Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Hi,

I must be losing the plot here, but I cant seem to get newsgroup
filtering to work at all in Thunderbird 1.0.6.

Workflow:

1. Select message in newsgroup that I want to block sender of.
2. Right click on sender email and choose Create filter from message
3. Leave defaults (filter on email and delete) and press OK

Nothing happens! And there is no way to manually apply the filter!

WTF? Is this supposed to work or what!?!

Arrrggh... I like Thunderbird, but if it doesnt support this *basic*
feature, I'm gonna have to switch...

James Bray

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

james_bray@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I must be losing the plot here, but I cant seem to get newsgroup
> filtering to work at all in Thunderbird 1.0.6.
>
> Workflow:
>
> 1. Select message in newsgroup that I want to block sender of.
> 2. Right click on sender email and choose Create filter from message
> 3. Leave defaults (filter on email and delete) and press OK
>
> Nothing happens! And there is no way to manually apply the filter!
>
> WTF? Is this supposed to work or what!?!
>
> Arrrggh... I like Thunderbird, but if it doesnt support this *basic*
> feature, I'm gonna have to switch...
>
> James Bray
>


I think you are using the email filter device. While in usenet, go to
tools, and start with the message filters selection.

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Harry Krause wrote:
> james_bray@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I must be losing the plot here, but I cant seem to get newsgroup
>>filtering to work at all in Thunderbird 1.0.6.
>>
>>Workflow:
>>
>>1. Select message in newsgroup that I want to block sender of.
>>2. Right click on sender email and choose Create filter from message
>>3. Leave defaults (filter on email and delete) and press OK
>>
>>Nothing happens! And there is no way to manually apply the filter!
>>
>>WTF? Is this supposed to work or what!?!
>>
>>Arrrggh... I like Thunderbird, but if it doesnt support this *basic*
>>feature, I'm gonna have to switch...
>>
>>James Bray
>>
>
>
>
> I think you are using the email filter device. While in usenet, go to
> tools, and start with the message filters selection.


The NG filters have most of the "useful" features greyed out, and the
other ones dont' work like you'd expect. For example, I just set a
filter for afm and to Delete messages with your name. I went offline,
shut down TB, and opened it back up. Your message is still visible.
There is an option to kill an entire thread, but quite often some people
would like to read most of a thread, but delete the responses from
particular posters.

I'm sure that nobody on afm ever gets "plonked", but I've read about it
happening elsewhere <g>.

Anyone accustomed to OE has learned that not only is it pretty easy to
write a filter to hide messages from particular posters (or subject
lines, etc.), but one can also delete *specific* messages in a thread,
keeping those that one finds particularly useful. Yes, In TB one could
drag that message to a seprarate folder, but I think that the OP is
disappointed that he can't more easily handle News messages the way that
TB handles Mail.

Tom

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Tom Allen wrote:
> Harry Krause wrote:
>
>> james_bray@yahoo.com wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I must be losing the plot here, but I cant seem to get newsgroup
>>> filtering to work at all in Thunderbird 1.0.6.
>>>
>>> Workflow:
>>>
>>> 1. Select message in newsgroup that I want to block sender of.
>>> 2. Right click on sender email and choose Create filter from message
>>> 3. Leave defaults (filter on email and delete) and press OK
>>>
>>> Nothing happens! And there is no way to manually apply the filter!
>>>
>>> WTF? Is this supposed to work or what!?!
>>>
>>> Arrrggh... I like Thunderbird, but if it doesnt support this *basic*
>>> feature, I'm gonna have to switch...
>>>
>>> James Bray
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I think you are using the email filter device. While in usenet, go to
>> tools, and start with the message filters selection.
>
>
>
> The NG filters have most of the "useful" features greyed out, and the
> other ones dont' work like you'd expect. For example, I just set a
> filter for afm and to Delete messages with your name. I went offline,
> shut down TB, and opened it back up. Your message is still visible.
> There is an option to kill an entire thread, but quite often some people
> would like to read most of a thread, but delete the responses from
> particular posters.
>
> I'm sure that nobody on afm ever gets "plonked", but I've read about it
> happening elsewhere <g>.
>
> Anyone accustomed to OE has learned that not only is it pretty easy to
> write a filter to hide messages from particular posters (or subject
> lines, etc.), but one can also delete *specific* messages in a thread,
> keeping those that one finds particularly useful. Yes, In TB one could
> drag that message to a seprarate folder, but I think that the OP is
> disappointed that he can't more easily handle News messages the way that
> TB handles Mail.
>
> Tom


Not sure if I get the whole picture.

When I filter out an individual it does not erase all existing messages
as in OE.

For whatever reason, the only way I "save" filtering is to go to "file",
save as, template.

I haven't figured out how to make (filter / delete if a word is in the
subject)work

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Harry Krause wrote:
> I think you are using the email filter device. While in usenet, go to
> tools, and start with the message filters selection.

are yours working as usual? if so, tell us the secret!

