Offline mode not working properly

[Dave Rado]

When I work offline, if I try to open an email, many of them display the
following message:

"The body of this message has not been downloaded from the server for
reading offline. To read this message, you must reconnect to the
network, choose Offline from the File menu and then untick Work Offline.
In the future, you can select which messages or folders to read offline.
To do this, choose Offline from the file menu and then select
Download/Sync Now. You can adjust the Disc Space preference to prevent
the downloading of large messages."

I want to be able to read all my emails when I'm working offline. That's
the whole point of having the ability to work offline, so that I can
still read my emails when I have no internet connection. How can I set
Thunderbird up so that I can actually work offline when working offline?

Dave

[Wolf K.]

The instructions seem quite clear to me. Which part(s) of seem(s)
obscure to you?

--
Best,
Wolf K.
kirkwood40.blogspot.ca

[David E. Ross]

Is your E-mail through IMAP or through SMTP/POP3?

--
David E. Ross

Donald Trump claims everyone likes him. Does that
include his ex-wives? How about the students who
discovered that their education at Trump University
was worthless? And how about the contractors,
suppliers, and employees he stiffed in his several
bankruptcies?

[WaltS48]

When I click the Network Status icon in the lower left of the status bar
to go offline I get a message;

"Do you want to download messages for offline use before going offline?"

When I click the Download Now button it appears to connect to my IMAP
account to download messages. The messages for my POP account are
already downloaded.

I only see the message you receive when trying to read a newsgroup
message, which obviously haven't been downloaded because newsgroups only
download the header, not the body.

To read them offline you need to follow the instructions in the message.

--
Visit Pittsburgh <http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/>
Coexist <https://www.coexist.org/>
Ubuntu 16.04LTS

[Dave Rado]

The instructions tell me to connect to the internet. I only work offline
when I have no internet signal. When I have no signal I can't connect to
the internet. If I am working offline the instructions to go online are
rather silly because if I could go online I wouldn't be working offline.

If it can't synch emails in the background when I *don't* need to work
offline (as my phone's email app does) then the work offline feature is
useless to me.

Dave

[Dave Rado]

On 17/10/2016 00:29, David E. Ross wrote:
> On 10/16/2016 1:26 PM, Dave Rado wrote:
>> When I work offline, if I try to open an email, many of them display the
>> following message:
>>
>> "The body of this message has not been downloaded from the server for
>> reading offline. To read this message, you must reconnect to the
>> network, choose Offline from the File menu and then untick Work Offline.
>> In the future, you can select which messages or folders to read offline.
>> To do this, choose Offline from the file menu and then select
>> Download/Sync Now. You can adjust the Disc Space preference to prevent
>> the downloading of large messages."
>>
>> I want to be able to read all my emails when I'm working offline. That's
>> the whole point of having the ability to work offline, so that I can
>> still read my emails when I have no internet connection. How can I set
>> Thunderbird up so that I can actually work offline when working offline?
>>
>> Dave
>>
>
> Is your E-mail through IMAP or through SMTP/POP3?

IMAP.

[Dave Rado]

See my reply to Wolf K. If I could follow the instructions in the
message, then by definition I would have an internet signal. If I had an
internet signal then I would not be working offline.

Dave

[WaltS48]

Oki

[Wolf K.]

By default, IMAP does not download emails for storage (--> Offline use)
on your device. You have to set it to do that. Read this:

https://www.lifewire.com/offline-imap-email-inbox-thunderbird-1173086

[Ed Mullen]

On 10/17/2016 at 8:54 AM, Dave Rado's prodigious digits fired off:

The point is to set up TB so that it downloads message bodies when you
DO connect to get new mail. Then you can go offline and read them.

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net/
It's not hard to meet expenses, they're everywhere.

