Stop threading by subject: Difference between revisions

From MozillaZine Knowledge Base
Jump to navigationJump to search
(mention SeaMonkey and the Tb Config Editor)
(updated)
Line 1: Line 1:
''(This page was written for Thunderbird but also applies to SeaMonkey.)''
''(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.
Messages can be grouped into threads based on common Subjects, and/or by information stored in the References/In-Reply-To headers. There are many e-mail clients that do not add In-Reply-To and References headers to messages, which is the typical way to determine a thread. Threading based on the subject can be annoying when you get unrelated messages with common subjects such as "Hi!" or "Report!". By default Thunderbird tries to groups messages into threads in the following order:


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.
* Common reference in the References header
* Common reference in the In-Reply-To header
* Same Subject, and the Subject contains Re:
* Same Subject
* Check if the message is an ancestor of an already-threaded message.
There are several settings that manage threading that can be changed using the Config Editor at [[Menu_differences_in_Windows,_Linux,_and_Mac | Tools -> Options]] -> Advanced -> General.


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.)''
* '''mail.thread_without_re''' will thread based on the subject even if there is no Re: in the subject. It defaults to false starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
* '''mail.strict_threading''' disables threading based on the Subject and only uses the References/In-Reply-To headers headers to determine threads. It defaults to true starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
* '''mail.correct_threading''' will thread thread messages correctly using the References/In-Reply-To headers regardless of the order the messages were added to the folder. It defaults to true starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
* '''mailnews.localizedRe''' defines a comma-delimited list of alternative prefixes to "Re:"


You can also choose to thread only by header references by setting the preference '''mail.strict_threading''' to '''true''' in the same way.
Threading by subject (and "Re: <subject>) used to be the default. 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.  


There is also a third "mail threading" preference, namely '''mail.correct_threading'''.
==See also==
* [[Modify_Thunderbird_settings | Modify Thunderbird Settings]]


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=273497 Messages with the same subject are groupped in one thread]
* [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=273497 Messages with the same subject are grouped in one thread]
* [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=164115 RFE Disable Threading by Subject]
* [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=164115 RFE Disable Threading by Subject]
 
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Message_Threading Message Threading] article on Mozilla wiki
[[Category:Displaying and printing messages (Thunderbird)]]
[[Category:Displaying and printing messages (Thunderbird)]]

Revision as of 16:15, 12 December 2013

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

Messages can be grouped into threads based on common Subjects, and/or by information stored in the References/In-Reply-To headers. There are many e-mail clients that do not add In-Reply-To and References headers to messages, which is the typical way to determine a thread. Threading based on the subject can be annoying when you get unrelated messages with common subjects such as "Hi!" or "Report!". By default Thunderbird tries to groups messages into threads in the following order:

  • Common reference in the References header
  • Common reference in the In-Reply-To header
  • Same Subject, and the Subject contains Re:
  • Same Subject
  • Check if the message is an ancestor of an already-threaded message.

There are several settings that manage threading that can be changed using the Config Editor at Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> General.

  • mail.thread_without_re will thread based on the subject even if there is no Re: in the subject. It defaults to false starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
  • mail.strict_threading disables threading based on the Subject and only uses the References/In-Reply-To headers headers to determine threads. It defaults to true starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
  • mail.correct_threading will thread thread messages correctly using the References/In-Reply-To headers regardless of the order the messages were added to the folder. It defaults to true starting with Thunderbird 3.0.
  • mailnews.localizedRe defines a comma-delimited list of alternative prefixes to "Re:"

Threading by subject (and "Re: <subject>) used to be the default. 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.

See also

External links

Retrieved from "http://kb.mozillazine.org/index.php?title=Stop_threading_by_subject&oldid=46184"