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Is there any way to change the "subject" line on a series of emails forwarded by a correspondent to reflect the order in which they were originally created?

  • 8 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 12 views
  • Last reply by sfhowes

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The threads being sent to me all have similar "subjects" and have been accumulated over a relatively long period of time. When they are forwarded to me, they all reflect the date of most recent transmission. If I need to put them in relative order, I can look at some date of prior "forward" or "reply", but I don't know how to mark the sequence on the individual emails. It would be very helpful if I could "rename" individual items to reflect their order and/or usefulness for my purposes.

The threads being sent to me all have similar "subjects" and have been accumulated over a relatively long period of time. When they are forwarded to me, they all reflect the date of most recent transmission. If I need to put them in relative order, I can look at some date of prior "forward" or "reply", but I don't know how to mark the sequence on the individual emails. It would be very helpful if I could "rename" individual items to reflect their order and/or usefulness for my purposes.

Chosen solution

Not sure if this would be sufficient for your purposes, but you can edit the subject of received messages with either of these add-ons:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/edit-email-subject/

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/header-tools-lite/

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All Replies (8)

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Chosen Solution

Not sure if this would be sufficient for your purposes, but you can edit the subject of received messages with either of these add-ons:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/edit-email-subject/

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/header-tools-lite/

Modified by sfhowes

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Neither of these add-ons now work with Thunderbird 68, unfortunately.

I can edit the Subject by moving the email to the Drafts folder, making the edit and moving it back the Ínbox' but then the correct date order is lost.

I hope Thunderbird (and/or the add-on dev's) remedy this 

soon.

Modified by Marty

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Yes, it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to be able to change the SUBJECT line. Otherwise it would be impossible to search for old emails efficiently, and sometimes, to find them at all.

It is also convenient to have them show up in my chosen alphabetical order, so they are all grouped together.

Still working in ver 60.9.1, so I guess I will cease updating.

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It is such a PITA not to be able to edit the subject line for better threading!! I too am sticking with 60.9.1until I am forced to update or a fix is found.

Can also drag to Desktop and use any text editor, but any workarounds are a massive PITA when multiple emails need changing. STUPID STUPID STUPID :^{{{

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henryg1 said

Can also drag to Desktop and use any text editor, but any workarounds are a massive PITA when multiple emails need changing. STUPID STUPID STUPID :^{{{

How do you do that? Open and choose ASCI plain text or rtf, then find the SUBJECT line and change it? Don't messages with both text & HTML have it duplicated & its hard to find all instances?

But how do you then SAVE to put it back into... wherever it is that TB stores emails -- is each email an individual file these days?

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But how do you then SAVE to put it back into... wherever it is that TB stores emails -- is each email an individual file these days?

I just drag the email back into the relevant folder. My emails are stored locally using mbox (txt files, so any txt editor) and one file per folder, not email. But I don't need to, and don't, do this with v60 using HeaderTools Lite addon, which also allows full text source editing if desired - so convenient.

It's years since I gave this any thought, and for that matter I still use pop rather than imap :-0

Modified by user2132185

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you can also right click on the email and then "edit as new" and change the subject line and then re-send.

you will still have to go back in and delete the original email.

its not a good solution vs the original EditEmailSubject add-on which was incredibly simply.

i am tempted to load and older version of TB

someone please add the edit subject line functionality to TB or fix EditEmailSubject

RR

Modified by sawtooth78

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Modified by sfhowes