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You are here: Mozilla MailNews Functional / UI Tests > Mail & News: Mail Notification

Feature Test Spec: Mail and News Component

Mail and News Component: Mail Notification

Written by Peter Mock
Modified and updated by: Fenella Gor, by Sheela Ravindran and by Gary Chan

References

5.0 Seamonkey UI Specification:
Mach V UI Specification:

Test cases are grayed out if they are not still implemented for the last project that this has been updated. This test spec does not cover biff behavior while offline or toggling from offline to online.

Description

Biff is a visual "green arrow on mail icons" and sound indication with a preference that a new mail is available. Biff preference checked in a mail application goes off when a new mail is on a server or when a new mail is downloaded.

Biff Specific Preferences:

  • Play a Sound when new mail arrives- turned on by default
    • We currently use the default system sound on windows as well as Mac
    • On Mac system you can use internet config to choose your mail sound and that uses system sounds.
    • On windows we use the system sound when mail arrives. This is similar to how 4.x sound when mail arrives.
  • Check new mail at start up- turned on by default for the first account

I. General Mail Notification outlines

  1. Mail Notification (BIFF)
    1. Verify Biff indications with visual and sound alerts when above prefs are turned on.
      • Taskbar
      • Account level
      • Parent folders
      • Child folders
      • Filter folders
      • Any folder except for the Trash folder
    2. Verify Biff goes off when the following happens:
      • New mail arrives on a server
      • New mail has been downloaded from the server
    3. BIFF goes away when:
      • Get Msg
      • Loading a messages
      • Switching folders
      • Exit Messenger
    4. Platforms to be tested:
      • Linux
      • Win32
      • Mac

II. Mail notification program Testing with other preferences:

When you open mail and have set up accounts, which you are not logged into, it will display a password dialog. Or if you have checked "check new mail at start up" we also display a password dialog to prompt user to login to the account to get new messages. This dialog also has a Check box to remember the password. When this check box is checked after entering password, we save the password in the password manager.

IMAP Account

  1. When Preference "Check new mail at start up" is turned ON for IMAP accounts will have the following behavior:
    1. Password is saved
      • Verify inbox is selected.
      • Verify that green biff arrow is shown in account level, parent folder level, task bar and child folder if the message is filtered.
      • Verify the message headers are downloaded.
    2. Password is Not Saved
      • Verify inbox is selected
      • Verify the password dialog appears prompting the user to enter password.
      • Verify after the password is given the message headers are downloaded
      • Verify now green biff arrow appears at account level, parent folder level, task bar and child folder if the message is filtered.
  2. When Preference "Check new mail at start up" is turned OFF for IMAP accounts
    1. Password saved/Not Saved
      • Verify inbox is not selected
      • Verify the account central page is displayed.
      • Verify when you click on link Read messages in account central page should display password dialog if password is not saved. When password is saved then the messages should select the inbox in the folder pane and download message headers

POP Account

  1. When Preference "Check new mail at start up" is turned ON for POP accounts will have the following behavior:
    1. Password is saved and Automatically download messages Unchecked
      • Verify inbox is selected
      • Verify that green biff arrow is shown at account level, task bar
      • Verify messages are not downloaded unless user clicks on the Get message button.
    2. Password is saved and Automatically download messages checked-POP account
      • Verify inbox is selected
      • Verify the messages are downloaded from the server
      • Verify the green biff arrow appears at account level, folder level, task bar, and child folder if the message is filtered.
    3. Password is Not Saved and Automatically download messages checked or unchecked:
      • Verify user is prompted with the password dialog
      • Verify if the auto download messages is checked we download messages after the password is authenticated
        • Verify biff arrow appears at the account level, parent level(inbox), child folder(in case of any filters), task bar.
      • Verify if the auto download messages is unchecked we do not download messages after the password is authenticated
        • Verify biff arrow appear at the account level and task bar to indicate there are new messages for download
  2. When Preference "Check new mail at start up" is turned off
    1. Password is Saved and Not Saved:
      • Verify that account central page is be displayed
      • Verify inbox should not be selected in the folder pane.

