User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040603 Firefox/0.8.0+ Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7) Gecko/20040603 Firefox/0.8.0+ A common method of handling mail is to mark messages as deleted in batches, then expunge periodically "when you're sure". There are only two ways to do the expunge in thunderbird - File -> Compact Folders (affects all folders) and "Compact this folder" in the context menu in the folders pane. The former is ineffecient for the above mode of operation, and the latter is inconvient, especially since it implies a change of context from the message list pane to the folder pane. Whilst I suppose both could be added by extensions, I think it'd be very appropriate for thunderbird to have a standard toolbar button and a keyboard shortcut for "Compact this folder". Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. 2. 3.

This is a great bug. I've been wanting this for a LONG time. :) Ideally, the toolbar button ("Purge"?) should have a dropdown menu (similar to the "Print" button -> print & print preview) that then offers to "Purge all folders". The default action (just pressing the button) would only purge the selected folder. This button should not be visible in the default installation, but should be available via "View | Toobars | Customize". Fortunately, such a button largely already exists as an extension, so fixing this bug might be very easy (for an experienced programmer): http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/purge The extension still needs a dropdown for "Purge all folders" and a tooltip ("Compact this folder"). OT: I just noticed that in *all* dropdown buttons menus (Create, Mark & Print) the tooltip text is whatever you hovered over last. So if you hover over "Write" and then select the "Print" dropdown (without hovering over the print button first), the tooltip for the print menu items will be "Create a new message". :(

ASCII art: +-----+--+ | | | |Purge|\/| | | | +-----+--+_______________ |Compact this folder | |Compact all folders | +--------------------+ We probably need to decide which term to use: - Purge (shorter) or - Compact (currently used)

Bug 75927 is related, but since it's for Mail&News rather than TB, I'm confirming this bug. Prog.

Is there a name debate going on here? Really, anything more descriptive than "Compact" will do the trick for me, but while there's still a chance to push one way or the other, I'm pushing for "Expunge." That matches us up with Pine, Mulberry, and the webmail app my college uses (SilkyMail, Cyrusoft's IMP tweak that plays nice with Mulberry's data -- I'm assuming standard versions of the IMP use "expunge" as well). My reasoning here is that the applications to emulate ought to be ones that were built specifically FOR IMAP (i.e. Pine and Mulberry) rather than ones that tend to do whatever the hell they want (i.e. Outlook).

Anything new on this bug? This would be a GREAT feature (an Expunge button)! It would make things SO much easier... I am willing to help code it, if someone points me in the right direction.

I hacked up an extension for this some time ago, and I use it all the time (button is right next to delete on my toolbar). It's really not very difficult. The gist of it is: <toolbarpalette id="MailToolbarPalette"> <toolbarbutton id="Compact" label="Compact" class="toolbarbutton-1" oncommand="MsgCompactFolder(false);"/> </toolbarpalette> But I still think that this should be a default toolbar button, not needing an extension. It should also have a keyboard shortcut attached, and maybe a context menu that allows an option to "Compact ALL folders". The more difficult part might be getting graphics made for the button icon...

Does anyone know how to contact James Sheridan? He created the current "Purge" extension. Or maybe someone could look at his source code. Maybe he licensed it so anyone could re-use it. ;-) http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/purge

This button shouldn't appear in the default UI (since many don't use "IMAP + Mark as deleted"), but it should at least *be* an item in the "Customize toolbar" window. <rant> Don't any of the devs use "IMAP + Mark as deleted"? </rant>

Feel free to incorporate any of the code from the compactfolder extension into the core application. http://compactfolder.mozdev.org/

This is probably the easier "bug" to fix in TB. Just add an icon (ready to use as an extension), and call a function that is already there (Compact this folder). I should not be a big burden on program size, if this is the real problem. The basic function is the most needed, so please do it quick, and leave other options (as sugestted by Peter Lairo) for later. This button is *not* an option for those who use IMAP and Mark as Deleted. This is all that is between me and TB 1.5. I love 1.5, but I love even more the Compact Folder Extension, so I stay with 1.0.7. Please, please, please!!!

Please excuse the crosspost, but if anyone is interested in discussing the validity of this bug, please read and respond to the topic "IMAP Users Feeling Neglected" in the MozillaZine Thunderbird Features forum: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=329683

Requesting blocking-thunderbird2 (this can't be much more than a 30 minute fix)

Button sounds great. I am not in favor of a shortcut key unless the potential dataloss issue is addressed (and maybe not even then). I am sure there are others who feel the same, but I wouldn't presume to quantify it.

(In reply to comment #14) I don't see why a simple warning + Yes/No dialog (with a checkbox allowing one to turn the warning off) wouldn't do the trick. Works for Firefox tabs.

not a blocker, might consider a fix for a keyboard shortcut.

I was getting ready to download the Thunderbird 2.0 beta and hoping that this would be one of the easy-to-implement fixes that made a big improvement in my user experience, but it appears it won't be there. What are the objections to incorporating something like the extension into the main code? It can come in as a disabled button, that IMAP users in the know would be able to drag onto the toolbar only if they want to use.

Isn't this a dupe of bug 75927? The other bug is older, has the coder's permission (bug 75927 comment #19). Both bugs are Product: Thunderbird / Component: Mail Window Front End.

Yes, that have got hijacked over time. Marking as dupe.