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How to lock user preferences in thunderbird mail profiles

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  • Last reply by Harvey234

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Thunderbird-Version: 52.8.0 (64-Bit) on Archlinux (up-to-date)

Hello, we'd like to use thunderbird as the mail and calendar client in our non-profit organisation. The whole network consists only of linux servers and workstations running archlinux. To prevent our users from changing some of the settings in the mail client (especially a mail BCC to our mail archive) I read about locking preferences here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locking_preferences

I then created a file local-settings.js with the content:

pref("general.config.filename", "mozilla.cfg"); pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0);

and copied it to /usr/lib/thunderbird/default/pref

after that i created file mozilla.cfg with the content:

// Don't allow to edit bcc to mail archive lockPref("mail.identity.id7.doBccList", [email protected]); lockPref("mail.identity.id9.doBccList", [email protected]);

(These are the values I became from about:config)

and copied it to /usr/lib/thunderbird/

I start thunderbird and only get this message: Failed to read the configuration file. Please contact your system administrator.

Well - thats me :(

I then tried to encode the file mozilla.cfg to ROT13 as suggested in another post and removed the line pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0); from the file local-settings.js.

Now thunderbird starts again, but the pereferences are still clickable and the user can edit or delete the BCC which is not what was intended...

I am stuck here. Can somebody shed some light on the problem or at least push me in the right direction?

Greetings Harvey

Thunderbird-Version: 52.8.0 (64-Bit) on Archlinux (up-to-date) Hello, we'd like to use thunderbird as the mail and calendar client in our non-profit organisation. The whole network consists only of linux servers and workstations running archlinux. To prevent our users from changing some of the settings in the mail client (especially a mail BCC to our mail archive) I read about locking preferences here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locking_preferences I then created a file local-settings.js with the content: pref("general.config.filename", "mozilla.cfg"); pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0); and copied it to /usr/lib/thunderbird/default/pref after that i created file mozilla.cfg with the content: // Don't allow to edit bcc to mail archive lockPref("mail.identity.id7.doBccList", [email protected]); lockPref("mail.identity.id9.doBccList", [email protected]); (These are the values I became from about:config) and copied it to /usr/lib/thunderbird/ I start thunderbird and only get this message: Failed to read the configuration file. Please contact your system administrator. Well - thats me :( I then tried to encode the file mozilla.cfg to ROT13 as suggested in another post and removed the line pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0); from the file local-settings.js. Now thunderbird starts again, but the pereferences are still clickable and the user can edit or delete the BCC which is not what was intended... I am stuck here. Can somebody shed some light on the problem or at least push me in the right direction? Greetings Harvey

Chosen solution

I notice you say:

I can only think of this... Where you say [email protected], this is a string value, but there are no quote marks before or after the string value. TRy:

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Chosen Solution

I notice you say:

I can only think of this... Where you say [email protected], this is a string value, but there are no quote marks before or after the string value. TRy:

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This was the first kick for a two-line: I forgot to lock the tick boxx for the bcc field which can be disabled via: lockPref("mail.identity.id7.doBcc", true); lockPref("mail.identity.id9.doBcc", true);

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BTW: Thank you very much ;)