Stop threading by subject: Difference between revisions

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(Remove an invalid pref, add info about mail.strict_threading)
(mention SeaMonkey and the Tb Config Editor)
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''(This page was written for Thunderbird but also applies to SeaMonkey.)''
Thunderbird, by default, assumes all threads with the same subject line are in the same thread. This can be an annoyance for common subjects like "Hi!" or "Report" where the messages are unrelated.
Thunderbird, by default, assumes all threads with the same subject line are in the same thread. This can be an annoyance for common subjects like "Hi!" or "Report" where the messages are unrelated.


To turn off threading by subject add the following to [[user.js]]:
To turn off threading by subject set the preference '''mail.thread_without_re''' to '''false''' in the Thunderbird Config Editor (accessed by a button in the Advanced preferences) or the SeaMonkey <tt>'''about:config'''</tt>. Once the list of preferences is displayed, type <tt>'''thread'''</tt> in the Filter box to get more easily at this pref, and at the other two named below.
# Stop threading messages together if they simply have the same subject
 
# (none of the messages start with "Re:")
Threading by subject (and "Re: <subject>) is the default for various reasons, as stated in [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=273497 this bug report]. There are many e-mail clients that do not add "In-Reply-To" and "References" fields to messages, which is the typical way to determine a thread. When Thunderbird's default behavior was changed to ''not'' thread by subject, many users became unhappy, and threading by subject was reinstated as the default. It is doubtful this will ever be changed again. ''(In SeaMonkey, however, this preference defaults to false.)''
  user_pref("mail.thread_without_re", false);


Threading by subject (and "Re: <subject>) is the default for various reasons, as stated in [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=273497 this bug report]. There are many e-mail clients that do not add "In-Reply-To" and "References" fields to messages, which is the typical way to determine a thread. When Thunderbird's default behavior was changed to ''not'' thread by subject, many users became unhappy, and threading by subject was reinstated as the default.  It is doubtful this will ever be changed again.
You can also choose to thread only by header references by setting the preference '''mail.strict_threading''' to '''true''' in the same way.


You can also choose to thread only by header references by adding the following preference to [[user.js]]:
There is also a third "mail threading" preference, namely '''mail.correct_threading'''.
# Only thread by reference headers, ignore subject
user_pref("mail.strict_threading", true);


== External links ==
== External links ==

Revision as of 11:26, 14 October 2011

(This page was written for Thunderbird but also applies to SeaMonkey.)

Thunderbird, by default, assumes all threads with the same subject line are in the same thread. This can be an annoyance for common subjects like "Hi!" or "Report" where the messages are unrelated.

To turn off threading by subject set the preference mail.thread_without_re to false in the Thunderbird Config Editor (accessed by a button in the Advanced preferences) or the SeaMonkey about:config. Once the list of preferences is displayed, type thread in the Filter box to get more easily at this pref, and at the other two named below.

Threading by subject (and "Re: <subject>) is the default for various reasons, as stated in this bug report. There are many e-mail clients that do not add "In-Reply-To" and "References" fields to messages, which is the typical way to determine a thread. When Thunderbird's default behavior was changed to not thread by subject, many users became unhappy, and threading by subject was reinstated as the default. It is doubtful this will ever be changed again. (In SeaMonkey, however, this preference defaults to false.)

You can also choose to thread only by header references by setting the preference mail.strict_threading to true in the same way.

There is also a third "mail threading" preference, namely mail.correct_threading.

External links