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Talk:Thunderbird:Archived Home Page: Difference between revisions
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(Tbird Enhancement Requests) |
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Many thanks in advance! | Many thanks in advance! | ||
Sue Cifelli | Sue Cifelli | ||
== Major Usability Redesign of Folders & Threads (in 4 Steps) == | |||
=== Step 1: Combined Sender/Receiver Column === | |||
'''Problem:''' Currently, in each custom mail folder there is a column for the sender of the message. For outgoing messages this is always ''your'' name. But you can't see the receiver! (Sure you can display the column for the receiver, but the result are two redundant columns with only one information, since in one of the two is always your own name). | |||
[[Image:CombinedToFromColumn.gif|Screenshot: Combined To/From-Column]] | |||
'''Proposed Improvement:''' Combine the sender and receiver columns to one "who" column. This column would always show the other person's name, and never your own. To differentiate between incoming and outgoing messages, use emphasis (e.g. print outgoing messages in italics) and/or prefix outgoing messages with boldface/italics "To: " and/or use another (small) column showing an icon. Best solution, of course, would be to let the user select the way of emphasizing (italics, color, icon(s), etc.). | |||
This was already filed as: [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=36489 Bug 36489] (for SeaMonkey), [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=274232 Bug 274232] (for Thunderbird), and [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=359270 Bug 359270] (for Penelope, the Mozilla follow-up to Eudora). | |||
This step is, by and large, resolved with the extension [http://www.ggbs.de/extensions/ShowInOut.html Show InOut]. So my suggestion is to include this extension's functionality into Thunderbird and set it as the default behavior. | |||
=== Step 2: Combined "Unsent Messages", "Drafts" and "Sent" Folder === | |||
'''Problem:''' Currently, the folders "Unsent Messages" and "Drafts" are (almost) empty for (almost) all users (almost) all of the time. The purpose of having three different outgoing folders (Unsent Messages, Drafts, Sent) is only to differentiate between the status of the mail. | |||
This has already been filed as [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=197228 Bug 197228] | |||
and was suggested before, see point 5. at [[#UI_Liftup_and_stuff|UI Liftup and stuff]] | |||
[[Image:CombinedOutFolder.gif]] | |||
'''Proposed Improvement:''' Combine these three folders to one "Out" folder. And show the status of the message by using emphasis (bold face for messages not yet sent) and/or a (small) column showing a status icon. | |||
'''Rationale:''' From a logical point of view, an outgoing message not yet sent is equivalent to an incoming message not yet read. But only the latter are displayed in bold face in one combined "Inbox" folder (containing read messages as well as unread messages). So why not use the same simple system for outgoing as well? | |||
'''Note:''' By using different status icons, you could easily differentiate between sent drafts, unsent-but-saved drafts, messages ready to be sent, messages whose sending failed, etc., as suggested at [[#Differentiate_between_sent_and_unsent-but-saved_drafts|Differentiate between sent and unsent-but-saved drafts]] | |||
=== Step 3: Combined "In" and "Out" Folder === | |||
'''Problem:''' Currently, if a user sticks with the default folders "Inbox" and "Sent", incoming and outgoing messages are strictly separated. But if the user creates custom folders, they contain both incoming and outgoing messages. This is inconsistent. | |||
'''Proposed Improvement:''' Combine the folders "Inbox" and "Out" (from Step 2) to one "Main" folder. The differentiation between incoming and outgoing messages is achieved through emhpasis (e.g. italics, see Step 1). And the differentiation between sent and unsent is achieved through bold face (or icon, see Step 2). | |||
'''Rationale:''' Any custom folder is a combined incoming/outgoing folder. Why shouldn't this system work for the program's default folders too? | |||
[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=301084 Bug 301084] is related to this step: The bug requests the option to automatically store replies in the same folder in which the original message is stored in. I'm suggesting the same thing for the default In/Out folders too. | |||
=== Step 4: Threading/Grouping of Messages === | |||
'''Rationale:''' Most email communication is threaded: I write a message, I receive a reply, I reply again, and so on. Single messages are the exception, not the rule. | |||
'''Problem:''' Currently, threaded messages are treated as exceptions. The message grouping function is ridiculous & unusable. | |||
'''Proposed Improvement:''' See points 1. to 4. at [[#Improved_sorting_and_grouping_of_messages|Improved sorting and grouping of messages]] | |||
and point (2) at [[#sorting_messages_by_subject_.28as_thread.29|sorting messages by subject (as thread)]]. | |||
<br>Point 4. at [[#UI_Liftup_and_stuff|UI Liftup and stuff]] is a duplicate. | |||
'''In short:''' The entire system should work as the folder tree in Windows Explorer: Expand&collapse threads, drag&drop messages, rename, and so on. | |||
'''Suggestion on the display of those threads:''' See | |||
[[#Show_subject_in_threads_only_one_time_-_show_names_in_position_of_subject|Show subject in threads only one time - show names in position of subject]] | |||
I list this as Step 4 here, because to me, such a grouping/threading feature only makes sense if it encompasses incoming as well as outgoing messages. There's no point in having "parallel" threads in the folders "Inbox" and "Sent". | |||
'''Overall:''' In order not to confuse users, maybe you could keep the existing system as well and let the user choose the "Folder Setup" between "Outlook-style" and "Improved Usability" ;-) | |||
--[[User:ThomasLandauer|ThomasLandauer]] 00:35, 07 July 2007 (PDT) | |||
Hey Thomas -- have you put all this information about UI and usage overhaul together? This is not less than MIND-BOGGLING, and should get as much community attention as possible. | |||
This is especially valid for the part: | |||
'''The entire system should work as the folder tree in Windows Explorer: Expand&collapse threads, drag&drop messages, rename, and so on.''' | |||
Your above steps 1 through 4 actually are a '''complete revolution''' and redefinition of what an e-mail client actually should do. I KNOW that one day every proper e-mail client will be acting '''exactly''' like this (because mine, and probably yours as well, does already; and since this is like "the invention of the wheel" to me ;). | |||
Although your article possibly points a long way into the future of e-mail, I hope that it won't take like 5 to 10 years to accomplish these fantastic features... | |||
Only thing is now, how can we carry this discussion into the brainstorming process of Thunderbird v.3, effectively? | |||
May I finally add my screenshot visualizing ''some'' of your proposals already below? http://home.arcor.de/david-peters/TB.png | |||