Thunderbird In Bold

[Bigaldoc]

I know I typed this but I think I forgot to punch the submit button! I'm way behind the times since I still run 2.0.0.24 but it suits my needs and I still don't like version 3.x

A couple of days ago my TB folder pane and the message list windows all went BOLD and I don't know how it happened 'cause I didn't notice it for awhile. I've checked all the Options choices and even looked in the Config Editor and can't figure out what to change to put it back the correct way. Only UNREAD folders and messages should be in bold. I've also peeked inside a number of the files in my TB profiles folder and can't find anything that looks like a candidate.

Any ideas or advice appreciated...

[stuck]

In a folder that you know only holds messages you have read can you 'mark that folder as read' and if you do does that remove the bolding on that folder? If so then you can 'fix' your problem by marking each folder as read.

As to why you TB suddenly thinks all your messages are unread, I don't know. I just know that this used to happen to some of my folders in TB2. In my case I always attributed it to the way our IT people had set up TB which meant the TB client on my local HDD often lost touch with its profile that was held on a remote/network drive. The corruption that ensued left folders I knew I'd read being displayed in bold.

Ken
EDIT: been Googling and found this bug report that applies to TB 3
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=540554
however the initial posting mentions that it can be fixed by rebuilding the index, which reminds me that...

When you look in your TB profile you will find that each mailbox has two files associated with it. One without an extension, the other with a .msf extension, e.g. Inbox & Inbox.msf.

The file without the extension holds the text of your messages, what ever you do don't delete it! The other file is the message summary file (aka the index) that TB uses to render the content of the main message file as a list within the TB client. If the .msf file gets corrupted then TB won't list the messages correctly.

If you first close TB you can safely delete the .msf files and then when TB restarts it will rebuild the .msf index file When it does this it will show the messages as unread but a right click on the mailbox gives you an option to mark the mailbox as read.

[Bigaldoc]

Thanks Ken, but that doesn't do it. First I tried marking a FOLDER as read and it didn't change anything. So, I went to the messages pane, clicked Ctrl-A to highlight all messages and did a right-click, mark all as read. No dice.

Has to be a setting somewhere. Later this afternoon I'm gonna restore all the files in the root (top) folder of my TB profile to see if I can do a workaround that way. I say the top folder 'cause I don't want to overwrite the past couple of days in the actual mail folder.

[stuck]

Al, see my edit which I was making while you were posting.

Ken

[Bigaldoc]

Whooee, thanks for sticking with me, Ken. That sounds promising. Here's what I've just done.

Went to my image backup from TWO days ago when I'm positive everything was normal and A.O.K. I restored all the files in the top profile folder and that didn't fix the problem.

Since it's so easy to do, mebbe I'll go back to the backup and get the MSF files only, from a couple of days ago. Glad you thought about it - I have been aware of the index (MSF) files in the past but never thought about them (it) being a possible culprit. If this does fix it, I'll lose a little sleep wondering what in the world could have caused it. (just kidding; more "bumps" in the electronic road!)

[Bigaldoc]

It was a nice try but no luck with the MSF files.

I closed TB but instead of going to backup, I first decided to try a test on one of my four mail accounts, my web domain email. So I went to its folder and deleted all the MSF files.

On re-opening TB the boldness is still there. I'm thinking it has to be something centrally located like the About:Config but I have no idea what it might be.

Hey, thanks for your suggestions Ken!

[PaulB]

Boldly going where no 'bird has gone before!
.
.
.
.
Sorry, Al. The devil made me do it...

[Bigaldoc]

Al, see my edit which I was making while you were posting.

Ken, I forgot to say that the bug link you listed talks a lot about IMAP and mine are all POP accounts. The index thing was still a nice try however.

I should note that in the FOLDER pane, new and unread messages are still marked as unread by the presence of the parenthetical count (see attached) but after reading the message, the bold font doesn't revert to unbold.

[ChrisGreaves]

... but after reading the message, the bold font doesn't revert to unbold.

I get this "bold/unread" problem about once a month in 1.5.0.4.
I've tried the MSF route (also rebuilding folders by automatically ripping out attackhments), compacting the database, reloading TBird, sprinkling pumpkin pie on a photo of Skitterbug etc.
All to no avail.
Nowadays I just square my shoulders and "read" them by opening each bolded email before shutting down TBird.

I'd be interested to hear from loungers who share this problem, to learn the highest version in which the problem is reported to appear.
Perhaps Mozilla fixed it for good in the version after that version.

[Bigaldoc]

I may be on to something here so I'll keep digging as we geeks can't let a "curiosity" go unbattled!

I think I've had a reverse-CRS revelation a short time ago. My fading memory suddenly brought back to the forefront that yesterday or Friday, don't remember which, I got a popup inside Thunderbird that there were addon updates available. In both Firefox and Thunderbird when I get a popup about addon updates I always blindly accept it and let the updates install. That may turn out to be a mistake on my part, but I'll have to decide later... Especially since I'm not sure how to "reverse" the update if it turns out to be a bad one.

Since I don't recall if it was extensions or themes, I decided to look at both. I have the following extensions installed so I disabled all four, re-starting TB of course, and that didn't fix the problem.

