Thunderbird empty after update to 19.10 - corrupted global-messages-db.sqlite

[Loïc Alejandro]

HELP!!!!

Just performed an upgrade from Ubuntu 19.04 to 19.10. Launched Thunderbird and the interface is empty. No emails, no folders, no calendar, I can't even open the "account settings" window.

This is a complete disaster. I need thunderbird for my work.

If I launch TB form terminal I get this:

lalejand@Gedeon:~$ thunderbird
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
-- Exception object --
*
-- Stack Trace --
defineAttribute@resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js:1922:5
defineAttributes@resource:///modules/gloda/fundattr.js:71:35
init@resource:///modules/gloda/fundattr.js:43:12
@resource:///modules/gloda/everybody.js:13:15
@resource:///modules/gloda/public.js:8:57
nsAutoCompleteGloda@jar:file:///usr/lib/thunderbird/omni.ja!/components/glautocomp.js:516:32
createInstance@resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm:433:19
glodaSearch_XBL_Constructor@chrome://messenger/content/search.xml:73:16
JavaScript error: chrome://messenger/content/messenger.xul, line 1: TypeError: QuickFilterBarMuxer is undefined
JavaScript error: chrome://messenger/content/msgMail3PaneWindow.js, line 470: TypeError: TagUtils is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined

What can I do ?????

Release: Ubuntu 19.10
Package version: 1:68.1.2+build1-0ubuntu

[Loïc Alejandro (loic-alejandro)]

Just deleted global-messages-db.sqlite and now it looks like it works fine. I hopê I didn't loose anything.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

I'm glad you found a way around the problem. Did you keep a copy of the faulty global-messages-db.sqlite, by any chance?

[Loïc Alejandro (loic-alejandro)]

I got it. See it attached.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Thanks Loïc. It's likely that this file contained private information, so I downloaded a copy and deleted the attachment, to prevent ill-intentioned people to use your data.

I'll try and reproduce the problem with this file.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

I can reproduce the problem with the corrupted global-messages-db.sqlite.
When using that file, the thunderbird main UI is mostly empty, the burger menu doesn't open, and opening application preferences or account settings from a "compose new message" window doesn't work either.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Here is the corresponding console output when running thunderbird with the corrupted message db:

JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
-- Exception object --
*
-- Stack Trace --
defineAttribute@resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js:1922:5
defineAttributes@resource:///modules/gloda/fundattr.js:71:35
init@resource:///modules/gloda/fundattr.js:43:12
@resource:///modules/gloda/everybody.js:13:15
@resource:///modules/gloda/public.js:8:57
nsAutoCompleteGloda@jar:file:///usr/lib/thunderbird/omni.ja!/components/glautocomp.js:516:32
createInstance@resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm:433:19
glodaSearch_XBL_Constructor@chrome://messenger/content/search.xml:73:16
JavaScript error: chrome://messenger/content/messenger.xul, line 1: TypeError: QuickFilterBarMuxer is undefined
JavaScript error: chrome://messenger/content/msgMail3PaneWindow.js, line 470: TypeError: TagUtils is undefined
JavaScript error: resource:///modules/gloda/gloda.js, line 1922: TypeError: aAttrDef.objectNounDef is undefined
JavaScript error: chrome://messenger/content/msgMail3PaneWindow.js, line 780: TypeError: accountManager is undefined

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Googling reveals that some ArchLinux users apparently experience(d) the same problem, as this pastebin reveals (https://pastebin.com/R2GESJqV):

  « If you experience the following output when starting Thunderbird 68 on Linux, the solution is to delete the file global-messages-db.sqlite in your profile directory.

Example output from an effected system running ArchLinux:

  [following is a console output similar to that in the previous comment] »

I can't find any reference to similar errors upstream, so I assume this is random database corruption. Not quite a satisfactory conclusion, let's just keep the bug open for now.

[Kálmán, Ferenc (fkalman)]

Same problem here.

Release: Ubuntu 18.04.1
Package version: 1:68.2.1+build1-0ubuntu

Removing global-messages-db.sqlite is solving the problem.
Before removing (when empty), the Thunderbird shows me 70.1 version number, after removing it was 68.2. Strange!

[Gabriele Tozzi (gabriele-tozzi)]

I have a similar problem (see #1859043) but my my global-messages-db.sqlite is not corrupted: it works fine on any Thunderbird <68.

Deleting it means losing useful data like contacts, threads, etc… so it really isn't a solution or workaround. I am assuming people is using Thunderbird to manage their own data and not to lose it.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Agreed, deleting global-messages-db.sqlite is not really a solution, merely a workaround that people have come up with. We should get to the bottom of the issue.

So it appears that thunderbird 68.x is not liking something that it finds in the database that was considered valid in earlier versions. This would be a functional regression in upstream thunderbird.

@Gabriele, would you mind filing a bug at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi#h=dupes%7CThunderbird and sharing the link to it here?

I'm raising the importance of the bug, seeing that several users are affected.

[sergio valle (sergiovalle)]

I applied the same workaround and it works.
I've to tell you that upgrade is not the true reason.
It happened to my UbuntuStudio 16.04 with Thunderbird 68.7.0 (64bit) and I've not upgrade anything.
Yesterday night Thunderbird worked as always ... this morning had the issue.
Thanks a lot for the workaround indeed