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Codename/Mozilla: Mail: Get Message Behavior
UI Proposal
Get Message & Logon to Account at Startup
Last Modification: 
Author: Jennifer Glick
Creation Date: 5 January 2001 		 Status: In Progress
Quicklinks:
 
 Feature Team
 
Engineering:  Scott Putterman, 
Marketing Lead  Kevin Murray
Usability  Lake Roca
QA  Ninoschka Baca
Docs  Robin Foster Clark
UE  Jennifer Glick

Open Issues

  1. Change "Get Msg" and "New Msg" to "Get Msgs" and "Compose"?

Related Bugs

  1. 14301 - UI: missing "Log into this account at startup" setting. nsbeta1+.
  2. 37559- Prefs dialog: add Get Msg options and descriptive text. nsbeta1+.
  3. 50865 - Unclear and Unreadable Button Labels.


Plan A - Logon to Account at Startup (same as Plan B)

  1. In the Mail/News Account Settings: Server screen there will be a preference for each account to "Logon to this account at startup". (Robin, is it "logon to" or "log onto" or "login"?).
  2. The default account (the account setup first) will have the setting turned on.   Additional accounts setup will not have this setting turned on by default.  If a user changes the default account, we do not change the state of Logon on startup.
  3. When Mail starts, it will attempt to logon to the default account, plus any additional accounts for which the user has turned on the setting, displaying a password dialog for authentication (for each account as necessary). Hence, multiple password dialogs may open when mail is started. Users can choose to use Password Manager if they desire. If authentication is successful, messages are retrieved.
  4. There is no "Remember my password" option in Account Settings. Users must use the Password Manager feature from the Password Dialog.
  5. Once authenticated, new messages are retrieved either:
    • automatically according to the biff settings for the account
    • using the "Get Message" commands described below

Plan A - Get Msg Button Behavior ("Get Msg" button has a dropdown menu)

  1. After Mail starts, the user can retrieve new messages by using the "Get Msg" button on the toolbar or menu items (in addition to automatic biff settings).
  2. Clicking on the "Get Msg" toolbar button will retrieve messages for the selected Mail account or newsgroup only.
  3. Do we want a preference for the default behavior of "Get Msg" button?  "Get messages for selected account only" vs "Get messages for all accounts to which I am currently connected"?  Default?
  4. Clicking the "Get Msg" dropdown menu displays a drop down menu with the following items:
    • Get all new messages (user prompted for passwords as necessary, if not authenticated to a server).
    • Get new messages for <acct1> (Mail retrieved for this account only. Prompted for password as necessary).
    • Get new messages for <acct2>
    • Get new messages for <acct3>
    • etc.
  5. Some scenarios: User has 3 accounts. Only <acct1> (Default) and <acct2> are set to logon at startup:
    • If <acct1> is selected in the folder pane, clicking on the "Get Msg" button will retrieve messages for <acct1> only and the focus will remain on <acct1>.
    • If <acct1> is selected in the folder pane and <acct2> is selected from the "Get Msg" drop down then messages are retrieved for <acct2> only and focus remains on <acct1>. In general, focus remains on the account selected.
    • If <acct3> is selected, and is not currently authenticated, then selecting the "Get Msg" button will display a password dialog. When the user enters their password and is authenticated then the messages for <acct3> are retrieved and focus will remain on <acct3>.
    • Now <acct1>, <acct2> and <acct3> are all authenticated. User selects "Get all new messages" option from drop down menu and retrieves messages for all accounts.
    • User exits and restarts Mail. <acct1> and <acct2> are the only accounts that have the "Logon to account at startup" preference selected. Mail will try to authenticate these two accounts only. User selects "Get all new messages". Password dialog for <acct3> opens.

