791522 - User should be able to Specify a location for archive that is outside the profile folder

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Folder and Message Lists, enhancement)

Description

[Matt]

The current options for specifying an archive folder all require that the archive be located within the existing profile.  I, and I assume others, have some trouble reconciling the word archive with the use of the active mail profile..

I would like to see an Archive account created as an option, like a mini local folders that can be used specifically to point to a true archive UNC path I see no reason that the user be limited to one such account, as they may wish to have a separate archive location per account.

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to Matt from comment #0)
> The current options for specifying an archive folder all require that the
> archive be located within the existing profile.

It's wrong.
Any mail folder can be located out side of Tb's profile, although mail account in Tb who owns the mail folder should be defined in prefs.js which is always placed in Tb's profile.

(1) Change Local Directory:(==mail directory for the mail account in Tb)
(1-a) Change Local Directory: of existing mail account including Local Folders.
(1-b) Create a dummy POP3 account(with non-existent server name),
      and change Local Directory:.
(2) Restart Tb(mandatory)
(3) Select an existent mail folder of account of (1)
    at Copies&Folders(Archives, Sent, Drafts, Templates), at Junk Setting(Junk),
    of any mail account in Tb.

Your "mini Local Folders" can be (1-b), if UNC path is mounted as network drive with same drive letter always(Win) or is mounted(Linux/Mac OS X).
I don't know UNC path in "Local Directory:" setting works with no problem or not.
(format of mail.server.serverX.directory-rel == [ProfD]../../../MAIL-NEWS/Mail/dummy.pop3.server like one if same drive as Tb's profile on Win.)
I don't know what happens when UNC path is not reachable.

Comment 2

[Matt]

I am aware of that, but that is not a standard configuration, it is a workaround. Dummy accounts, fictional servers holy workarounds batman.  I really get sick of that dummy account causing error messages and password requests every time I forget and press Shift + F5

We have had archiving for a long time now and it is time that it truly lived up to it's name.  

Archive as it stands is only partially complete. When I press A or select Archive for the first time I should be asked to configure it, and allow the user the choice of sorting their archive in the current profile or at a location that they decide. 

From a business perspective, there are requirements that email be kept for X years depending on the jurisdiction.  The current archive arrangement gives no option to "archive" these mails to somewhere other than the current working set.   The default for an IMAP account is to archive them in a folder on the server, hardly a real archive.

Thinking back to the days when we had paper files, you rang the person in the archive department, who created a pull request and in a day or week the file you had requested magically appeared in the mail from the far flung distant and dusty shelves of the archive.

While I have no desire to go back there, I should be able to archive mail to a destination of my choice without going to the lengths of a workaround such as this. If my preferred archive device is the NAS on my network, I should be able to simply set that destination as the archive for the account

Thunderbird is

Comment 3

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to Matt from comment #2)
> I really get sick of that dummy account causing error messages and password
> requests every time I forget and press Shift + F5

Such error message and password prompt is in old Tb only, isn't it? Do you see such error/prompt in recent Tb releases, with dummy POP3 account of actually non-exsistent server like x.x.x?
If actually non-exsistent server like x.x.x and Tb 15.0.1, "connecting to x.x.x..." is shown at status bar for a while(during DNS Lookup), but the status bar message is changed to "Looked up x.x.x" sooner, and no error message is logged in Activity Manager, and no dialog/prompt is shown. So, it's never annoying for user.

Or you defined dummy IMAP account?

> but that is not a standard configuration, it is a workaround. Dummy accounts, fictional servers holy workarounds batman.

Configuration itself is prety standard, because any POP3 account with any POP3 server name can be defined via "Manual Setup"/"Advanced Config". So, not workaround.
Problem in it are;
(a) Mismatch with term of "add Existing Account" used by Tb.
(b) User has to find actually non-existent server name.
If server type = "mini Local Folders" or "Fictional Server" like one is supported for account to hold mail folder only, and if there is no need to type actually non-existent server name, problem (b) disappears.
IIRC, this is already requested in a bug, but I'm not sure.
If "trying to connect to server" is disabled like Local Folders account, unwanted status bar message also disappears. This is also already requested as "per account offline mode" feature, per account never-try-to-connect-to-server option etc.

For your enhancement request.
  "per folder local mail file location" may be a reasonable solution.
  UI level change :
    enhancement of Folder Properties/General, Location: is sufficient
  Back-end level change : it's very tough work...
For "backup of mail data in DVD-ROM", there is request for feature like next.
  attachable/detachable mail folder which can have different file location of
  "mail data file(read only access is needed)" and ."msf file(read/write access
  is needed)".
This can be applied to "backup is read-only network file" case.
These enhancements may be slightly easier than current if "pluggable mail store" feature will be fully implemented and if current "Unix Mbox format file + .msf file" system will be changed to sophisticated one.

Comment 4

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

For your requirement, feature like next may be helphul.
(i) Archive to any mail folder by archive operation.
    Upon each archive operation, mail folder can be selected.
(ii) Archive to any directory as .eml file by archive operation
   + attachable/detachable maildir like mail folder
     (a mail folder == a directory + many .eml files in the directory)

Comment 5

[:aceman]

Your problem may also be helped in bug 479823. Once you create that Dummy/archive account, you can define filters to run when you press the Archive button. Those filters can move messages to any account+folder you want.

Comment 6

[Kent James (:rkent)]

Matt (comment 2) "From a business perspective, there are requirements that email be kept for X years depending on the jurisdiction." would not typically done by the Archive function, you would have to implement some sort of server functionality to do that reliably. Even if done on the client level, this is a function that should happen on incoming messages, not on Archive.

Still, having Archive located outside of the main profile is a valid request, but this is an enhancement. I think the original use case of Archive is to simply get messages our of your inbox and other active folders when they are no longer needed. Having that in the profile is should be the default behavior without requiring configuration.