when automatic save as draft fails (because it can't reach the server?) the error message mentions the "Sent" folder. see the attached screen shot. compare the status "Copying message to Drafts folder.." to the prompt "Ther was an error copying the message to the Sent folder. Retry?" note, I was not sending, the auto save as draft kicked in, and I had lost my connection.

I'm using tbird mac os x version 2 beta 1 (20060923)

Actually... it does copy to the Sent folder (according to bug 257735).

Are you sure? I think that we get this message because it's hardcoded in the error message string: http://mxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/mail/locales/en-US/chrome/messenger/messengercompose/composeMsgs.properties#242

It's weird either way :) 20080903030139 Shredder/3.0b1pre

See also bug 342696, I've got the message, and the actual copy in the IMAP sent folder when my internet connection becommes weak. I use mozilla-thunderbird-2.0.0.18-0.1mdv2009.0.src.rpm

I think this is indeed a dupe of bug 257735

(In reply to comment #9) > I think this is indeed a dupe of bug 257735 Really DUP? I feel different issue(IMAP only issue) is involved in this bug, although message is same. Bug 257735 : Mixture of local mail folder cases & IMAP folder cases. All problem reporters look to say "draft was saved in Sent". This bug : IMAP case only. All problem reporters look to say "draft was not saved in Sent". I saw message of "There was an error copying the message to the Sent folder. Retry?" several times during problem recreation test for Bug 477443 with Gmail IMAP. (sorry but I can't find recreation procedure of this bug yet.) When I saw the message, draft mail was not saved in "Sent folder". This bug is possibly combination of next issues; (a) Incorrect or confusing message with "Sent folder". (Bug 257735 & this bug) (b) Incorrect message of "successful save" (if "saved in Sent" message was issued in this bug's case), even though "save of mail" was not executed. (This bug & Bug 477443)

setting dep on bug 257735 until we know better if it's not

As I wrote Bug 486947 Comment #11, wrong "send failure" and wrong or confusing or unclear "Sent Folder" in dialog can be observed easily with local "Drafts" folder and "Unsent"(Outbox, if tb 3) folder, by interfering of writing to Drafts/Unsent Messages/Sent file using text editor. Tb looks to have mechanism of "fall back to Sent folder" upon "save in Drafts failure". I think "wrongly" in bug summary of bug 257735 is wrong. If (IMAP folder) && (IMAP server down || connection failure), "fall back to Sent" is impossible. Following operation is required. 1. Disable auto-save 2. reply Cancel to "..., Retry" until no dialog wil be issued any more. 3. Specifiy local mail folder at Options/"Send a copy to", "Save As Draft", reply "Retry(OK)" for all dialogs until no dialog wil be issued any more. => Copy of draft mail is saved in the local mail folder. (Please be careful in use of "Send a copy to". See Bug 488075.) 4. Terminate composing. (If not, you will see "..., Retry" upon each save)

Saving to the drafts folder in "local folders" should ALWAYS be a fall back!

(In reply to comment #13) > Saving to the drafts folder in "local folders" should ALWAYS be a fall back! Nelson Bolyard, which is your "local folders"? Local mail folder? Or pseudo account of "Local Folders"? If latter, "fall back when IMAP" is ALWAYS done to local mail folder of psedo account of "Local Folders"? (sorry but I don't know about fall back when IMAP)

"Local Folders" is the name of the pseudo account (at least on the English version for Widnows ;). What I'm trying to say is this: Data Loss is never acceptable. Regardless of whether his email account is configured for IMAP or POP, when a user composes his message and tries to send it, or tries to save it to his normal drafts folder, if that operations fails, under NO circumstances is it acceptable for that email that he composed (up to that point) to be lost. Even if we cannot reach the IMAP drafts folder, and also cannot reach the IMAP sent folder, we cannot give up there and lose the message. We MUST fall back to saving it in a folder on the pseudo account that, BY DEFINITION, is always on the user's local disk. And of course, we must tell the user where his document went.

iirc comment 15's dataloss issues are covered in another bug

Recovery procedure I wrote in Comment #12 never works. Sorry for wrong comment. (A) Fall back of IMAP Drafts folder tried to save in IMAP Sent folder. (B) "Send a copy to" worked only after successful save in Drafts (or successful save in Sent as "fall back folder"). So, OK to "..., Retry?" produces retry loop, until IMAP server will be available again. Following is a workaround to keep copy of draft when IMAP. 1. Reply "Cancel" to "..., Retry?". 2. Change From: to mail address for which local mail folder is set as Draft. 3. Save As Draft. 4. Terminate composing. As Nelson says, if "fall back of IMAP folder", at least a way to "fall back to local mail folder" should be provided. Very old Bug 28211 exists for such request. (If problem occurs on IMAP Sent for sent mail, situation is worse, and there is still no workaround.) Anyway, as Wayne Mery says, this bug is for wrong/confusing/unclear error message and dialog. Sorry for my irrelevant comments(for "data loss" related phenomena) to this bug.

(In reply to comment #9) > I think this is indeed a dupe of bug 257735 I can't think this bug is dup of it, although both bugs are report about same situation/same phenomenon and some comments in that bug refer to misleading "sent" and wrong/confusing "Sent folder" in dialog, because: (a) Opener of Bug 257735 says as follows in Bug 257735 Comment #0; > the dialog says "There was an error copying the message to the Sent folder. Retry?". > Obviously it should say to the Draft folder, but no big deal. (b) Bug summary: Drafts wrongly saved to sent folder after failing and retrying Bug opener says draft-folder=IMAP "Drafts", sent-folder=IMAP "Sent", and both are pre-defined at server and worked well before bug report. So, it's usually contention of "Drafts" folder & fall back to "Sent" case. If fall back to "Sent" case, "wrongly" in summary of Bug 257735 is wrong, then bug 257735 is INVALID, unless bug 257735 is morphed or hijacked.

"wrongly" in bug summary of Bug 257735 was absolutely correct. It was never "fall back to Sent". Sorry for my misunderstanding of that bug. Fix of Bug 257735 and fix of Drafts folder version of Bug 28211 will be required for problems discussed in this bug. Note: Bug 28211 is still Future.

Bug 257735 was treated as "common bug for Drafts/Templates/Outbox(==Unsent Messages), and was fixed. Confusing "retry with Sent" now won't occur. And, "save failure to Sent/Drafts/Templates/Outbox(==Unsent Messages)" are commonly processed, and same dialog of "unable to save ... retry or cancel" with specific folder name is used for these folders. So, Plan-B for these folder is easier to implement than before fix of Bug 257735. And, Plan-B now can be implemented as common feature for all these special folders, intead of Sent folder only feature.

Removing "error message mentions Sent" part from bug summary because issue of "retry at Sent even though draft/template" is already resolved.

Removing [good first bug] - not sure we know at all what's happening here.

Should be fixed by bug 28211/bug 1366591. If not, please file a new bug. The message shown in attachment 239941 [details] no longer exists.