thunderbird help please

bdr122 · 01-20-2009, 08:03 PM

I posted this in the mozilla thunderbird support forum and didn't get any responses, so I'm hoping someone here can help. Here's the problem:

I've set up thunderbird to filter my messages to particular folders. When messages get filtered, I get notified w/ the systray icon and they show up as "unread" in the proper folder in thunderbird for a couple of seconds--but then, without any action on my part, they change to "read." This is a problem, for example, if I am away from my computer when the message comes in--I'll get the icon in the systray, but I have no way of knowing which folder the new message is in.

I tried deleting my account, uninstalling and then reinstalling thunderbird, and recreating the folders and filters, but the problem remains. It may be relevant that this particular email account is administered through a university and is preconfigured for use with the groupwise email client. I am running thunderbird version 2.0.0.19 on windows vista.

Any ideas?

**koala** · 01-21-2009, 06:54 AM

Hi, welcome to TSF

Open Thunderbird and go to Tools > Options > Advanced tab. Remove the checkmark from 'Wait .... seconds before marking a message as read'.

bdr122 · 01-21-2009, 08:33 AM

Koala - thanks for your reply.

I tried the procedure that you suggested. I changed the number of seconds to 60. Thunderbird DOES recognize this change for messages that go directly into the inbox, but the problem with filtered messages is NOT affected by this change.

Any other ideas?

**koala** · 01-21-2009, 09:11 AM

Go to Tools > Message Filters, highlight one of the filters and click the Edit button. Under 'Perform these actions', are any of them set to 'Mark as read' in the first box?

I've looked at all the options in Tools > Options and Tools > Account Settings and can't find anything else that would fix this problem.

The closest thing I can find is under Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings. If you put a checkmark in 'Fetch headers only' then it won't download the full message automatically, just the To, From and Subject details. You would then have to click 'Download the rest of this message' for each email, but it might prevent the message being marked as read.

This doesn't seem like an ideal solution though, even if it works. I only have 2 accounts in Thunderbird and no filtering to different folders, so hang on for a reply from other Thunderbird users if this doesn't fix it.

bdr122 · 01-21-2009, 11:53 AM

Koala - None of the filters have a "mark as read" action set. As you said, downloading just the headers is not really an ideal solution and I'd like to avoid this option if possible.

Thanks again for your willingness to try to assist me though.

01-20-2009, 08:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
bdr122 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 3 OS: Vista	thunderbird help please I posted this in the mozilla thunderbird support forum and didn't get any responses, so I'm hoping someone here can help. Here's the problem: I've set up thunderbird to filter my messages to particular folders. When messages get filtered, I get notified w/ the systray icon and they show up as "unread" in the proper folder in thunderbird for a couple of seconds--but then, without any action on my part, they change to "read." This is a problem, for example, if I am away from my computer when the message comes in--I'll get the icon in the systray, but I have no way of knowing which folder the new message is in. I tried deleting my account, uninstalling and then reinstalling thunderbird, and recreating the folders and filters, but the problem remains. It may be relevant that this particular email account is administered through a university and is preconfigured for use with the groupwise email client. I am running thunderbird version 2.0.0.19 on windows vista. Any ideas?

01-21-2009, 06:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,373 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: thunderbird help please Hi, welcome to TSF Open Thunderbird and go to Tools > Options > Advanced tab. Remove the checkmark from 'Wait .... seconds before marking a message as read'. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

01-21-2009, 08:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
bdr122 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 3 OS: Vista	Re: thunderbird help please Koala - thanks for your reply. I tried the procedure that you suggested. I changed the number of seconds to 60. Thunderbird DOES recognize this change for messages that go directly into the inbox, but the problem with filtered messages is NOT affected by this change. Any other ideas?

01-21-2009, 09:11 AM	#4 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,373 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: thunderbird help please Go to Tools > Message Filters, highlight one of the filters and click the Edit button. Under 'Perform these actions', are any of them set to 'Mark as read' in the first box? I've looked at all the options in Tools > Options and Tools > Account Settings and can't find anything else that would fix this problem. The closest thing I can find is under Tools > Account Settings > Server Settings. If you put a checkmark in 'Fetch headers only' then it won't download the full message automatically, just the To, From and Subject details. You would then have to click 'Download the rest of this message' for each email, but it might prevent the message being marked as read. This doesn't seem like an ideal solution though, even if it works. I only have 2 accounts in Thunderbird and no filtering to different folders, so hang on for a reply from other Thunderbird users if this doesn't fix it. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

01-21-2009, 11:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
bdr122 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 3 OS: Vista	Re: thunderbird help please Koala - None of the filters have a "mark as read" action set. As you said, downloading just the headers is not really an ideal solution and I'd like to avoid this option if possible. Thanks again for your willingness to try to assist me though.