The "Get Message" behavior and News
  1. The "Get Msg" drop down menu only shows Mail accounts, not News accounts.  (You don't get messages from a news account, you get them from a newsgroup. Showing all the newsgroups a user is subscribed to in the menu would make it very long.)
  2. OR Mail accounts and News accounts are shown in the drop down menu. News accounts are a flyout menu with newsgroups to which a user is subscribed listed for each account.  But then would "Get all new messages" get all new newsgroup posting also? That would be timely.
  3. If a newsgroup is selected,  the "Get Msg" button retrieves new messages for the selected newsgroup only.
  4. If a newsgroup is selected and a Mail account is selected from the "Get Msg" drop down, then messages are retrieved for the mail account only and focus will remain on the newsgroup.
  5. If a news server is selected, the "Get Msg" button and menu are disabled??

Plan B - Get Msg Button Behavior ("Get Msg" button does not have dropdown menu)

  1. After Mail starts, the user can retrieve new messages by using the "Get Msg" button on the toolbar or menu items (in addition to automatic biff settings).
  2. Clicking on the "Get Msg" toolbar button will retrieve messages for the selected Mail account or newsgroup only.
  3. No "Get Msg" drop down menu.  This button performs one action only.  Keep basic behavior simple for basic users but allow more experienced users to change the behavior.
    • Within preferences, the behavior of this button can be changed for more experienced users.
      • As the default, the "Get Msg" button gets messages for the selected account/newsgroup only.
      • Users can change the preference to have the "Get Msg" button get messages for the selected account/newsgroup plus all mail accounts currently logged onto.
      • For news this works the same except the choices are for the selected newsgroup only, or selected newsgroup plus all mail accounts currently logged onto.
      • Note: If a Mail account is selected and pref is set to get mail for all accounts, new newsgroup messages are NOT retrieved.

        •  
  4. Preference for "Get Msg" button (wording needs work)

    5. "Selecting  the "Get Msg" button":
    • "Gets Messages for the Selected Account Only"
    • "Get Messages for the currently selected account and all accounts for which you are currently logged onto."
  5. If user selects account for which they are not currently logged onto, and clicks "Get Msgs", they are prompted with a password dialog.

    6. Advanced users could use the Ctrl key to select TWO accounts and then click the "Get Msg" button or "Get mail for... Selected Account Only" menu item.  Mail for both accounts is retrieved.  Thread pane is empty until only ONE account is selected.

Plan A - The "File" menu

  1. When a Mail account has focus, the File menu has "Get new messages" which performs the same action as the "Get Msg" button.
  2. When a Newsgroup has focus, the File menu has "Get new messages" which performs the same action as the "Get Msg" button, and a "Get next X messages".

 

Plan B - The "File" menu

  1. When a Mail account has focus, the File Menu has  "Get new messages for..." menu which is a flyout.  Flyouts include (wording needs work):
  • "Selected Account Only" (Ctrl+G)
  • "Selected Account and all currently connected accounts" (Ctrl+Shift+G)
  1. When a newsgroup has focus, the File Menu has the "Get new message for..." flyout menu, plus a "Get next X messages" menu item immediately below.
  2. When a News server has focus, same as above except "Get next X messages" is disabled?
 
 

Plan C - The "File" menu

1. When a Mail account is selected:
 
     - Get new messages for -->
                                        Get All New Mail Messages
                                        <Acct1>
                                        <Acct2>
                                        <Acct3>

2. When a Newsgroup is selected:
    - Get new messages for ---> Same as above
    - Get next X messages
 
 
 

Plan  D-  The "File" menu

1. When a Mail account is selected:
 
     - Get new messages
     - Get new messages for -->
                                        Get All New Mail Messages
                                        <Acct1>
                                        <Acct2>
                                        <Acct3>
 

2. When a Newsgroup is selected:
     - Get new messages
     - Get new messages for -->
                                        Get All New Mail Messages
                                        <Acct1>
                                        <Acct2>
                                        <Acct3>
                                       <News Server1> -->
                                                   <newsgroup1>
                                                   <newsgroup2
                                      <News Server2> -->
                                                   <newsgroup1>

    - Get next X messages