GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 205728
Re-Send Message should not be restricted to "Sent" Messages
Last modified: 2007-05-03 11:18:00 UTC
Two bugs here - one - there's no way to "Re-send Message" outside of the stand-alone message view window (i.e. you can't trigger it while looking at a message in the preview pane). Two - I see no good reason why "Re-send Message" is restricted to messages in the Sent folder. All it did was make me copy the message I wanted to re-send into the Sent folder to use the behavior. Kinda silly, to make the user jump through extra hoops. I'm also filing a bug to add a "Bounce" feature, which is tangentially related.
How can you "Re-Send" something you never sent in the first place? That's why it only works for Sent messages. This is also why you can only Edit messages in your Drafts folders too. Re-Sending messages that you didn't send in the first place falls under "Redirect" or "Bounce" or whatever you want to call it which is a "Future" feature since we are now feature frozen. We already have this in the bug tracking system so please don't add a new one.
sorry 'bout the dupe - I'd searched for it (unsucessfully) and added it before seeing your response. As for re-sending something you didn't send - that's a semantic game. the bottom line is that occasionally (more than you might think) it is useful to be able to take a recieved message and use it as a starting point for a new message. (For example, think workflow applications.) I don't see a point in placing arbitrary (policy) limitations on the use of functionality.
There is actually another issue here, Jeff. The problem is the user is not really just restricted to re-sending sent messages only. The user is restricted to only re-sending messages that are already in the "Sent" folder. There's a difference: what about those outgoing message filters that automatically take message that I SENT and put them into another folder? I think the logic should allow you to re-send any message where the "From" field matches one of your e-mail addresses, (unless you have some other internal way of flagging a message as having been sent).
sounds better (a little less arbitrary) - but I still don't see the point in restricting the functionality this way. Perhaps you want to give the same entry point two names - "Resend Message" and "Create New Message From..." (what mutt calls edit-as-new)
*** bug 210911 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
OK. I'll put in my two cents worth in this debate. I check two different e-mail accounts. One is POP and one is IMAP. The POP is personal, the IMAP is work. I want my Sent mails for work to go to the Sent folder that I have setup in my IMAP account, and the sent mails from the POP account to go to the Sent > RCN folder in Local Folders. I have even used the function in Evolution (a great feature) to change the location where Sent and Drafts are placed for each account (under Special Folders in Account Settings). It would seem logical that if I tell Evolution to use folder X to store my sent mails that that folder would then inherit the same properties as the Sent folder in Local Folders. For instance, being able to right-click on a mail in the special folder that I have setup to store my sent mail, and choose "Edit as new". As it is currently setup, I have to move the mail that I want to resend into the Sent mail local folder in order to get this functionality. It would seem logical that if you are going to offer the option to have a different folder to store your sent mail, that that folder take on the properties and options of a Sent mail folder.
My favorite Mail User Agent is Andrew Messages. It had a command "Restore Draft" which would turn any email message selected into an outgoing draft. I duplicate that functionality in three steps: Copying the message I care about into the "Sent" folder. Opening the message Running the "Edit as new message" command. Having separate Resend and Create new message from... commands, both accessible to any selected message, would be a real boon to me.
the Open menu item edits messages in Sent, Outbox, and Draft folders.
Riddle me this BatMan: I have a hierarchy of sent folders - and each account only knows about one sent folder. They're all messages I've sent - how do I re-send one? The only current way is to copy it into one of these "magic" folders, re-send it, then remove it. Still seems completely arbitrary. Why not let the user use the software the way they want to rather than tell them what they should and shouldn't be able to do?
Mr. Berger, If you have used the "Special folders" tab in the Mail Settings for a particular account to change the default "Sent" items folder you can re-send items in that folder. For instance I have the sent mail going to a subdirectory of the Sent folder, and I can re-send a mail in that folder by using the File -> Edit as New Message... option in the menus.
You're missing the point - but for sake of argument, I'll play along: I have the following folder structure: + Sent + 1999 ... - 11-November ... + 2000 ... - 11-November ... + 2001 ... - 11-November ... etc. Each account can only specify one Sent folder - and from experimentation, that special property doesn't seem to be inherited by subfolders (though your last entry here suggested strongly that it should be). So that means if I want to resend something from a previous sent archive, I have to do the "copy/clone/delete" dance. What I'm essentially arguing is that the restriction that you can only "resend what you sent" is a semantic game - a needless bit of policy that just complicates a legitimate use pattern. And I don't seem to be alone - Eric, Pete and William all describe having to jump through the same hoops (copy the message into one of these "blessed" folders, create a new message from it, and delete the copy). Go ahead and re-close the bug if you insist - it's not a make or break feature - its just another small one on the list of operations that I'll continue using mutt for.
*** bug 230800 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
still valid in evolution1.5-1.5.90.0.200407191630-0.snap.ximian.8.1.
punting
*** Bug 315746 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Apologies for the duplicate bug 315746, am new to bugzilla. Just to say that I'm in total agreement with Dan Gerber et al. 'Edit as New' available in every folder seems perfectly natural and saves 5 clicks. Action would be to throw a copy of the selected message into a composer window.
removing old 2.5 target milestone and retargetting to future - sorry.
Just wanted to add that I'm disappointed that this quite unnecessary restriction remains in version 2.6.0. Dan Berger's comments from 2001/2002 are still valid: "I don't see a point in placing arbitrary (policy) limitations on the use of functionality." "Still seems completely arbitrary." "Why not let the user use the software the way they want to rather than tell them what they should and shouldn't be able to do?" It's not stopping me from using Evolution, which is an excellent tool, but it is irritating. Taking the restriction out would amount to a simplification --- admittedly a very small one.
I am another who would love to see this go restriction lifted. I keep a folder of "How-to"s instructing people on how to accomplish certain tasks. When I need to send one I have to.... I would love to simple click "Edit as New Message" and send it. I'm using 2.8.1
The restriction removed in Trunk. http://svn.gnome.org/viewcvs/evolution?view=revision&revision=33476