab-8.mab" is perhaps "suffix" I saw.

(4) For "BUYERS10", there are three entries.
>         BUYERS10_2.description"  , "BUYERS 10");
>         BUYERS10_2.dirType"      , 2);
>         BUYERS10_2.filename"     , "impab-9.mab");
>
>          buyers10.position"     , 0);
>
>        buyers10_1.position"     , 0);

Case relevant issue exists?

Comment 7

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #0)
> _Buyers and _Sellers were the names.

_Buyers and _Sellers falls back to entry name of "Buyers" and "Sellers", because "_" in description of address book is removed when construction of entry name.
In your case, next entries are already defined.
>            BUYERS.description"  , "");
>            BUYERS.dirType"      , 2);
>            BUYERS.filename"     , "impab-6.mab");
>           SELLERS.description"  , "");
>           SELLERS.dirType"      , 2);
>           SELLERS.filename"     , "impab-14.mab");
If case sensitive entry name selection, "Buyers" and "Sellers" can be used(as JavaScript's variable name, object name, property name etc. is case sensitive, it's possible).
If case insensitive entry name selection, "Buyers_1" and "Sellers_1" is needed to be used.

Can you execute step by step check I wrote in comment #3?

Comment 8

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

If impab-6.mab and impab-14.mab are kept in profile directory, set description for them in pres.js manually, and restart Tb.
>            BUYERS.description"  , "_Buyers manually set");
>           SELLERS.description"  , "_Sellers manually set");
Is added entries to _Buyers and _Sellers in your comment #0 shown in address book named "_Buyers manually set" and "_Sellers manually set"?

Comment 9

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

For "_", case sensitivity, underscore, suffix.
Tb generated next entries.
  ab   : ab.description="ab"
  AB   : AB_1.description="AB"
  aB   : aB_2.description="aB"
  Ab   : Ab_3.description="Ab"
  _ab  : ab_4.description="_ab"
  ab_  : ab_5.description="ab_"
  _ab_ : ab_6.description="_ab_"
  AB   : ab_7.description="AB"
  AB   : ab_8.description="AB"
  AB   : ab_9.description="AB"
  AB   : ab_10.description="AB"
  AB   : ab_11.description="AB"
  AB   : ab_12.description="AB"
"_" is removed from entry name because "_" is used for suffix, case is kept in entry name, comparison is case insensitive, suffix(_N) is added. Duplicated description(label name of an address book) is permitted, because it's merely a string in .description and is not an identifier.

Your problem may be relevant to xx.description="".
How/when did you create address book of xx.description=""?

It may be next.
  Some add-on's need multiple versions of an address book.
  To support it, Tb doesn't show address book of .description="".
  And, an add-on, or some add-on's, generated such entries.

Comment 10

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI.
Tb generates next entry if address book name="_", because entry name becomes Null due to removal of "_". This "._nonascii" is string used for non-ascii characters in address book name in order to keep asci entry name. 
> ldap_2.servers._nonascii.description="_"

Comment 11

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to comment #0)
> Created 16 address books.
> the 2 main address books with over 450 address deleted
> - devasted was in proscess of creating and then exporting.

If "16 address books", they are address books of .filename=impab-X.mab(X=1 to 16), aren't they. If so, it's imported address book. If imported from file(.csv etc.), .description is set "Imported Address Book" or something like it. 
How did you create the "16 address books"?

What operation do you call "then exporting"? 

> Just gone disappeared - I did not accidentally delete them.

"Gone address books" are address books of .description=""?
As I wrote before, Tb doesn't show address book of .description="" at Address Book window, because it's request to hide from address book list.

Note.
Tb doesn't permit "space only" or Null at UI of "property of address book". So, you can't set "" via UI for address book. If you want to do it by your hand, you have to edit prefs.js, or add entry in user.js, or set via Config Editor.

Comment 12

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

If add-on uses .xxxx_NNN.description(where NNN=positive integer with leading ZERO suppressed) and .xxxx_NNN.description="" to manage multiple versions of address book of xxxx, it conflicts with entry generated by Tb for "_xxxx" or "xxxx_" or "_xxxx_".
Do you use add-on(s) relevant to address book?

Can you reproduce your problem with new profile?
1. thunderbird.exe -profilemanager, create new profile, start with it,
   create a dummy news account with dummy news server name
   => "Local Folders" and a news account is created.
2. Do same operations as comment #0.
Can you see entry of .xxxx.description="" or .xxxx_NNN.description=""?

Comment 13

[fccor]

i am still using thunderbir.
I sincerely like it.
Have not used any more underscores
and  continually back up my address books.
I have almost 1000 e-mails stored in folders in my sent and inbox sub folders.
with no problems.
I believe the underscore in the name created the prolbem.
I have been using this e-mail program all the way back to 1995 
when it was in Netscape.
This is my busy busy time of the year.
dealing with hundreds of e-mails.
http://www.desertconcierge.com
this is why I do not have the time to try other options.
I use many many templates.
the only problems I have with templates
I use at least 1-3 jpgs. in the  templates.
and iwhen I go to send it - error messages "it can not attach."
Then reinsert the images and then it will send.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for trying to resolve the issue.

Comment 14

[fccor]

Attachment: TBs adb's

These are the current ADBs. no problems - no underscores.

Comment 15

[Thomas D. (:thomas8)]

I've seen underscore-related bugs before.

Comment 16

[R Sun]

I just moved to Thunderbird, & imported contacts from Outlook.
I sorted them into different newly created Address Books. 
On exiting Thunderbird & reentering, all those address books are GONE including the contacts. (Luckily, I still have them elsewhere.)

I read the discussion thread date 2011. I do not understand the technical details, but I can gather that the bug "may" be related to the address book names having an underscore. The ones I created do NOT have underscores. They do have spaces tho. e.g. 
01 Often used
02 Seldom used
03 Business contacts

(I did that so the list is ordered in a way that I want.)

It doesn't seem like there is a fix for this from Mozilla - this may mean I'll have to stick to Outlook after all.

Comment 17

[fccor]

Offer a suggestion to last person  - could not find bug to respond
To keep them in order put the letter of the alphabet in front
no underscores etc Aname, Bname, Cname and they will be in the order you want
it is the easiest way and no deletes - I have over 30 address books and 2000 + addresses and this is the way it now works for me. The underscores definitely deleted the address books.