RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Hi

With a recent thread on ML i came again across a problem with Thunderbird
that i had myself 1 or 2 years ago.

Thunderbird uses mailbox files to store mails and an aditionally *.msf file
for meta data of that mbox-file.
Now when you delete a mail in TB it only disappears in the mail pane but is
still physically stored on harddisc in the mbox.
To really delete a mail then s.o. has to "compact" that folder.

New users (or those not interrested in technic) wont notice that and then the
profile folder can become very large.
In the specific thread the OP had mails back from 2005 still in his profile
which had grown up to 2 gig.
2 gig is approximately where we come to filesystem limitations (max size per
file)

Now to prevent that i call for commend on change the default of:
pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", false);

to
pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", true);

that way a user gets a dialog when the threshold (default is 100kB iirc) is
reached and gets asked to "compact" (read as really physically delete all
previous in TB deleted mails) that folder.


I have searched bugzilla.mozilla.org for bugs like that and coulnd´t find
one. Also on launchpad is no similar bug report it seems.

So i would like to know is it feasible to solve that somehow?


TIA
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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

On Tue, Dec 04, 2007 at 09:46:56PM +0100, Thilo Six wrote:
> Hi
>
> With a recent thread on ML i came again across a problem with Thunderbird
> that i had myself 1 or 2 years ago.
>
> Thunderbird uses mailbox files to store mails and an aditionally *.msf file
> for meta data of that mbox-file.
> Now when you delete a mail in TB it only disappears in the mail pane but is
> still physically stored on harddisc in the mbox.
> To really delete a mail then s.o. has to "compact" that folder.
>
> New users (or those not interrested in technic) wont notice that and then the
> profile folder can become very large.
> In the specific thread the OP had mails back from 2005 still in his profile
> which had grown up to 2 gig.
> 2 gig is approximately where we come to filesystem limitations (max size per
> file)
>
> Now to prevent that i call for commend on change the default of:
> pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", false);
>
> to
> pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", true);
>
> that way a user gets a dialog when the threshold (default is 100kB iirc) is
> reached and gets asked to "compact" (read as really physically delete all
> previous in TB deleted mails) that folder.
>
>
> I have searched bugzilla.mozilla.org for bugs like that and coulnd´t find
> one. Also on launchpad is no similar bug report it seems.
>
> So i would like to know is it feasible to solve that somehow?
>

From what I know, thunderbird compacts folders automatically for some
time now. It might however be the case that old profiles still rely on
manual compacting.

Are you sure that new profiles are not getting cleaned up
automatically?

- Alexander


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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Op dinsdag 04-12-2007 om 21:46 uur [tijdzone +0100], schreef Thilo Six:
> 2 gig is approximately where we come to filesystem limitations (max
> size per file)

Actually, the (default) filesystem file size limit is at 2 TiB instead
of 2 GiB, and that should be enough... ;)


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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Jan Claeys wrote the following on 05.12.2007 01:09
> Op dinsdag 04-12-2007 om 21:46 uur [tijdzone +0100], schreef Thilo Six:
>> 2 gig is approximately where we come to filesystem limitations (max
>> size per file)
>
> Actually, the (default) filesystem file size limit is at 2 TiB instead
> of 2 GiB, and that should be enough... ;)

hmm well somehow i knew that argument would come. ;)
OK if not for the max file size then use "for performance" as a proper
argument in replace.


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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Alexander Sack wrote the following on 05.12.2007 00:30

</snip>

> Are you sure that new profiles are not getting cleaned up
> automatically?
>
> - Alexander

actually i am not sure about newly created profiles.
I will check that out and report back here.

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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Thilo Six wrote the following on 04.12.2007 21:46

</snip>

> I have searched bugzilla.mozilla.org for bugs like that and coulnd´t find
> one. Also on launchpad is no similar bug report it seems.
>
> So i would like to know is it feasible to solve that somehow?
>
>
> TIA

just forgot.
In the meantime i have reported it as bug at:

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=406848

i could create a launchpad bug, too. If that´s desired.
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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Alexander Sack wrote the following on 05.12.2007 00:30

> </snip>
>
>> > Are you sure that new profiles are not getting cleaned up
>> > automatically?
>> >
>> > - Alexander
>
> actually i am not sure about newly created profiles.
> I will check that out and report back here.

preconditions:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Kubuntu
Description: Kubuntu 7.10
Release: 7.10
Codename: gutsy

$ LANG=C apt-cache policy thunderbird
thunderbird:
Installed: 2.0.0.8~pre071022+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.7.10
Candidate: 2.0.0.8~pre071022+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.7.10
Version table:
*** 2.0.0.8~pre071022+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.7.10 0


enigmail:
Installed: 2:0.95.0-0ubuntu4
Candidate: 2:0.95.0-0ubuntu4
Version table:
*** 2:0.95.0-0ubuntu4 0



$ alias dum
alias dum='du --max-depth=1 -k | sort -n'

* using german localisation

* using POP3 with own folders for each account
(non global incomming)

* keep copies of mails on server

* each time when opend TB, searched for new mail and clicked on the available
folders

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


$ cd ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/pg1dsk50.default/

newly created profile:
$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
76 ./Mail
3496 .



test e-mail with atachment to self:

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
15576 ./Mail
17368 .


thunderbird restarted


mails in thunderbird deleted and closed:

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
15576 ./Mail
18736 .


thunderbird restarted - mails not visible in thunderbird:

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
15576 ./Mail
18736 .

repeated last step, to be sure - same size


edit > config > additional > network & disc space > click "compress folder if
it saves more than 100 KB"
(translated from german)
retrived mails, clicked on all folders (no dialog appeared), closed TB

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
15576 ./Mail
18768 .


started TB - retrived mails, clicked on all folders (no dialog appeared),
closed TB

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
15576 ./Mail
18768 .

$ grep purge prefs.js
user_pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", true);




------------------------------
started TB - retrived mails, clicked on all folders ( no dialog appeared)

file > compact all folders, closed TB

$ dum
4 ./extensions
12 ./US
76 ./Mail
3268 .
------------------------------


HTH
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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

</snip>

> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=406848
>
> i could create a launchpad bug, too. If that´s desired.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/174207

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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

Alexander Sack wrote the following on 05.12.2007 00:30

> From what I know, thunderbird compacts folders automatically for some
> time now. It might however be the case that old profiles still rely on
> manual compacting.
>
> Are you sure that new profiles are not getting cleaned up
> automatically?
>
> - Alexander

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Compacting_folders#How_to_compact_folders

<---------------------------------------------
The difference is that most other email clients by default automatically
compact the folder when a certain amount of space is wasted, whereas this has
to be activated by the user in Thunderbird.
--------------------------------------------->

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RFC: Thunderbird, mail.prompt_purge_threshhold=true
 

On Wed, Dec 05, 2007 at 08:22:40PM +0100, Thilo Six wrote:
> started TB - retrived mails, clicked on all folders (no dialog appeared),
> closed TB
>
> $ dum
> 4 ./extensions
> 12 ./US
> 15576 ./Mail
> 18768 .
>
> $ grep purge prefs.js
> user_pref("mail.prompt_purge_threshhold", true);
>
>

This looks like the default setting is right now, or am I wrong?

- Alexander


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