Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

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claniccla
Posts: 2
Joined: January 17th, 2014, 3:55 am

Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

Post by claniccla »

Goodmorning,

I have win7 with Thunderbird 24.2.0 ESR and I would like to import my Labels from another pc.
In the past if I opened with notepad the prefs.js file and pasted here the tags labels copied from the old prefs.js file I was able to import the my labels in Thunderbird.

Now I have tryed to do the same, but when I open Thunderbird, the labels are the same as the originals and not the mines.
Do you think that this isn't possible anymore with Thunderbird 24.2.0?
Do you know a different way to do this?

Thanking in advance for any kind help.

Ciao
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tanstaafl
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Posts: 49647
Joined: July 30th, 2003, 5:06 pm

Re: Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

Post by tanstaafl »

I think you mean Tags. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Tags

Are you trying to import the definitions or their assignment to specific messages? The custom tags are stored in prefs.js so using a copy of that file where they were defined should define them. Check tools -> options -> display -> tags to see if they are properly defined. I don't know how reliable just copying the relevant settings (that define the tags) would be since it depends upon whether their is a conflict with existing tag definitions in the file.

It would be much simpler to reuse your old profile on the new PC by backing it up using Mozbackup, copying the *.pcv file it creates to the other PC, and then using Mozbackup to restore the profile.
claniccla
Posts: 2
Joined: January 17th, 2014, 3:55 am

Re: Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

Post by claniccla »

Thank for your kind reply.
Yes I mean Tags. I need to import their definitions and consequently the assignment to specific message.
With the previous versions of Thunderbird ESR I have replaced, more than once, from my original file prefs.js the tags code lines to the new pref.js file tag code lines and it worked perfectly.
Now it doesn't work with the new release and I also have problems since modifing and adding Tags from Tools -> options -> display -> tags i have lost more times Tags after Thunderbird reboot (it's possible that this is a bug?).
I don't want restore all profile definitions since I'll lose more recent personal settings.
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tanstaafl
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Posts: 49647
Joined: July 30th, 2003, 5:06 pm

Re: Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

Post by tanstaafl »

One possibility is that you used a different id when re-creating the custom tags, or that there already was an existing tag that used that id. The other is that your tag definitions are fine, but you lost the stored tags for some reason. AFAIK nothing has changed with tags for a very long time.

The easiest way to lose tags after a reboot was if Thunderbird was still running while you rebooted. That might have trashed part of the prefs.js file since it periodically writes stuff to that file while running. Check if something (wrong file access settings?) prevented Thunderbird from storing in prefs.js the updated tags. If you normally keep Thunderbird running all of the time you might have been using the modified settings in memory, and not noticed they hadn't been stored in prefs.js (since things were working okay) until you rebooted.
deecee52
Posts: 31
Joined: December 3rd, 2007, 11:57 am

Re: Thunderbird 24.2.0 Label export

Post by deecee52 »

Something as changed. I can no longer add new tags. When I look at the prefs.js file the new tags are placed below ("mailnews.tags.version", 2) and they do not stick. Old tags work fine. Granted I have to create the same ones on each computer I use, but I can manage that. I don't know what has changed.
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