825859 - Don't add Resent-headers to forwarded e-mails

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, enhancement)

Description

[Onno Ekker [:nONoNonO UTC+1]]

When you forward a message inline with only normal headers viewed, Thunderbird adds not only the normal headers, but also Resent-Comments, Resent-Date, Resent-From, Resent-To and Resent-Bcc (and Organization) headers.

These headers should only be inserted in the forwarded mail, when they are also shown in the viewed mail. Thus the Resent-headers should only be shown when they are added to the mailnews.headers.extraExpandedHeaders preference (and the organization header only when added to mailnews.headers.extraExpandedHeaders or when mailnews.headers.showOrganization is true).

This bug is related to bug 265598 which is about showing the Resent-From header (which can be accomplished by adding Resent-From to the mailnews.headers.extraExpandedHeaders pref)...

Comment 1

[ISHIKAWA, Chiaki]

Ouch, I got bitten by this confusing behavior.

I almost submit a separate bugzilla about this issue.

Since the original message does not explain the confusion this behavior causes, I am quoting the message I wrote for the would-be-new-entry here.

The remedy of not showing Resent-From:, Resent-Date: suggested in the original message may be a solution.

--- begin quote ---
This is under Windows 10 pro 64-bit, and I am using thunderbird 102.9.0 64-bit.

Initially I wrote the summary line as
"Thunderbird Inconsistent forward behavior: sometimes Resent-date:, and Resent-From: header are added in in the quoted mail body, and when that happens, Resent-Date is NOT that of Resent timing,. but close to the original sent time."

But now I realize this is the result of very confusing behavior of TB.

Observation.
Very confusing behavior.

I noticed that when I forward an e-mail, and I am not sure why and when, but sometimes and not always (and not always seems to be the norm in my situation),
Resent-Date:
Resent-From:
header lines are added in the quoted "FOwarded Message" part under
"-------- Forwarded Message --------"

as in the following.: I need to replace some texts to protect the privacy of e-mail and the original sender.

-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	... has to be secret ...
Resent-Date: 	Thu, 9 Feb 2023 09:01:23 +0900 (JST)
Resent-From: 	one of my e-mail addresses (different from my local ISP address)
Date: 	Thu, 9 Feb 2023 09:01:05 +0900
From: 	an address which  has to be secret ... 
To: 	an address which has to be secret ...

Note that the original Date and Resent-Date is very close. Only different by 18 seconds.
But this is patently wrong because I just tried to forward the original e-mail.
So the date should be Tue, 28 Mar 2023 09:01:23 +0900 (JST) or something like that.

Correction/Revelation: Well, after writing this post halfway through, I now realize that my local TB is NOT inserting new Resent-From: header line in the quoted forwarded e-mail part, but rather I realize now that it WAS already in the original e-mail message I received, and TB is COPYING that to the forwarded message.
That is, the mail to one of my e-mail addresses was sent at time, T,
it was received and forwarded to my local ISP address at slightly later time, T', and
that T' was in Resent-Date: header which was already in the message.

So the question and the problem are as follows.

1. I am not sure why this Resent-Date: and Resent-From: are SOMETIMES added in a random fashion (well, it looks to me that way).
   The e-mail used in the above example is from an organization and sent in a mailing list fashion, I think, to one of e-mail addresses, let me call it A. I received this e-mail to B at my ISP's local address because it is forwarded to my ISP local address (B).
   My TB instance under windows has this address B as primary e-mail setup.
   I created the entry of e-mail address (A) in the address list that can be used for "From" filed for this mail setup for B, so that I can easily respond to the e-mail sent to A, forwarded to B. Without creating the entry of A in the mail address list for "From:", I have to modify the "From: B" to "From: A" manually.
   I am explaining this since this setup MAY subtly have something to do with this seemingly random insertion of "Resent-From:" header line as in the example.

Most of the time, I don't see the "Resent-From:" line in the forwarded message body.
So I am not sure why and when this line is added.

I noticed this strange Resent-Date:, Resent-From: lines when I try to forward e-mail news from an organization. So the headers in the original e-mail may have something to do with this insertion of these headers in the quoted forwarded e-mail body.

I looked at the headers from the several e-mails with which I noticed this strange Resent-From: line, and I noticed that because of the automatic forwarding from the address A to the address B, the e-mail that exhibited the automatic insertion of "Resent-From:", "Resent-Date:" already have
"Resent-From: A" line added by the mail server (or mail software) used to receive the e-mail that receives the e-mail sent to the address A and automatically forward it to the address B.
AFTERTHOUGHT: OK, as I explained in the Correction/Revelation paragraph, I think TB is simply COPYING the already existing Resent-From:, Resent-Date: headers in the original message headers, NOT creating new header lines on its own.

But then I am not entirely sure when those Resent-From:, Resent-Date: headers are added. It seems to the behavior of some mail servers along the delivery path. So I am not entirely sure when those are added.

2. The problem of incorrect date value in Resent-Date: line in the quoted forwarded message is a problem.
   I think it should reflect the date of "forward" action automatically.
   Right now, it seems that it tries to pick up the original sent date in the already existing Resent-Date: header in the original message.
   All I can say is that it can be quite confusing if the
   Resent-From: already has the address from which I want to forward the e-mail because of the action of one of the mail transfer/delivery agents
   Because in this case, the old date/time in Resent-From: is very likely to confuse the recipient of the forwarded message. It looks as if the mail has been forwarded to me by the OLD date instead of NOW.
   (Of course, the message's date shows NOW, but recipient is likely to be confused by the
   date/time of Resent-Date: line in the quoted message (and Resent-From: has one of e-mail addresses, which I am now using to forward the message.)

I think we need to do something to lessen the chance of confusion.

Instead of simply inserting the already existing Resent-From: and Resent-Date lines at the beginning of forwarded message block,
we may want to say, at the end of quoted headers, something like

(the original message has      Resent-From: ...
 and the following date/time, Resent-Date: ... )

What do people think?

I was confused to no ends for the last hour why the Resent-Date was patently wrong until I realized it was just the reflection of the Resent-Date: header line added by one of the mail deliver/transfer agents (sometimes). Ouch.
--- end quote ----