Thunderbird:Autoconfiguration:ConfigFileFormat

This page describes the content of the config file that the Mozilla webservice, ISP config service etc. return.

It should be XML, with a clearly defined format, to be stable and usable by other mail clients, too.

The current RDF format seems good in structure, but needs to be cleaned up to remove the RDF bits, Mozilla specifics etc.. It would be processed as normal XML, e.g. using E4X in Thunderbird.

The email address (before @ or with domain) that the user entered can be used as placeholder in the config file, so the file is the same for all users (i.e. static).

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<clientConfig
    xmlns="http://mailconfig.mozillamessaging.com/fileformat/namespace/2008">

    <emailProvider id="googlemail.com">
      <domain>gmail.com</domain>
      <domain>googlemail.com</domain>

      <displayName>Google Mail</displayName>
      <displayShortName>GMail</displayShortName>

      <inputfields>
        <inputfield key="USERNAME" label="Screen name"></field>
        <inputfield key="GRANDMA" label="Grandma">Elise Bauer</field>
        <!-- label will be shown to the user as description for the field
             It's not localizable (too much effort, and most ISPs are local).

             key can be used as placeholder in the settings (see below)

             The content can be empty or a default or example value.
             The example value may be the default text field content,
             shown as example next to the textfield, or not shown at all.
        -->
      </inputfields>
      <incomingServer type="pop3">
         <hostname>pop.googlemail.com</hostname>
         <port>995</port>
         <socketType>TLS</socketType>
           <!-- unexcrypted, SSL, TLS
                "if available" options considered harmful -->
         <username>%EMAILFIRSTPART%</username>
         <authentication>DIGEST-MD5</authentication>
            <!-- anonymous,
                 plain,
                 login,
                 CRAM-MD5,
                 DIGEST-MD5,
                 KerberosV4,
                 GSSAPI (Kerberos v5),
            -->
         <pop3>
            <!-- remove the following and leave to client/user? -->
            <leaveMessagesOnServer>true</leaveMessagesOnServer>
            <deleteMailLeftOnServer>false</deleteMailLeftOnServer>
         </pop3>
      </incomingServer>

      <outgoingServer type="smtp">
         <hostname>smtp.googlemail.com</hostname>
         <port>587</port>
         <socketType>TLS</socketType> <!-- see above -->
         <username>%USERNAME%</username> <!-- if smtp-auth -->
         <authentication>smtp-auth</authentication>
            <!-- none (server grants access based on IP address),
                 smtp-auth (RFC 2554, 4954),
                 smtp-after-pop (authenticate to incoming mail server first
                 before contacting the smtp server)-->
         <addThisServer>true</addThisServer>
         <useGlobalPreferredServer>true</useGlobalPreferredServer>
      </outgoingServer>

      <identity>
         <!-- needed? -->
         <!-- We don't want Verizon setting "Organization: Verizon"
              for its customers -->
      </identity>

    <emailProvider>

    <clientConfigUpdate url="https://www.googlemail.com/config/mozilla.xml" />
</clientConfig>

Placeholders:

• %EMAILADDRESS% (full email address of the user, usually entered by the user)
• %EMAILFIRSTPART% (email address, part before @)
• %EMAILDOMAIN% (email address, part after @)
• %REALNAME% (needed?)
• The key (surrounded by %) in <inputfield key="">

These placeholders can be used as value or value part in most settings which take a string.

TODO:

• IMAP
• All settings and enum values