III. Check Biff at different intervals

Pref: Check for new messages for every [N] minutes - checked

There is a know bug after changing the biff interval time in the above prefs restart the application for the changes to take effect.

  • Change the interval from 10 minutes to 0 minutes
  • Change the interval to check for new mail every 1 minute
  • Change the interval to check for new mail every 5 minutes
  • Change the interval to check for new mail every 10 minutes [Default settings]
  • Change the interval to check for new mail every 30 minutes

IV Check Biff on different accounts on single and multiple accounts in a profile

Test on both the default biff value and also by changing to the above values on the accounts below for testing.

  • Verify biff works with single profile imap account as default
  • Verify biff works with single profile pop account as default
  • Verify biff works with Aol account as default in a profile
  • Verify biff works with web mail account as default in a profile
  • Verify biff works with news account as default in a profile
  • Verify biff works with both imap account and pop account in a single profile
  • Verify biff works having imap(ISP), pop(ISP) webmail, aol mail, and news account in a single profile.
  • Follow the guidelines listed in the I. General mail notification in this document to see the expected visual and sound indication for all of the accounts listed above.

V. Mail Alerts

Description: A sliding alert dialog that appears above the system tray in lower right hand corner. Currently implemented only for windows. It is used to notify users that new messages have appeared. The alert slowly slides up, pauses, and then slowly slides close. Alerts appear only when Biff goes off.

  1. Verify Alert only appears if all 3 are true:
    1. Preferences| Mail&Newsgroups|Show an Alert is checked
    2. Mail&Newsgroups Account Settings|Server Settings|Check for new messages every X minutes is checked
    3. New mail arrives and the user lets BIFF go off
  2. Verify Alert won't appear if any of the above is not true
  3. Verify Alert pops up then goes down
  4. Verify clicking on the link in the Alert should take you to the first folder with new messages in it
  5. Verify the Alert appears in Modern Theme no matter what Theme you are currently using
  6. Verify the Alert only shows the Username and the number of new messages for the first account with new mail
  7. Verify the Alert works with just a single account or multiple accounts (but it will still only display the first account w/new mail)
  8. Verify it works with IMAP, POP, webmail, or AOL accounts.
  9. Verify the General UI (Text is clear, spelling, etc..) is ok
  10. Verify that, assuming user has already logged into mail, the alert will appear if you just have the browser/composer running but not messenger
  11. Alert will not work if turbo is running but messenger is not running (even if you have logged into messenger already)

VI. Mail Notification Icon

Description: A white envelope with a red flag icon that appears in the system tray that signals new mail has arrived. It appears when Biff goes off.

This is currently implemented only in window builds

  1. Verify Notification Icon will appear if
    1. Mail&Newsgroups Account Settings|Server Settings|Check for new messages every X minutes is checked
    2. New mail arrives and the user lets the BIFF settings go off
    3. The user doesn't click on the link when the alert window pops up then down.
  2. Verify Icon won't appear if any of the above is not true
  3. Verify Icon appears in the System Tray
  4. Verify Icon will disappear if the following happens:
    1. Get Msg
    2. Read the new message
    3. Switching folders
    4. Exit Messenger
  5. Verify Icon won't appear if you know you are about to receive a new message and you do a Get Msgs or Get Messages for Account or Read messages from Account Central page or Get New Messages
  6. Verify the Icon works with just a single account or multiple accounts
  7. ToolTip for the Mail Notification icon
    1. Verify the tootle for the icon displays "<username> has X new messages"
    2. Verify that if more than one account has new messages that the tooltip has multiple lines, one per account
  8. Verify it works with IMAP, POP, webmail, or AOL
  9. Verify the General UI (Text is clear, spelling, etc..) is ok
  10. Verify that, assuming user has already logged into mail, the icon will appear if you just have the browser/composer running but not messenger

