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Message Tabs
Revision 54314:
Revision 54314 by tb_migration on
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Revision 105794 by Tonnes on
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Message tabs is a new feature in Thunderbird 3 that enables messages, folders, search results and even some web content to be displayed in tabs within a single Thunderbird window. Similar to Firefox's tabbed browsing, multiple messages can be displayed without opening multiple Thunderbird message windows.
Message tabs enable messages, folders, search results and even some web content to be displayed in tabs within a single Thunderbird window.
Content:
Message tabs is a new feature in Thunderbird 3 that enables messages, folders, search results and even some web content to be displayed in tabs within a single Thunderbird window. Similar to Firefox's tabbed browsing, multiple messages can be displayed without opening multiple Thunderbird message windows.
[[Image:5865fbc8be82c8d18c2d1714a3cc838a-1259271160-696-1.png]]
= How to change tab behavior =
The message tab behavior depends on a preference setting. Thunderbird gives you the option to make messages open in new tabs, new windows or a existing Thunderbird window. You can change this preference under Tools - Options - Advanced.
[[Image:Pref for Changing Tab Behavious when opening Messages]]
By default, when Thunderbird is opened it creates a single tab. This displays all of the mail accounts and folders in a panel on the left, and a message list and selected message on the right. (The messages displayed depend on which folder and message is selected.)
[[Image:Default Tab Screenshot]]
= Using tabs =
When you double-click a message, press Enter when a message is highlighted, or right-click a message in the message list and select '''Open Message in a New Tab''', the message will be displayed in a new tab:
[[Image:Open Message in a New Tab 2]]
To open a folder in a tab, right-click the folder and select '''Open in New Tab'''. Middle-click a message or folder to open it in a tab in the background (that is, to keep focus on the current tab while opening a new tab that contains the selected item).
When you perform a search, the results are displayed in a tab:
[[Image:Search Results in a Tab]]
When you double-click a newsgroup message or a blog post in the message list, the message or post is displayed in a new tab:
[[Image:Double Click New Tab]]
Use the {key Ctrl+Tab} (and {key Ctrl+Shift+Tab}) keystrokes to move to the right or left tab respectively. To move to a specific tab, use {key Ctrl+<number>}, where "<number>" is a digit that represents the desired tab's position from left to right. (For example, to jump to the fourth tab from the left, use {key Ctrl+4}.)
As of Thunderbird 5, you can reposition tabs by clicking and dragging individual tabs into the desired position.
Certain kinds of web content can also be displayed in a tab in Thunderbird. For example, if you select '''Help | What's New''', Thunderbird opens a tab and displays content from the web. However, as a user, you can't select web content to display in a tab - it only happens when the function is invoked from within the Thunderbird program or from within a Thunderbird extension.
To close a tab, either click the close symbol or use the {key Ctrl+W} keyboard shortcut.
Message tabs enable messages, folders, search results and even some web content to be displayed in tabs within a single Thunderbird window. Similar to Firefox's tabbed browsing, multiple messages can be displayed without opening multiple Thunderbird message windows.
[[Image:5865fbc8be82c8d18c2d1714a3cc838a-1259271160-696-1.png]]
= How to change tab behavior =
The message tab behavior depends on a preference setting. Thunderbird gives you the option to make messages open in new tabs, new windows or an existing Thunderbird window. You can change this preference in the {for win}'''Options'''{/for}{for linux,mac}'''Preferences'''{/for} window:
# [[Template:OptionsPreferences TB]].
# Click the {menu Display} panel.
# Click the {menu Advanced} tab.
{for win}
{for not tb31}[[Image:options-open-tabs-win-tb17]]{/for}
{for tb31}[[Image:options-open-tabs-win-tb31]]{/for} <!-- needs new screenshot -->
{/for}
{for linux,mac}[[Image:Pref for Changing Tab Behavious when opening Messages]]{/for} <!-- needs new screenshot -->
By default, when Thunderbird is opened it creates a single tab. This displays all of the mail accounts and folders in a panel on the left, and a message list and selected message on the right. (The messages displayed depend on which folder and message is selected.)
[[Image:Default Tab Screenshot]]
= Using tabs =
When you double-click a message, press {key Enter} when a message is highlighted, or right-click a message in the message list and select {menu Open Message in New Tab}, the message will be displayed in a new tab:
[[Image:Open Message in a New Tab 2]]
To open a folder in a tab in the background, right-click the folder and select {menu Open in New Tab}. {for win,linux}You can also middle-click a message or folder to open it in a tab in the background (that is, to keep focus on the current tab while opening a new tab that contains the selected item).{/for}
When you perform a search, the results are displayed in a tab:
[[Image:Search Results in a Tab]]
When you double-click a newsgroup message or a blog post in the message list, the message or post is displayed in a new tab:
[[Image:Double Click New Tab]]
Use the {key Ctrl+Tab} (and {key Ctrl+Shift+Tab}) keystrokes to move to the right or left tab respectively. To move to a specific tab, use {key Ctrl+<number>}, where "<number>" is a digit that represents the desired tab's position from left to right. (For example, to jump to the fourth tab from the left, use {key Ctrl+4}.)
You can reposition tabs by clicking and dragging individual tabs into the desired position.
{for not tb31}
Certain kinds of web content can also be displayed in a tab in Thunderbird. For example, if you click {menu Help} and select {menu What's New}, Thunderbird opens a tab and displays content from the web. However, as a user, you can't select web content to display in a tab - it only happens when the function is invoked from within the Thunderbird program or from within a Thunderbird extension.
{/for}
To close a tab, either click the close symbol or use the {key Ctrl+W} keyboard shortcut.