The signature for a message should be shown in its own collapsible `signature frame' at the bottom of the window. This would allow direct editing of the signature, while retaining the identity of the signature so that bug 36480 (`Change sig if identity is changed') can be fixed. So the bottom of the composition window would look roughly like this: || |:|| || |V|| |+------------------------------------------------------------------+-+| |V-- Signature: [Mozilla sig :^] ( Save ... ) ( Clear ) ( Delete ) | |+------------------------------------------------------------------+-+| ||Matthew `mpt' Thomas, Mozilla user interface QA |A|| ||<http://critique.net.nz/project/mozilla/> |:|| || |:|| || |V|| |+------------------------------------------------------------------+-+| |\+/ |V| ,' H" Mozilla ^ Open Windows ^ |//| +-------------------------------------------------------------------'--+ Specs: V: collapse button for signature frame. Just the same as the collapse buttons for toolbars etc. This frame should not be able to be dragged anywhere else in the window, because that could give the impression that the sig might appear somewhere other than at the bottom of the message, which would not be true. So the signature frame should not have a grippy, but should still be collapsible. When the signature frame is collapsed, the `Save ...' button is hidden as it does not apply, but the other buttons and the signature popup menu remain visible at the bottom of the window. `-- ' in chrome: a reminder that the signature will be delimited with "-- ". Should be hidden (and not sent as part of the message) if the signature frame contans nothing (or nothing except whitespace), and restored as soon as non-whitespace content is entered in the signature frame again. Should also be hidden (and not sent as part of the message) if the first three characters of the current contents of the signature frame happen to be "-- ". `Signature:' popup menu: allows selection of a signature by filename from the user profile's signature directory. Selecting a signature from the menu replaces the current contents of the signature frame with the selected signature (no warning is necessary, even if the contents of the signature frame has been edited, as the loss of data is minor). The first item in this menu is `(custom)', followed by a menu separator, and then the list of available signatures. The `(custom)' item is disabled unless either {the contents of the signature frame has been edited since a signature was last selected from the `Signature:' menu (or since the composition window was opened)}, or {there are no signatures in the signature directory (in which case there are no other items in the menu)}. If either of those circumstances apply, the `(custom)' item is both enabled and selected. ( Save ... ): prompts for a name for the customized signature, and saves it in the user profile's signature directory. This button is only enabled if the contents of the signature frame has been edited since a signature was last selected from the `Signature:' menu (or since the composition window was opened). ( Clear ): clears the contents of the signature frame. This button is only enabled when the signature frame contains any content (including whitespace). ( Delete ): Opens a dialog -- `[large system font] Are you sure you want to delete this signature? [small system font] If you delete it, you will not be able to use this signature again unless you recreate it. ( Cancel ) (( Delete ))' If `Delete' is selected, the signature file is deleted from the signature directory, the contents of the signature frame remains unchanged, and the selected item in the signature popup menu is changed to `(custom)' (since the contents of the signature frame is now no longer directly derived from an existing signature). The signature frame itself: Should be exactly four lines long, and not resizable (to encourage, without forcing, sigs of four lines or less). If `(custom)' is the currently selected item in the signature menu (for any of the reasons described above), the contents of the signature frame should be shown in the same color as is used when editing the rest of the message (e.g. black). Otherwise, the contents should be shown in the color set in preferences for signatures (once this color exists -- you might need a separate RFE for that).

Clarifications: * You need a `Signature Bar' checkbox item at the bottom of the `View' > `Show' submenu. This would operate slightly differently to the other `View' > `Show' items, in that it would expand or collapse the bar, rather than opening or closing it. * The signature bar would be collapsed by default, but its state would be persistent between windows -- if I expanded the signature bar in one window, and then started a new message, the new message window would have the bar expanded. * When in collapsed mode, the `Save ...', `Clear', and `Delete' buttons should not be present -- only the `Signature:' popup menu, and the twisty next to it. This would help to avoid UI clutter.

*** Bug 73567 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Suggest to mark this bug invalid as it wastes screenspace, and bug 73567 has a much better and cleaner solution. (see bug 73567 comment #8 and bug 73567 comment #14) PS. Please also note the very few number of CC's and complete absence of comments (other than the reporters) on this bug, even though it is much older than bug 73567.

Correction: not invalid, but WONTFIX !?

comment #3 : The cause is in the subject of this bug. I think most people search by "multi* sig*" and so they won't find this one. ;-)

This bug would make top-post + top-sig (bug 62429 comment #283) either impossible or awkward (UI is at bottom, while sig would be placed above quoted text). Given the better solution proposed in bug 73567, I'm marking this bug WONTFIX. Should anyone have an objection to this decision, please state *precisely* why.