VII. Other Scenarios

  1. Password has been correctly entered and Inbox is open:
    1. If there is new message on the server, verify that BIFF arrow appears on
      • Account level
      • Taskbar
      • Parent folders
      • Child folders
  2. If there is no new message on the server, verify that NO BIFF icon appears on
    • Account level
    • Taskbar
    • Parent folders
    • Child folders
  3. For the Account level, if headers are downloaded, any action as below will cause BIFF to go away
    • Verify that "Get Msg" will cause BIFF to go away.
    • Verify that Loading a message will cause BIFF to go away.
    • Verify that switching folder will cause BIFF to go away.
  4. Verify tooltip for the account
    • If the user is connected to the server: "<Account Name> - status: connected".
    • If the user is NOT connected to the server: "<Account Name> - status: not connected".
  5. Verify Online/Offline icon
    1. When you click on Offline/Online icon to go offline, verify that no BIFF will appear in the
      • Account level
      • Taskbar
      • Parent folders
      • Child folders
  6. When you click on Online/Offline icon to go online, verify that BIFF icon will appear in
    • Account level
    • Taskbar
    • Folder level
    • Child folder
  7. For the Folder level:
    1. Verify that a new folder icon (green arrow) will show up next to the folder in which new message exists.
    2. Verify that folder icon goes away when all new messages are read
    3. Verify that folder icon goes away when messages in the folder are no longer the "newest". This happens when
      • you click Get Msg while viewing this folder
      • you switch folder before you complete viewing the new messages
      • you quit. The icons are gone even if you have not finished viewing the new messages.
  8. Password has been saved and Inbox is closed
    1. Place a check in the "Remember Password" in the password dialog when logging into the mail account at start up.
      • Verify that BIFF appears in the Account level
      • Verify that BIFF icon does not appear in the Inbox folder
      • Verify that BIFF icon does not appear in the child folder.
  9. Password has been saved and Inbox is open (by clicking on the Inbox folder):
    1. Verify that BIFF icon appears in the
      • Parent or Inbox folder
      • Child folder
    2. Verify that BIFF goes away when you click on
      • Get Msg
      • Loading a message
      • switching folders
  10. Server status
    1. If the user is connected to the Sever ( status is connected )
      • Verify no BIFF icon on Account level and Taskbar when there is No new message waiting
      • Verify BIFF icons appears in the Taskbar and Account level when there is new message waiting
      • Verify that new message icon appears in folders level (see above) when there is new messages
        1. Inbox in the status bar of all the windows
        2. Inbox in the folder window
        3. Inbox in the Messenger window
      • After message is selected; verify that the green diamond disappears in the folder level.
    2. If the user is dis-connected to the Server ( status is disconnected )
      • Verify no BIFF icon when there is No new message
      • Verify no BIFF icons even when there are new messages
    3. If the user go offline, ie: dis-connected from the server.
      • Verify no BIFF icon when there is No new message
      • Verify no BIFF icons even when there are new messages
    4. If the user go online, ie: connected to the server.
      • Verify no BIFF icon when there is No new message
      • Verify BIFF icons appears when there is new message on the server.
        1. Taskbar
        2. Account level
      • Verify green diamond appears in the folders when there are new messages
        1. Inbox in the status bar of all the windows
        2. Inbox in the folder window
        3. Inbox in the Messenger window

Extended Scenarios and Test cases related to Biff

  • Start Mail application:
    1. Verify that you can launch Messenger using the ./mozilla -mail option
    2. Verify that you can select Tasks|Mail from the browser to bring up the Messenger window.
    3. Verify that you can single click on the Mail icon from the Browser's task bar.
    4. Verify that Green diamond icon appears in Taskbar in each platforms when there is new mail in the server.
  • Interruption: Verify that mail notification will resume after interruption.
    1. Network connection broken during mail download (turn off Network drop); verify that BIFF stops checking mail, no BIFF icon appears when it network connection is broken. And it resumes when it is re-connected.
    2. Network re-established after an interrupt; verify that there is BIFF icon
    3. Network connection is slow (use modem to dial up); check for BIFF icon
    4. When you resume on-line by clicking the online/offline icon.