HTML Preference does not apply itself to newsgroups

[Michael B. Trausch]

Binary package hint: mozilla-thunderbird

The HTML handling preference (found in Edit -> Preferences -> Composition -> General -> Send Options -> Text Format) does not apply itself for posts to an NNTP server.

The first message posted to an NNTP server asks for what it should do (Text? Text+HTML? HTML only?), and subsequent posts go as text only, even when the setting is "Send in HTML anyway" in the above preference window.

I use Thunderbird for my school, which uses HTML; they frown upon text-only posts.

[Cap1md (cap1md)]

I can confirm this problem.

[Bmo2010 (bmo2010)]

Like I said in the netscape.mozilla.thunderbird newsgroup, "Send Options" only
apply to email, not NNTP. Try testing it with an email address, not a newsgroup
server.

Tested with a myrealbox.com account (IMAP). [Thunderbird 1.0.2] Works just fine
here.

[Bmo2010 (bmo2010)]

Irwin, I noticed in the Thunderbird newsgroup, you said "I'm just talking about
News Groups." Perhaps the bug summary should be changed to reflect that.
Something like "send format options do not apply to news (NNTP) servers."
Maybe this would then be an RFE. :-\

[Mcow (mcow)]

Updating summary per comment 3.

> However, with rare exception, I am asked how I want to send. There appears to
> be no rhyme or reason to the exceptions.

I don't know how you normally go about composing in HTML, but in a quick test I
got the HTML Mail Question only for messages with some sort of formatting --
even something simple and easily "translated" to text like bolding. For
messages without formatting, they're converted to plain regardless of the Send
Options settings.

Both cases' behavior is consistent with how mail is handled for recipients of
"unknown" preference.

[Mscott-mozilla (mscott-mozilla)]

you may want to just set:

tools / account settings / choose your news account then / composition, uncheck
"Compose messages in HTML format".

[Bmo2010 (bmo2010)]

Okay, under the current settings:
Tools -> Account Settings -> news.mozilla.org -> Composition
[ ] "Compose messages in HTML format"

Subscribe to netscape.public.mozilla.test.

In Tools -> Options -> Composition -> Send Options, add either
"news.mozilla.org" or netscape.public.mozilla.test to HTML domains.

Select the netscape.public.mozilla.test newsgroup, and click on "Write".

Add some HTML formatting to the message (bold some text, hyperlink some text,
etc), and click on send.

Result: you still get prompted to choose a format.
Expected result: message should be sent automatically in in HTML format without
prompt.

The root of the bug report is that the Send Options simply don't apply to
newsgroups.

CONFIRMING

Whether this should be classified as an RFE or a normal bug, I don't know.
It probably applies to all platforms too.

I'll test it on Seamonkey to see if this is really a core bug.

[Bmo2010 (bmo2010)]

Yup, confirmed on seamonkey ZIP [rv:1.8b2) Gecko/20050328].

[Mcow (mcow)]

(In reply to comment #6)
> Okay, under the current settings:
> Tools -> Account Settings -> news.mozilla.org -> Composition
> [ ] "Compose messages in HTML format"

I believe Scott was suggesting that the workaround is to compose in plain text.

> In Tools -> Options -> Composition -> Send Options, add either
> "news.mozilla.org" or netscape.public.mozilla.test to HTML domains.

But neither a newsgroup name nor a news server name is an "HTML domain".
If you were sending mail to <email address hidden> then you might see the
expected result.

Moving to Core based on comment 7.

[Killjay (killjay)]

This behavior in TB is a regression from the NC4.xx sorce code that MoFo
inhereted from Netscape. This fuction did work in Communicator 4.xx for NNTP.

Do not see a reasion for dupliction of function of this Tools > Options setting
and the one available in Address Book as pertains to mail.

This was expected to perform as the equivelent of the NC4.xx feature. There for
I view this as a bug not a new feature. Seems something never got connected to
preserve the original function referenced in NC4.

[Bmo2010 (bmo2010)]

Is there any intention to make the Send Options apply to newsgroups? If not,
maybe this bug should be marked as WONTFIX.

[Mnyromyr (mnyromyr)]

> Is there any intention to make the Send Options apply to newsgroups? If not,
> maybe this bug should be marked as WONTFIX.

