Lack of possibility of e-mail content filtering in Thunderbird
Hello, during the last years, my e-mail provider have sent commercial e-mails from his own account and I could filter this kind of e-mails sent from one account. Nowadays he does not send commercial e-mails, but many companies send their own commercial e-mails from their e-mail accounts on behalf of my e-mail provider. I can not filter all e-mail accounts in my country.
There is one thing in my Thunderbird, that could improve my live: possibility of e-mail content filtering. There is always in all commercial e-mails footnote: "Sent on behalf of e-mail account provider".
There is no possibility to filter entire e-mail content in Thunderbird. Why?
PS. There is a mistake in Polish translation of Help Topic: Organize Your Messages by Using Filters (see atached screenshot). The translation says: it is possible to look for a word in the entire e-mail content. It is not true, it is not possible. I have marked red the wrong translation.
Best regards Marek R.
Sorry, the screenshot is one post below...
marekr modificouno o
All Replies (14)
There is no possibility to filter entire e-mail content in Thunderbird.Why do you say this? I just checked here and from a technical point of view, Thunderbird is able to search for words in the message body text. Have I understood correctly that your problem is that in the Polish interpretation, the drop-down list doesn't offer an equivalent for "body|contains", perhaps due to a translation error?
The filter, shown below, worked perfectly.
Zenos modificouno o
PS. I'll update the polish article to Sender instead of Body (as in the english version), but still it should be possible to filter Body.
Zenos said
Why do you say this? I just checked here and from a technical point of view, Thunderbird is able to search for words in the message body text.
Perhaps I can not use Thunderbird... My version is: Version 52.7.0, first offered to Release channel users on March 23, 2018.
I have unfortunately the polish version, but I think the only difference between Polish and English are the words, but the functions are the same. I have attached screenshot from Filter Options and there is no possibility to choose BODY (or ENTIRE E-MAIL or WHOLE CONTENT). Could you attach your schreenshot?
Zenos said
Have I understood correctly that your problem is that in the Polish interpretation, the drop-down list doesn't offer an equivalent for "body|contains", perhaps due to a translation error?
My second problem is that, the HELP in Polish shows an example and the explanation of this example (screenshot is in the second post on this site). An example shows filtering by SENDER FIELD (the first red line) and below an explanation writes filtering by E-MAIL BODY (the second red line).
marekr modificouno o
TyDraniu said
PS. I'll update the polish article to Sender instead of Body (as in the english version), but still it should be possible to filter Body.
I have attached one post above my screenshot from FILTER in Polish. Could you tell me which position is FILTERING THE E-MAIL BODY. I suppose you speak Polish, don't you, TyDraniu? I suppose, there is no possibility of the language change (Polish to English) without installing a new Thunderbird.
marekr modificouno o
Zenos said
There is no possibility to filter entire e-mail content in Thunderbird.Why do you say this? I just checked here and from a technical point of view, Thunderbird is able to search for words in the message body text. Have I understood correctly that your problem is that in the Polish interpretation, the drop-down list doesn't offer an equivalent for "body|contains", perhaps due to a translation error?The filter, shown below, worked perfectly.
Yes, perhaps due to a translation error!!! Could you make a screenshot with the whole list of drop-down list. I would like to see on which position is BODY, how many positions are there... My screenshot from Polish version is in the post above.
marekr modificouno o
SUMMARY
Regarding e-mail filtering, as Zenos in his screenshot in the third post from top has shown, there is an e-mail "body" filtering in English version of Thunderbird possible.
I have shown on my screenshot in the fifth post on this site, that in my Polish version 52.7.0 (first offered to Release channel users on March 23, 2018) there in NO possibility of e-mail body filtering. It is not due to the error in translation from English to Polish of the drop-down list. I have checked all options from Polish drop-down list. None of options from drop-down list can filter the body of e-mail.
Who can help?
For completeness, here is the complete drop-down list of filtering targets. Some of these may be non-standard, since I have tried using a few customised fields. I have eliminated all those brought in by add-ons by running Thunderbird in safe mode for this screenshot.
Here's mine (in polish locale)
My Thunderbird uses IMAP protocol (not POP). Is my Thunderbird with IMAP able to filter the BODY of e-mail?
Mój Thunderbird, który nie ma opcji filtrowania całej treści wiadomości (body) używa protokołu IMAP. Czy IMAP wyklucza filtrowanie body?
marekr modificouno o
Może wykluczać. Nie znam się za bardzo na IMAP-ie.
Jeżeli jeszcze nie ma lokalnej kopii pełnych wiadomości, a tylko nagłówki, to na pewno.
TyDraniu modificouno o
My first e-mail account in Thunderbird uses IMAP protocol (not POP). IMAP account is not able to filter the BODY of e-mail.
I have added a new POP (not IMAP) e-mail account. And the filtering of the e-mail BODY on this POP account is possible. Drop-down list has a new position: BODY...
But POP account downloads all e-mails with attachements on your computer. In case IMAP, all e-mails are on provider server.
marekr modificouno o
The filter shown above at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1212417#answer-1096965 is still working here in an IMAP-connected account. But I think the folders you want to search must be both subscribed (of course!) and synchronized.
Why do you say you can't search body text?
Zenos modificouno o
Zenos: "But I think the folders you want to search must be both subscribed (of course!) and synchronized."
I don't know, what "synchronized" means. I am looking for this functionality in internet now... And I have found:
"The IMAP protocol supports both online and offline activity. Therefore, messages can be stored both on the local machine and on the server. Thunderbird users can download their messages to their local system and access them even when they are not connected to the internet. Messages load faster when they are stored on a local drive. In order to provide this kind of flexibility and functionality, though, messages must be SYNCHRONIZED between the local machine and the email server."
Everything is clear. You have to download all e-mails on your local drive in order to use BODY filtering!
My first e-mail account in Thunderbird uses IMAP protocol WITHOUT synchronization (no e-mail on local drive). IMAP account without synchronization is not able to filter the BODY of e-mail.
IMAP account WITH synchronization (all e-mails with attachements are on a local drive) is able to filter the BODY of e-mail. IMAP with synchronization is a modern kind of POP account.
I have added a new POP e-mail account. And the filtering of the e-mail BODY on this POP account is possible. Drop-down list has a new position: BODY... because POP account downloads all e-mails on local drive.
Zenos, your posts helped me to understand fltering.