I want to use a user defined sound for incoming e-mails

[Dirki]

I tried all of the notifications here and other (big) files, it stays the same, no sound is played anymore after the first times one is played. When I manually download the messages the sound is played.

Is there anything I could do to make it work always? May be using mp3 files is better? Or others?

[Dirki]

It seems mp3s are not played at all here with Thunderbird, no sound. Is there anything I could do to make it play them?

[tanstaafl]

I downloaded the .mp3 version of the .wav file I'm using. Pressing the play button does nothing for the .mp3, but works fine for the .wav file.

I noticed that 60.9.1 doesn't support anything other than .wav files. None of the 68.* release notes seem to mention mp3 files. I submitted a bug report - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1608773 . Please don't add a me too comment.

[Dirki]

Alright, thank you very much!

[Dirki]

So I guess there is now way to let my Thunderbird always play a sound per download of e-mails / an e-mail?

[LIMPET235]

Hi Dirki,
I see the following happen...
After starting my PC, I start Mail Washer Pro.
If there's any new emails, the "Meg Ryan" .wav sound file plays.
When I click "Wash Mail", MWP closes & calls my Thunderbird which opens & also plays the "Meg Ryan"
sound file.
I then check the emails & close Thunderbird.

If, afterwards, a new email is detected by MWP, I receive another "Meg Ryan" notification
& the above process is repeated.

So, by all accounts, I only receive the notification when a NEW email is detected & received by MWP.

Thunderbird should perform the similar action when a NEW email is received.
But, only with a .wav file. AFAIK.

ps. I just tried to change the "Meg Ryan" .wav to an MP3 in Thunderbird & it refused to even display or open it.
No way to load it. Just got a blank page. Does NOT recognize the file type.

[Dirki]

Hello LIMPET235,

yes, mp3s do not work. I can inserte such a file in the field my wav file is in but it just does not work.

After starting my Thunderbird for the first bunuch of messages a sound - I guess - alsways is played. May be for the next e-mail downlaods as well, but sometime Thunderbird does not play a sound anymore and then it does again (without) restarting Thunderbird. Respectively sometimes it just plays a sound sometimes it does not. Independently of what kind of way files, the Meg's one, big ones, small ones or else.

[tanstaafl]

So the sound support using .wav files is intermittent. If you stream a video using Firefox does the sound ever disappear?

I'd suggest using the mail alert add-on except it doesn't appear to support version 68. It might have been a good workaround since it wouldn't use the existing code for the sound alert.

You appear to be using a German locale version of Thunderbird. Occasionally there are locale specific bugs (in the code, not the translated user interface). I suggest you install a en-us version of Thunderbird in a different directory using custom setup and see if it has the same problem.

[Code Name]

I use MailBell from https://www.emtec.com/mailbell/index.html for new mail alerts. It's wonderful!

And, I make my own MP3 incoming mail announcements with From-Text-to-Speech ( http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/ ) or from Text2Speech ( https://www.text2speech.org/ ).

[Dirki]

If you stream a video using Firefox does the sound ever disappear?

No, not at all, never.

I'd suggest using the mail alert add-on except it doesn't appear to support version 68. It might have been a good workaround since it wouldn't use the existing code for the sound alert.

Thank you. Yes, that would be good, but, it indeed is shown as not compatible unfortunately.

You appear to be using a German locale version of Thunderbird

Yes, that is right.

I suggest you install a en-us version of Thunderbird in a different directory using custom setup and see if it has the same problem.

So I would download and unzip the en-us portable version and copy the profile folder from the old one to that one?

I use MailBell from https://www.emtec.com/mailbell/index.html for new mail alerts. It's wonderful!

OK, thank you, I could try that as well.

And, I make my own MP3 incoming mail announcements with From-Text-to-Speech ( http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/ ) or from Text2Speech ( https://www.text2speech.org/ ).

Thank you, very nice.

[tanstaafl]

"So I would download and unzip the en-us portable version and copy the profile folder from the old one to that one?"

I wasn't aware you were using a portable version. In that case, yes, you'd need to copy the profile folder.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Mail_Utilitie ... tification has links to some free new mail notification programs that can co-exist with Thunderbird.

[Dirki]

Thank you for the link. So I would have two different e-mail programs, some e-mails would be downloaded by Thunderbird or the other program or all e-mails with both of them? And I would have to completely set up the other program?

[tanstaafl]

Not really. While you could also use the new mail notification programs to read, delete or filter mail the idea is to use them to just check for new mail and notify you. That's what they were originally designed for. Over time they grew into a sizable subset of a bare bones email client.

Please keep in mind that with a IMAP account you don't download mail to a hard disk like you do with a POP account. Its a optional feature in Thunderbird that it creates a local copy of the remote folder. And that has no effect on another email client being able to read that mail. AFAIK none of the new mail notification programs automatically download mail for a IMAP account. They're meant to co-exist with other email clients or webmail, not replace them.

I've used POP Peeper before with Thunderbird. One reason I prefer it over PopTray is it has built support for IMAP accounts and OAuth2 so I don't have to rely upon plug-ins. I haven't tried Howard e-mail notifier from https://www.snapfiles.com/get/howard.html yet. It looks interesting.

[Dirki]

OK, some things to try. Many thanks for the explanations and the link, yes, looks good.

[LIMPET235]

Dirki,
Perhaps if you asked at the Portable fora?
They may have a suggestion if nothing posted here works for you.