Dragging an email with a failing mouse, the email was lost and is not in ANY folder, on yahoo or my local folders.
Using an old Logitech Mouse, which is failing and sometimes "releases" when it shouldn't, I was moving an e-mail from my Inbox to a local folder. The Mouse failed about when it was over the line inbetween the two. Since then I cannot find the e-mail, either in any of the Yahoo folders OR in any of my Local Folders. I tried finding the e-mail again when I next started up Thunderbird, but with the same result. It seems to be permanently lost! Yes, I now have a new mouse! - but this shouldn't have happened.
Wšykne wótegrona (9)
Its working fine for me. Are you getting any specific error??
I'm afraid "It's" is about as vague as it's possbile to get!!!
Thunderbird gave no error message - the email just disappeared.
I suggest if trying to re-create the problem, to try dragging an email from the Inbox to a Local Folder and releasing the mouse when not over either the inbox or with any Local Folder highlighted. This just might do the same thing as my old failing mouse. I've not been able to re-create it. But it DID happen and I checked EVERY SINGLE FOLDER very thouroughly - Twice, once before closing Thunderbird, the second time on re-starting.
I repeat that I don't think that Thunderbird should "Loose" an e-mail when dragging - under any circumstances, so I think that it is a serious error!
Greg the Yeti said
I repeat that I don't think that Thunderbird should "Loose" an e-mail when dragging - under any circumstances, so I think that it is a serious error!
Drag and drop has to have a valid from and to to move anything. That it is gone from the point of origin means to found a home, but where is another issue. it could be any folder in Thunderbird, or even your desktop or the files system on your computer as dragging a message to the desktop/file system creates an EML file containing the message that was dragged.
Have you tried searching using the global search (Ctrl+K) or doing a "per account " search using Ctrl+ Shift+F
Hi Matt, thanks for your suggestions.
I agree with you that a dragged e-mail SHOULD have both "to" and "from" information, however this seems not to have taken place!
My "feeling" about what has happened it that Yahoo, having recieved the moving request actually deleted the e-mail from my inbox online, but because my failing Logitech mouse "released" the button when it was not over a "destination" it did not get copied (downloaded) to any local folder.
Cetainly I searched VERY thouroughly in ALL folders at the time, both my Yahoo inbox plus ALL other online folders, plus ALL local folders. I repeated this thourough search after re-starting Thunderbird, to see if the problem might be corrected. No Luck.
I have taken your suggestion to search also on my local file system and desktop.
Thunderbird does not store the e-mails as *.eml but in database "folders". Directories occur as *.sbd while the actual folder databases occur as two files. One without an extension, with the other as a *.msf. While these files are in "plain text", the only effective method of searching these is to use Thunderbird to search the folders! This has been done...
I did do a search of my entire C; Drive "Just in case" (no files "hidden"). Nothing whatever!
All I can surmise is that Yahoo deleted the file from the inbox without copying it to anywhere else - the "Move" became a "Delete" request??? - and all because the dratted mouse was failing.
While I can curse Logitech, I still believe that this should not have taken place and that Thundebird should "package" the two parts more securely together - "Copying/Downloading" must be FIRST and only later when that is accomplished, "Deletion" from the inbox. This clearly DID NOT TAKE PLACE! The Yahoo server clearly acted on the Deletion without having done the download......
This remains in my view a serious flaw! Is it the fault of Yahoo? I would say not. The instructions should be "staged" successively so that this could not take place.
Regards Greg Yates
Greg the Yeti said
Hi Matt, thanks for your suggestions. I agree with you that a dragged e-mail SHOULD have both "to" and "from" information, however this seems not to have taken place!
Sorry, but it can not happen, despite your apparent issue.
My "feeling" about what has happened it that Yahoo, having recieved the moving request actually deleted the e-mail from my inbox online, but because my failing Logitech mouse "released" the button when it was not over a "destination" it did not get copied (downloaded) to any local folder.
Depending on your expunge settings. Try changing your account settings for deleted mail to "just mark as deleted"
Thunderbird does not store the e-mails as *.eml but in database "folders".but it creates EML files when the target is the local file system.
Directories occur as *.sbd while the actual folder databases occur as two files. One without an extension, with the other as a *.msf. While these files are in "plain text", the only effective method of searching these is to use Thunderbird to search the folders! This has been done...
Utter rubbish. You can open them in notepad and if they get to large for notepad notepad++ from the web is more than capable.
I did do a search of my entire C; Drive "Just in case" (no files "hidden"). Nothing whatever!
Windows does not search most of it's own files, let alone the hard disk. You have to make changes to show hidden files etc https://www.technipages.com/show-hidden-files-windows
Once done. Open a Command prompt (admin) (windows key+X) type CD \ press enter. Type dir *.eml /s press enter. Wait until the command prompt reappears. It might be 10 minutes or so. Were any EML files found?
All I can surmise is that Yahoo deleted the file from the inbox without copying it to anywhere else - the "Move" became a "Delete" request??? - and all because the dratted mouse was failing.
Many IMAP servers do not actually support a message move. it is simulated with a message copy followed by a message delete.