[Dave Rado]

On 17/10/2016 14:40, Wolf K. wrote:
> On 2016-10-17 08:53, Dave Rado wrote:
>> On 17/10/2016 00:29, David E. Ross wrote:
>>> On 10/16/2016 1:26 PM, Dave Rado wrote:
>>>> When I work offline, if I try to open an email, many of them display
>>>> the
>>>> following message:
>>>>
>>>> "The body of this message has not been downloaded from the server for
>>>> reading offline. To read this message, you must reconnect to the
>>>> network, choose Offline from the File menu and then untick Work
>>>> Offline.
>>>> In the future, you can select which messages or folders to read
>>>> offline.
>>>> To do this, choose Offline from the file menu and then select
>>>> Download/Sync Now. You can adjust the Disc Space preference to prevent
>>>> the downloading of large messages."
>>>>
>>>> I want to be able to read all my emails when I'm working offline.
>>>> That's
>>>> the whole point of having the ability to work offline, so that I can
>>>> still read my emails when I have no internet connection. How can I set
>>>> Thunderbird up so that I can actually work offline when working
>>>> offline?
>>>>
>>>> Dave

> By default, IMAP does not download emails for storage (--> Offline use)
> on your device. You have to set it to do that. Read this:
>
> https://www.lifewire.com/offline-imap-email-inbox-thunderbird-1173086

Thanks Wolf K. I followed the instructions you linked to. "Keep messages
for this account on this computer" was already checked. Under
"Advanced," "Download" was already checked for the Inbox folder and for
most of my other folders as well - but not for all of them. And as you'd
expect, the emails that that I hadn't been able to view offline were in
folders that were not checked.

Yet I have definitely *never* gone through this procedure before - so
what could have caused most - and yet not all - of my folders to have
already been configured to be downloaded? Will I have to remember to go
through this procedure every time I create a new folder from now on? If
so, why haven't I had to do that for most of my existing folders?

Dave

[Dave Rado]

On 17/10/2016 17:57, Ed Mullen wrote:
> On 10/17/2016 at 8:54 AM, Dave Rado's prodigious digits fired off:
>> On 17/10/2016 00:56, WaltS48 wrote:
>>> On 10/16/2016 04:26 PM, Dave Rado wrote:
>>>> When I work offline, if I try to open an email, many of them display
>>>> the following message:
>>>>
>>>> "The body of this message has not been downloaded from the server for
>>>> reading offline. To read this message, you must reconnect to the
>>>> network, choose Offline from the File menu and then untick Work
>>>> Offline. In the future, you can select which messages or folders to
>>>> read offline. To do this, choose Offline from the file menu and then
>>>> select Download/Sync Now. You can adjust the Disc Space preference to
>>>> prevent the downloading of large messages."
>>>>
>>>> I want to be able to read all my emails when I'm working offline.
>>>> That's the whole point of having the ability to work offline, so that
>>>> I can still read my emails when I have no internet connection. How can
>>>> I set Thunderbird up so that I can actually work offline when working
>>>> offline?
>>>>
>>>> Dave

> The point is to set up TB so that it downloads message bodies when you
> DO connect to get new mail. Then you can go offline and read them.

That's exactly what I was trying to find out how to do. However, Wolf K
seems to have supplied the answer - but see the reply I've just posted
to him - somehow most, *but not all,* of my folders had already been
configured to do that. This makes no sense to me, given that I've never
followed the procedure he linked to until today.

Dave

[Wolf K.]

On 2016-10-19 18:35, Dave Rado wrote:
> On 17/10/2016 14:40, Wolf K. wrote:

[...]

> > By default, IMAP does not download emails for storage (--> Offline use)
> > on your device. You have to set it to do that. Read this:
> >
> > https://www.lifewire.com/offline-imap-email-inbox-thunderbird-1173086
>
>
> Thanks Wolf K. I followed the instructions you linked to. "Keep messages
> for this account on this computer" was already checked. Under
> "Advanced," "Download" was already checked for the Inbox folder and for
> most of my other folders as well - but not for all of them. And as you'd
> expect, the emails that that I hadn't been able to view offline were in
> folders that were not checked.
>
> Yet I have definitely *never* gone through this procedure before - so
> what could have caused most - and yet not all - of my folders to have
> already been configured to be downloaded? Will I have to remember to go
> through this procedure every time I create a new folder from now on? If
> so, why haven't I had to do that for most of my existing folders?
>
> Dave

I don't know, I don't use IMAP.

--
Wolf K.
kirkwood40.blogspot.ca
It's called "opinion" because it's not knowledge.

[Disaster Master]

On 10/19/2016 6:35 PM, Dave Rado <dave...@nospam.co.uk> wrote:

Thanks Wolf K. I followed the instructions you linked to. "Keep messages 
for this account on this computer" was already checked. Under 
"Advanced," "Download" was already checked for the Inbox folder and for 
most of my other folders as well - but not for all of them. And as you'd 
expect, the emails that that I hadn't been able to view offline were in 
folders that were not checked.

