This is a bug to track the implementation of HTML Intelligent Send feature. Intelligent send is where we ask the user about formatting when HTML messages are sent to domains or users not known to be HTML savvy. It is a fairly complex feature showing its face in different areas of mailnews, including: -- compose window "format" options list (Ask Me, HTML, Text, HTML & Text) -- Prefs|Formatting| "When sending HTML mail messages to recipients who are not listed as being able to receive them:" <various radio button options. -- the "HTML Question" dialog pops up when sending an html message to domain/user not listed with messenger as able to receive html. There were subdialogs to this in 4.x -- the "HTML Domains" dialog in Address Book window menu I know some of these issues may need to be logged separately, but wanted to get some sort of tracking bug in.

I think ducarroz owns the front end for this, and rhp owns the back end.

In 4.x, we have prefs which record newsgroup hierarchies known to like HTML (I think this was stored in hostinfo.dat, not in the actual JS prefs). Let's make the UI for that much more accessible in mozilla, perhaps combining it with the per-domain mail prefs that laurel mentioned.

*** Bug 17215 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Phil, do we need to break this down or just one bug would do it? thanks

*** Bug 17273 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 20233 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 22141 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

JF, I'd really like to have this feature for b1. It's important for interop with non-HTML-capable MUAs.

*** Bug 25771 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Nominate for beta1

Putting on PDT+ radar for beta1.

I have checked in this feature. However some detail need to be finished post beta1: 1) Recipients are HTML compliant by default. That means if we don't have an entry for a recipient in one of the addressbook, we consider that it support HTML mail. We may change the behavior (maybe for B1, if it's the case, please reopen this bug). 2) We are looking only in the Personal Addressbook and in the history Addressbook. We need to look into all the local AB. 3) Before deciding to ask the user what to do with an HTML message, we need to look at the body do see if it really contains some formatting HTML tag or embedded object else we can just send it as plaint text without asking the user 4) For now, all newsgroups are non HTML compliant. We need to implement the UI to tell if a newsgroups is accept HTML. 5) I have some code in nsMsgCompose to open an AB database. We need to add an API in AB for doing that instead of duplication code. Once this bug has been verified, I will file a new bug for the remaining points.

I think that "recipients are HTML compliant by default" is a bad idea. If I click on a "mailto:" link, I don't want to send HTML. I think either: * that default should be changed * it should be a pref (probably with default off) * or, the prefs (Mail and Newsgroups | Formatting) should be controllable for people other than those who aren't listed as able to recieve HTML.

I see no reason to send as HTML as default if you are only sending text. If you want to send some styles, then ask the user, but don't risk sending an unreadble mail.

Pls file bugs on your opinions on what the default behavior should be or continue the talk in the mail-news newsgroup as you have been. This bug report is a high level bug to implement the HTML dialog and send feature. Thanks

I already did (bug 22141), and it was marked as a duplicate of this bug.

I will change the default behavior to from HTML to plaintext. I will use 22141 for the tracking

Now recipients are no HTML compliant by default.

I still can't send plaintext from the html compose window. I have the pref set to "ask me what to do", and I send a message that has html formatting, and it never asks me, just sends, and the message comes through in html.

Like in 4.x, the preference will be used only if we cannot determin the send format ourselve. When you set the pref to "ask Me" and you send an HTML message where all the recipients have an entry in the addressbook and their setting in the AB does not say "send plain text only" (which by the way is set to false by default in 5.0, feel free to file a bug if you disagree), we won't ask the user. I think in your case, you are sending a message to a recipient which is either in your personal AB or in your history AB and you haven't checked the setting "plain text only". Can you check?

I was sending to recipients who aren't in my address book and who are in external domains. I don't know how to check or change my "history AB" (it's not mentioned when I bring up the addressbook window), but these are people to whom I've sent mail in the past. I hope you're not saying that everyone to whom I ever send mail will automatically be marked as wanting to receive html without my ever being asked about it? I'm going to try symlinking history.mab and history.dat to /dev/null and see if that cures the problem. (But normal users won't know to do that ...)

Linking those files to /dev/null causes the dialog to come up the first time I sent to a particular user in the current session. The dialog comes up, and I click "Plain text only". It proceeds to send html anyway. From then on, it will always send html to that person, and never ask me again, and there seems to be no way for me ever to change that even if you fix the dialog.

by history AB I mean the collected addresses AB (history.mab). The collected address should appears in the left pane of the adreessbook. >I hope you're not saying that everyone to whom I ever send mail will >automatically be marked as wanting to receive html without my ever being asked >about it? YES, and that's not good at all!. Sol, this is the reason why we should say that a user want plain text message by default. It's safer and better.

ok, we need to file a bug for the default value in the Address book for the "send plain text message only". Now, if the message is still send in HTML when you choose plain text in the ask dialog, it's a bug. I will look at it...

Apparently, When Akkana reply to a simple plain text message in HTML mode, and then send later the message in plain text mode (by selecting plain text in the "Ask me" dialog, the message in send in HTML. She doesn't have the problem with a new message! Anyway, I will file a bug for the addressbook default value for the send format and another bug for akkana specific problem with reply message (seems to append only on Linux). And I will close again this bug as fixed.

I guess that's okay, as long as the PDT+ from this bug moves along to the new bug. Not being able to send plaintext is just as important now as it was when this bug was marked PDT+ for that issue.

I've just filed bug 28308 & 28314. Mark as Fixed again as the implementation of this feature is correct (except for bug 28308).

Fixed.

>Now, if the message is still send in HTML when you choose plain text in the ask >dialog, it's a bug. I will look at it... I tested this scenario using these builds: Linux (2000-02-17-08 M14) Win32 (2000-02-17-09 M14) Mac (2000-02-17-08 M14) and the following steps: 1. In the Account Setup, check "Compose message using HTML" to open a HTML editor 2. In the Compose window, choose Options|Format|Ask Me 3. Compose the message and click Send 4. The HTML mail question dialog comes up, I choose "Send in Plain Text Only" and click Send 5. View the received message's Page Source, the message is indeed sent as a Plain text. Also, I agree with Ducarroz. This bug is a high-level bug. Since implementation of the Intelligent Send feature is working, I am going to mark this bug verified. However, when bug 28093 is fixed, I will re-visit the following bugs to ensure these bugs no longer exist. bug 17215 bug 17273 bug 20233 bug 22141 bug 25771