While I can curse Logitech, I still believe that this should not have taken place and that Thundebird should "package" the two parts more securely together - "Copying/Downloading" must be FIRST and only later when that is accomplished, "Deletion" from the inbox. This clearly DID NOT TAKE PLACE! The Yahoo server clearly acted on the Deletion without having done the download...... This remains in my view a serious flaw! Is it the fault of Yahoo? I would say not. The instructions should be "staged" successively so that this could not take place.
lets look at a drag and drop action from a code perspective. https://searchfox.org/comm-central/source/mail/base/content/nsDragAndDrop.jsappears to be the source used for drag and drop.
Hi Matt,
sorry but saying that something "Cannot Happen" when it has, really doesn't help your understanding of the problem!
There are ABOLUTELY NO *.eml files in my Thunderbird Profile (my Local Folder Structure) so you are SIMPLY MISTAKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suggest you actually LOOK at your profile and find where Local Folders are strored. There are NO *.eml Files!
I NEVER use Windows Explorer or Windows Search! I use "XYplorer" and have for MANY MANY YEARS always made sure that there are not "hidden files" or hidden File Extensions.
Perhaps you are the one who is using the default setting of hiding known extensions, perhaps that's why you havn't noticed that Thunderbird doesn't use *.eml files to store?
A "code perspective", or what "Must" happen doesnt' help anybody when something which is not SUPPOSED to happen ACTUALLY DOES!
I note that you have replied to 22,823 questions but have only 3,300 solutions. That's a solution rate of only 14.459% Perhaps you're not the best person to solve this problem? You seem to allow you're Assumptions to make you blind?
Regards Greg Yates
I have made a genuine "Bug Report" here.
I would prefer to have no more insulting and ignorant replies from people who clearly do not know what they are talking about.
Please, someone advance this as a "Bug Report".
It clearly does not advance the reporting and solution of "Bugs" to have to go through a barrage of Ignorant, Ranting and Insulting Rubbish!
Only wanting Thunderbird to be better!
Regards Greg Yates
You have not made a bug report, you have sought support. To this point I do not even accept you have found a bug. You are free to file one in bugzilla if you so desire, but you will need to offer more that a belief that such a thing occurred.
A bug to be actionable requires steps to reproduce. So before you start writing your bug report how does the developer assigned actually test your bug so they can see what the issue is. A vague complaint that I had defective hardware and I did something and I have lost something is really no an actionable bug. There are plenty of bugs in Bugzilla going back to the days of Netscape that are not actionable.
Are there issues with IMAP and drag and drop of multiple emails. Certainly are. But your bug report is most likely destined to end like this one. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=520478
As I said before the EML file could be anywhere in the file system, or on an plugged in USB device. I gave clear instructions on how to undertake a search of the local disk and I got a reply that it was not in the Thunderbird profile folder and for some reason it is my fault for not knowing you do not use a standard file manger in windows.
I really still have no idea is you searched using a command prompt, but I assume not.
Either way. This is not a bug report. Happy bug reporting in the correct location.
I note that you have replied to 22,823 questions but have only 3,300 solutions. That's a solution rate of only 14.459% Perhaps you're not the best person to solve this problem? You seem to allow you're Assumptions to make you blind?
Well what would you have me do, your here stating that due to some defective hardware something happened and you have elected to point the finger at Thunderbird.
Can you reproduce this event? I can't.
But I have invested three of those replies here. Sort of makes a success rate low when you folks you are talking to don't want a solution, they want to file a bug that is someone elses problem.
I have been around these support fora about a decade and have seen only a couple of mysterious drag and drop actions (always something of a lottery I find as drop target change so quickly). I have searched bugzilla and find nothing particularly inspiring, So what would you have me do. Accept your unsubstantiated assertion? That is not going to happen. I need to be able to reproduce the action.
My original post REPORTED a problem. I did not seek "support", merely that Thunderbird should be improved so that this did not happen again. No amount of lies on your part can change this. It is on record! Read it!
Regretably Thunderbird does not have a direct way of reporting bugs, from WITHIN the program. Even Microsoft, the paragons of "We Won't Listen to You", are now beginning to realise that they must allow this.
I posted in the Forum that Thunderbird and Mozilla DIRECTED ME TO! I'll repeat that they directed me to this Forum. So, I didn't post it on the entirely separate "https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/home". Fine that seems to be your sole superiority over me. Enjoy it! It's your only one!
If this Forum had a "Complaint" button I would use that and complain about the fact that you have wasted my time and yours with repeated attempts to say that:-
1) It couldn't have happened because it's IMPOSSIBLE. 2) That Thunderbird stores emails in the Local Folders as *.eml files - When it clearly does not! 3) That I didn't check for these NON-EXITENT *.eml files well enough. But every time I did what you wanted you changed the goal posts, and still said that I hadn't checked "properly". I would add:- 3) That you're a booring, little bully, who likes to put down users instead of helping make Thunderbird better. 4) At 14.459% success rate, I fully understand your constant need to put others down! 5) That your replies have been factually incorrect, but you still try to claim superiority by ceaseless posturing, to claim that you are more than you really are. 6) While you are an offical "Moderator" I feel that Mozilla would be well served by banning you from participating in this Forum! 7) A Forum that has arrogant, ignorant people such as you as moderators are doomed never to make Thunderbird better! 8) With all the time that you have wasted a genuine programmer might have had a chance to see what was really going on - and correct it.