2010-11-07_151211.png

These three themes and the default are installed and I normally use one of the "Walnut" versions as you can see from my earlier attachments. Switching to the DEFAULT TB THEME makes the bold problem go away, so I am not yet sure which of the other three has caused the problem. Note that all three have the same version number!

2010-11-07_151503.png

I'm going to look at the TB site to see if I can find out anything about the authoring of those themes. Now what I don't know is whether I can replace the "Extensions" folder in my TB profile with one from an earlier image backup.

[viking33]

First of all, I am not having that "bolding" problem but just wanted to kick in this info.

I thought there WAS an update for the Walnut 2 theme just a few days ago AND I thought I just went ahead and installed it. However, I just checked and I'm still showing version 1.8.66.1 as you are. I'm also using the latest FF version 3.162 and TB 3.1.6 ( at least, I think they are the latest? )

[Bigaldoc]

First of all, I am not having that "bolding" problem but just wanted to kick in this info.

I thought there WAS an update for the Walnut 2 theme just a few days ago AND I thought I just went ahead and installed it. However, I just checked and I'm still showing version 1.8.66.1 as you are. I'm also using the latest FF version 3.162 and TB 3.1.6 ( at least, I think they are the latest? )

Thanks, Bob. The 1.8.66.1 IS the very latest on all THREE themes from that author according to his web site. And I believe that all THREE were what was updated on me a couple of days ago.

I believe this BECAUSE: I went to my backup image from three days ago and restored the entire "Extensions" folder in my Thunderbird profile and the bold problem has been fixed! It may be that his themes are OK for TB 3.x and screw up version 2.x I'll never know and I ain't gonna pursue it any further.

I do know that in the future, I WILL NOT blindly let Thunderbird addons update unless there's something in the update I really need. I need to take this tack because I still have NOT given in to version 3.

2010-11-07_164013.png

2010-11-07_164031.png

[Bigaldoc]

Interesting development. I went to the web site of the author of the three themes I have installed to find a contact method. He does have an email address shown (Gmail) so I wrote to him with a summary of my experience to see if it's something he can (or will) fix. He seems to be very active in a lot of areas of Mozilla.

The interesting thing is that in his "spare time" he's a Shakespearean open air theatre actor somewhere in The Netherlands. Here's his picture from the web site:

[Leif]

... he's a Shakespearean open air theatre actor ...

He looks good for his age

[HansV]

He looks good for his age

It's the open air - it keeps him fresh...

[Bigaldoc]

And not only that, he's RESPONSIVE!

I got an email about an hour ago with a revised theme for me to try! Can't beat "service" like that and I told him so in my thank you note.

He also encouraged me, as have others, to give 3.x another shot so I finally took the plunge to 3.1.6 and all is well on my computer! My favorite addon, Slideshow, was automatically updated and works; the "Extra Folder Columns" addon that shows message counts has also been updated. I just got finished a sending and receiving exercise and all four of my email accounts are working just fine.

Een andere uitstekende Nederlander !!!     (Thanks, Nice Translator!)

[HansV]

Yeah, he's different...

(Automated translation remains difficult - "another" was translated as if it was "an other", i.e. "a different". One of my mother's sisters married an English soldier in the aftermath of the Second World War, and moved to England. Forty-five years later, her Dutch was getting a bit rusty. When my father was visiting her, he was inevitably offered a cup of tea. When he finished it, she asked him what came out in Dutch as "Would you like a different cup?" My father, astonished, replied "No, this one is fine, it's not broken, is it?")

[viking33]

And not only that, he's RESPONSIVE!

I got an email about an hour ago with a revised theme for me to try! Can't beat "service" like that and I told him so in my thank you note.

He also encouraged me, as have others, to give 3.x another shot so I finally took the plunge to 3.1.6 and all is well on my computer! My favorite addon, Slideshow, was automatically updated and works; the "Extra Folder Columns" addon that shows message counts has also been updated. I just got finished a sending and receiving exercise and all four of my email accounts are working just fine.

Een andere uitstekende Nederlander !!!     (Thanks, Nice Translator!)

Al,
What was the revised theme that he suggested?
Something beyond Walnut 2, 1.8.66.1?

[Bigaldoc]

What was the revised theme that he suggested?
Something beyond Walnut 2, 1.8.66.1?

No, I had to open and browse the JAR file to see that, but it's still 1.8.66.1 so he must have tweaked it to fix my version 2 TB bolding problem.

Since I sidestepped and installed TB 3 first, I haven't run the update. TB 3 kept my 1.8.66 intact as it was in TB 2.

I'll update all three of his themes as soon as I finish my afternoon chores. I may be a worry wart, but I wanna leave TB 3 alone until I run an image backup, just to be on the safe side.

[Bigaldoc]

... Automated translation remains difficult ...

I know what you mean, Hans. I run into the problem all the time with my limited knowledge of German. I try to write something and the nuances are such that it doesn't come out the way it's supposed to.

Translators are OK going the other way, however. I translated something awhile back from Korean to English that one of the nurses at the home wrote. I got the gist of the message. When I responded in English she was amazed and thought (I'm an army vet) that I speak Korean.