Yet I have definitely *never* gone through this procedure before - so 
what could have caused most - and yet not all - of my folders to have 
already been configured to be downloaded? Will I have to remember to go 
through this procedure every time I create a new folder from now on? If 
so, why haven't I had to do that for most of my existing folders?

Tools > Options > Advanced > Config Editor

Search on:

mail.server*download

Make sure that the first one (mail.server.default.offline_download) is set to true.

If the first one is set to false, then new folders will be set to false (iirc).

Then make sure the mail.server.server## (where ## corresponds to the server for the account in question) is also set to true. Changing this to false for that server will cause new folders to be set to false.

[Dave Rado]

Hi Disaster Master

On 20/10/2016 17:34, Disaster Master wrote:
> On 10/19/2016 6:35 PM, Dave Rado <dave...@nospam.co.uk> wrote:
>> Thanks Wolf K. I followed the instructions you linked to. "Keep
messages
>> for this account on this computer" was already checked. Under
>> "Advanced," "Download" was already checked for the Inbox folder and for
>> most of my other folders as well - but not for all of them. And as
you'd
>> expect, the emails that that I hadn't been able to view offline were in
>> folders that were not checked.
>>
>> Yet I have definitely *never* gone through this procedure before - so
>> what could have caused most - and yet not all - of my folders to have
>> already been configured to be downloaded? Will I have to remember to go
>> through this procedure every time I create a new folder from now on? If
>> so, why haven't I had to do that for most of my existing folders?
>
> Tools > Options > Advanced > Config Editor
>
> Search on:
>
> mail.server*download
>
> Make sure that the first one (mail.server.default.offline_download) is
> set to true.

It already was set to true - although it's the second one that I see,
not the first. The first one I see is
mail.server.default.download_on_biff - and that is currently set to
false. Should I set it to true?

> If the first one is set to false, then new folders will be set to false
> (iirc).
>
> Then make sure the mail.server.server## (where ## corresponds to the
> server for the account in question) is also set to true. Changing this
> to false for that server will cause new folders to be set to false.

I can't find any that just contain that string. What I see is:

mail.server.default.download_on_biff;false
mail.server.default.offline_download;true
mail.server.server1.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server1.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server2.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server2.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server4.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server4.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server5.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server5.downloadUnreadOnly;false


Should I change any of those values from false to true?

Dave

[Disaster Master]

On 10/21/2016 3:03 PM, Dave Rado <dave...@nospam.co.uk> wrote:

> Tools > Options > Advanced > Config Editor
 >
 > Search on:
 >
 > mail.server*download
 >
 > Make sure that the first one (mail.server.default.offline_download) is
 > set to true.

It already was set to true - although it's the second one that I see, 
not the first. The first one I see is 
mail.server.default.download_on_biff - and that is currently set to 
false. Should I set it to true?

No, I misspoke, you are correct the one I mentioned is second, and both the first and second in mine are false.

 > If the first one is set to false, then new folders will be set to false
 > (iirc).
 >
 > Then make sure the mail.server.server## (where ## corresponds to the
 > server for the account in question) is also set to true. Changing this
 > to false for that server will cause new folders to be set to false.

I can't find any that just contain that string. What I see is:

mail.server.default.download_on_biff;false
mail.server.default.offline_download;true

I believe the above one is your problem - change it to false.

mail.server.server1.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server1.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server2.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server2.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server4.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server4.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server5.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server5.downloadUnreadOnly;false


Should I change any of those values from false to true?

Well, I'm not sure why those are showing as user modified (in bold), but mine are all false too, so you shouldn't change those.

[Disaster Master]

On 10/26/2016 12:05 PM, Disaster Master <disasterl...@gmail.com> wrote:

On 10/21/2016 3:03 PM, Dave Rado <dave...@nospam.co.uk> wrote:

mail.server.server1.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server1.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server2.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server2.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server4.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server4.downloadUnreadOnly;false
mail.server.server5.downloadByDate;false
mail.server.server5.downloadUnreadOnly;false


Should I change any of those values from false to true?

Well, I'm not sure why those are showing as user modified (in bold), but mine are all false too, so you shouldn't change those.

Oh, never mind, account specific settings always show as user set, because they are.