As long as noone marks it as, it isn't. We accept patches, you know. ;-)

[Michael B. Trausch (mtrausch)]

Binary package hint: mozilla-thunderbird

The HTML handling preference (found in Edit -> Preferences -> Composition -> General -> Send Options -> Text Format) does not apply itself for posts to an NNTP server.

The first message posted to an NNTP server asks for what it should do (Text? Text+HTML? HTML only?), and subsequent posts go as text only, even when the setting is "Send in HTML anyway" in the above preference window.

I use Thunderbird for my school, which uses HTML; they frown upon text-only posts.

[Michael B. Trausch (mtrausch)]

Michael Trausch wrote:
>
> The first message posted to an NNTP server asks for what it should do
> (Text? Text+HTML? HTML only?), and subsequent posts go as text only,
> even when the setting is "Send in HTML anyway" in the above preference
> window.
>

More details -- It seems that the actual pattern is that when a message
is sent using Control+Enter, it bypasses the dialog and sends text.

It needs to send HTML only, anyway, according to my preferences. :-/

 -- Mike

--
Michael B. Trausch <email address hidden> - Jabber: <email address hidden>

Demand freedom: Use open and free protocols, standards, and software.

[Dean Sas (dsas)]

Hi Michael, this bug has already been reported upstream, we will wait for Mozilla to identify a fix. You can see the report here - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=287854

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Is this still an issue for you? We are trying to trying sort out the older Mozilla issues and would like to know if this still happens.

[Michael B. Trausch (mtrausch)]

Indeed it does. Sorry that I didn't see the response to this far earlier.

In fact, handling has gotten worse in newer releases of Thunderbird. I was driven to Evolution, and then driven away from that again by its various quirks. Back at Thunderbird now, which is even worse than it used to be in this department. It seems that preferences in Thunderbird are just guidelines that can be moved aside if it's not convenient for the application.

I hope that the new Evolution that was just released for GNOME 2.20 will make it worth my while to not have to roll my own mail/PIM software.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Marked as confirmed due to upstream being confirmed.

[Vseerror (vseerror)]

still see this problem when using a current version?

[Killjay (killjay)]

Yes, this is an old but still relevant issue. Deal is, within the Options one can set a e-mail domain as an HTML preferring domain. Where are News servers where posting HTML is the preferred method. Without being able to set that news server as an HTML preference domain we always get the dialog to select one of the three sending choices. If we had the domain setting active through the Options UI the server could be declared and the user sending prompts would go away.

Clearly this needs some backend work to add the same functionality to News as currently exists for Mail. See also my comment #9

Mike in Comment #8 covers hits the probable key bit, that news.mozilla.org is disregarded because of the word news, yet mail.mozilla.org would likely work, or prepending address@.

Personally I want to call this a normal bug, but in reality it's an RFE since the MailNews core was not designed to extend the feature to News.

[Joshua Cranmer (jcranmer)]

Clearing closeme, setting "minor" since it's not a big problem (very few newsservers or newsgroups tolerate HTML postings).

[Michael B. Trausch (mtrausch)]

Mozilla seems not to care about this issue per the upstream bug report; nor do I any longer (I don't have the time to learn the Mozilla source code base and I've found software that works for the task). I'm going to mark this as closed in Ubuntu since it'd require upstream to do something about it in the first place; it's somewhat pointless to keep it open.

[Lfw (lfw)]

My experiences with newsservers setup in more recent years is that most do allow HTML posts.

[Joshua Cranmer (jcranmer)]

*** Bug 565592 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Jsabash (jsabash)]

(In reply to comment #14)
> Clearing closeme, setting "minor" since it's not a big problem (very few
> newsservers or newsgroups tolerate HTML postings).

This is a misconception IMO
There are still quite a few newsgroups left that encourage the use of HTML Notwithstanding the indifference and lack of support for HTML composition.

IMO Newsgroups are just a "group related" form of Facebook, rather than being "individual centered"
There is a much bigger market here than most folks realize, that we should be paying attention to.

Might I suggest also, that use of the term "tolerate html" may be the crux of problem for continuing support of HTML compose.
You might consider it junk, but "One man's junk is another man's treasure"

[Vseerror (vseerror)]

bug 401014 is slimmer and covers the OP's primary issue, so duping forward.
If there are news-specific issues, please file a bug.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 401014 ***

[Ben-bucksch (ben-bucksch)]

wsmwk, bug 401014 has nothing to do with this bug here.