GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 216485
Edit -> Select Thread doesn't select the entire thread
Last modified: 2007-11-26 11:31:35 UTC
Description of Problem: Using Select Thread on the Edit menu, or the Ctrl-H keybinding does not select the entire thread. Instead, the currently selected message and messages below it in the thread heirarchy are selected. This is agains 1.0, but that isn't an option in the Version list yet. Steps to reproduce the problem: 1. Find a thread with at least three posts. (i.e. A message, a reply to that message, and a reply to the reply.) 2. Select the reply to the message 3. Press Ctrl-H Actual Results: The reply to the message and the reply to the reply are selected. Expected Results: All messages in the thread are selected How often does this happen? Always
Confirmed, and fairly irritating.
this seems to be working fine now... maybe it got fixed in the meantime? *shrug*
Nope. I'm using 1.0.2, and it still only selects the messages that are children of the current message, or siblings of the current message and their children. It doesn't climb back up the message heirarchy and actually select the entire thread.
ah, it's only fixed in 1.1.x
I downloaded the 1.1.1 beta today, and, lo, it isn't fixed in 1.1.x. Original report still stands.
works fine for me, maybe the gal that 1.1.1 shipped with was temporarily broken or something.
Created attachment 43624 [details] Before Select Thread
Created attachment 43625 [details] After Select Thread
Created attachment 43626 [details] Expected result after Select Thread
no, select thread should start at the current point and work down. otherwise it's not as useful.
Several reasons why this is broken: 1) Evolution lacks useful threading support (i.e. "Mark Thread Read", "Mark Thread Read and Go To Next Thread", "Ignore Thread", etc.). Most of these actions could be approximated using several actions (well, except for Ignore, which Evolution doesn't support at all), if it wasn't for the fact that Select Thread doesn't actually work. 2) Principle of least surprise says that "Select Thread" selects the entire thread. 3) In Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Mail/Thunderbird, and Pan "Select Thread" selects the entire thread. So, please explain how "Select Thread" not selecting the thread is useful. Or at least rename "Select Thread" to "Select Subthread"
Created attachment 44242 [details] [review] For posterity, here's how I fixed this for Evolution 1.4
Created attachment 44243 [details] [review] Evolution 2.0 fix
Created attachment 44247 [details] [review] Updated Evolution 2.0 fix, which doesn't stall the UI due to constant tree model updates
Created attachment 47680 [details] [review] Fix for Evolution 2.2
Created attachment 61803 [details] [review] Fix for 2.6.0
Ubuntu bug about that: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/evolution/+bug/37932
thank you, nmiell, for your work creating a patch for this.
fejj, could you please explain why the select thread should start at the current point and work down? it's confusing to new and experienced users alike because no other mail reader works this way. i can't imagine how this behaviour is 'more useful' than normal select thread behaviour. i don't seem to have the ability to reopen this bug. otherwise, i would.
Created attachment 99460 [details] [review] Fix for 2.12.1
You know what, I've been dealing with this bug for 6 years and carrying my own patch to fix it for three. This is boring. So, I've reopened it to get it reviewed again.
Milan, can you review/approve this?
New functionality works good to me. I would like to point to that the patch doesn't apply to trunk, but it's probably ok (mainly because of trailing white-spaces cleanup, I guess). I also found these little issues: a) Please add ChangeLog entries (each folder has it's own ChangeLog) b) Be sure that between a function name and the open bracket is a space (there are some places where you do not add there such space, like select_thread(message_list, thread_select_foreach); should be select_thread (message_list, thread_select_foreach); c) Please honor the order of items, it will be better readable. I mean, do function definitions and adding to structures in same order as you have in the Menu, i.e. make sure you've always 'thread' before 'subthread', in header file, structures related to menu items and so no. It's a little tiny, I know, but please do, it will be nicer :) Otherwise I will be glad to commit this to trunk, when you attach here updated patch. We cannot to stable because new string added and it's under string freeze, I think. (So if you can provide patch which will smoothly apply to trunk, then it will be wonderful.) Thanks for your help.
Created attachment 99560 [details] [review] updated patch This updated patch should address all issues.
Looks good to commit to trunk, I only changed mnemonic to menu item to "Select Message S_ubthread" (there was _Subthread), 'S' has been used in "_Subscriptions" already.
Committed to trunk. Committed revision 34585.