783603 - Outlook text/calendar email event mime attachments are not shown

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 505024

(Thunderbird :: Untriaged, defect)

Description

[Ian Stokes-Rees]

If I am sent an email with a MIME text/calendar attachment from Outlook then that attachment is not displayed anywhere in Thunderbird.

Attached PDF shows troubleshooting information for my Thunderbird instance.  Below is an example MIME attachment that is not visible.

--_000_7E5049D0D51F2F408C55FBA88368F2590110ECFBMBX01seasharvar_
Content-Type: text/calendar; charset="utf-8"; method=REQUEST
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

QkVHSU46VkNBTEVOREFSDQpNRVRIT0Q6UkVRVUVTVA0KUFJPRElEOk1pY3Jvc29mdCBFeGNoYW5n
ZSBTZXJ2ZXIgMjAxMA0KVkVSU0lPTjoyLjANCkJFR0lOOlZUSU1FWk9ORQ0KVFpJRDpFYXN0ZXJu
IFN0YW5kYXJkIFRpbWUNCkJFR0lOOlNUQU5EQVJEDQpEVFNUQVJUOjE2MDEwMTAxVDAyMDAwMA0K
VFpPRkZTRVRGUk9NOi0wNDAwDQpUWk9GRlNFVFRPOi0wNTAwDQpSUlVMRTpGUkVRPVlFQVJMWTtJ
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VkVWRU5UDQpFTkQ6VkNBTEVOREFSDQo=

--_000_7E5049D0D51F2F408C55FBA88368F2590110ECFBMBX01seasharvar_--

Comment 1

[Ian Stokes-Rees]

Attachment: PDF of TB Troubleshooting Information from my mail client

Comment 2

[Rob Janssen]

Your example is too small a part of the message.  I think when you further analyze
the message you will find that the text/calender part by itself is not the issue,
but the problem is that the part is sent as part of a multipart/alternative set
instead of multipart/mixed.   This can be considered a bug in Outlook.  Of course
Thunderbird should be fixed to handle this issue, because it is triggered by
messages sent by the industry standard mailer, and the bug is not going to be
fixed by Microsoft.

See also bug 505024

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Rob Janssen from comment #2)
> This can be considered a bug in Outlook.  Of course
> Thunderbird should be fixed to handle this issue, because it is triggered by
> messages sent by the industry standard mailer, and the bug is not going to be
> fixed by Microsoft.
> 
> See also bug 505024

Is a bug filed against Microsoft?

Comment 4

[rsx11m]

(Quoting WADA in part from bug 505024 comment #22)
> (ii) View/Message Body As/All Body Parts,
>      with mailnews.display.show_all_body_parts_menu = true
>      (implemented by Bug 602718. available since Tb 8)

Ian, does this work for you and show the event as an attachment or message part?

 1. Access the Config Editor in Thunderbird > Preferences > Advanced > General
 2. Copy-paste mailnews.display.show_all_body_parts_menu into its search bar
 3. Double-click on the entry that remains to toggle it to "true"
 4. Now select View > Message Body As > All Body Parts from the menu

Comment 5

[Ian Stokes-Rees]

If I have Lightning installed (as I do now), then things work OK.  Unfortunately I don't have time now to test this by uninstalling Lightning and then asking someone to send me a meeting invite.  If I'm able to, I'll test it later this week.

Comment 6

[Rob Janssen]

(In reply to rsx11m from comment #4)

With that workaround it normally works OK (at least for me), but it is not a suitable
workaround for everyday use because it must be changed back and forward for every message.
(normal message-with-attachment handling is not userfriendly when this setting is active)

Comment 7

[Rob Janssen]

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #3)
> (In reply to Rob Janssen from comment #2)

> Is a bug filed against Microsoft?

Not by me.  I have the experience that it is very difficult to file bugs in software
when you are not a client.  And with Microsoft in particular my experience is that
they have put a layer of monkeys between you and the development department that keep
replying to detailed bug reports with clueless questions that indicate they did not
understand the report at all.

Comment 8

[rik belew]

Attachment: message with ICS attachment, visible only with Lightning

Comment 9

[rik belew]

i just added a sample message as attachment, above.  on TB17.07, this comes thru with invisible body, tho all attachments seen when View Source.  but if i add Lightning, it becomes visible in body of message.  (Following Bug#505024, but this one seems closer.)

Comment 10

[Rob Janssen]

Rik,

It is know how it happens.   It is caused by this:
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

The problem is that Microsoft does not completely adhere to the standard, and there
is no workaround for this in Seamonkey/Thunderbird.

Comment 11

[rik belew]

(In reply to Rob Janssen from comment #6)
> (In reply to rsx11m from comment #4)

+1: this hack works for me, too, and is better than nothing i guess.  but for now i'll keep Lightning installed, if only to make these appointments jump out!

Comment 12

[rik belew]

(In reply to Rob Janssen from comment #10)
> Rik,
> 
> It is know how it happens.   It is caused by this:
> Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> 
> The problem is that Microsoft does not completely adhere to the standard,
> and there
> is no workaround for this in Seamonkey/Thunderbird.

thanks Rob.  then should this bug's status be changed from UNCONFIRMED ?

Comment 13

[rik belew]

(In reply to Rob Janssen from comment #10)

PS:  and if Lightning can do it, why can't whatever workaround it's using be ported to TB?

Comment 14

[Rob Janssen]

I am not a developer.  I wished some workaround would be implemented and asked a
developer to include something that partly worked, but it did not happen.

Comment 15

[W. F.]

Confirming still in Thunderbird 24.0. Lightning works as described.

Comment 17

[José M. Muñoz]

Let's get this straight:
Bug 505024: In an multipart/alternative message, the text/calendar part isn't shown unless Lightning is installed. That is also the complaint here.
Bug 760412: In an multipart/alternative message, the text/html part isn't shown if Lightning is installed.

Since TB78 Lightning is always "installed" (integrated into TB), so bug 505024 has been resolved and bug 760412 permanently becomes an issue.