I have had similar problems when I moved from 0.7.3 to 1.0.2. all the
filters stopped working and the delete function was missing, just marked
read. why would anybody decide to eliminate that function in an upgrade.
the whole beauty of UseNet based forum discussions are the filters,
versus the bogged down web based places? I tried many things, like
remaining the filter file and starting with a fresh set or playing
around with filters in the test NG's, but nothing worked. I have been
using Netscape and then T-bird as my only newsreader for like 7-8 years
so I'm not new to the program and with every upgrade, no problems as I
have always first uninstalled, then installed as instructed. but moving
from .7, this problem arose. it is unacceptable as I said, without
filters, what good is it!

after much disappointment and facing the possibility of going to OE
(yuk!) I decided to uninstall it and try .7 again. everything was back
to normal so there is something up that is not at my end but with the
program. one reason I was wanted to stay with the latest T-bird was the
obvious upgrade in spam filters, but I have decided to live with the
worser of 2 evils and in the interim have found that .7 will sometimes
leave a bunch of spam messages unfiltered in the in box but if you ask
it again to run spam filters it gets most of them. so, that's not so bad
now that I figured that out. still ........ no NG filters????

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

dscotts wrote:
> Harry Krause wrote:
>> I think you are using the email filter device. While in usenet, go to
>> tools, and start with the message filters selection.
>
> are yours working as usual? if so, tell us the secret!
>
> I have had similar problems when I moved from 0.7.3 to 1.0.2. all the
> filters stopped working and the delete function was missing, just marked
> read. why would anybody decide to eliminate that function in an upgrade.
> the whole beauty of UseNet based forum discussions are the filters,
> versus the bogged down web based places? I tried many things, like
> remaining the filter file and starting with a fresh set or playing
> around with filters in the test NG's, but nothing worked. I have been
> using Netscape and then T-bird as my only newsreader for like 7-8 years
> so I'm not new to the program and with every upgrade, no problems as I
> have always first uninstalled, then installed as instructed. but moving
> from .7, this problem arose. it is unacceptable as I said, without
> filters, what good is it!
>
> after much disappointment and facing the possibility of going to OE
> (yuk!) I decided to uninstall it and try .7 again. everything was back
> to normal so there is something up that is not at my end but with the
> program. one reason I was wanted to stay with the latest T-bird was the
> obvious upgrade in spam filters, but I have decided to live with the
> worser of 2 evils and in the interim have found that .7 will sometimes
> leave a bunch of spam messages unfiltered in the in box but if you ask
> it again to run spam filters it gets most of them. so, that's not so bad
> now that I figured that out. still ........ no NG filters????


My NG filters seem to be working fine, as far as they go. I can filter
on SUBJECT, FROM, or DATE. I filter out the email addresses of usenet
idiots, and filter them for READ and DELETE, and I never see their posts.

This is a small move, but it is a move.

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Harry Krause wrote:
> snip
>
> My NG filters seem to be working fine, as far as they go. I can filter
> on SUBJECT, FROM, or DATE. I filter out the email addresses of usenet
> idiots, and filter them for READ and DELETE, and I never see their posts.
>
> This is a small move, but it is a move.
I have found that the filters created by left mouse clicking the sender
and creating filter that way doesn't always work, creating from the menu
is OK.

How do you apply the filters to messages already downloaded? The e-mail
filters allow you "run filters on folder" but is grayed out for news.

Any ideas or extensions?

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Robert wrote:
> Harry Krause wrote:
>> snip
>>
>> My NG filters seem to be working fine, as far as they go. I can filter
>> on SUBJECT, FROM, or DATE. I filter out the email addresses of usenet
>> idiots, and filter them for READ and DELETE, and I never see their posts.
>>
>> This is a small move, but it is a move.
> I have found that the filters created by left mouse clicking the sender
> and creating filter that way doesn't always work, creating from the menu
> is OK.
>
> How do you apply the filters to messages already downloaded? The e-mail
> filters allow you "run filters on folder" but is grayed out for news.
>
> Any ideas or extensions?


As far as I can tell, in usenet, the filter does not work on messages
already downloaded. It does keep me from seeing offensive usenet
messages. That's enough for me.

Re: Newsgroup filtering not working in Thunderbird
 

Robert wrote:

> I have found that the filters created by left mouse clicking the sender
> and creating filter that way doesn't always work, creating from the menu
> is OK.
>
thanks, I give that a try when I decide to play around again in another
revision down the road, maybe that will fix it for me. I'm amazed that
they work with no problem for you and harry. I love the original
Netscape and remained loyal with Mozilla as I am a little bit of an
anti-MS guy and would hate to give it up but to be honest, I'm beginning
to lose patience with all the constant bugs and farting around
that's occasionally necessary form revision to revision.

the other problem was it wouldn't run the filters that I already had
from the previous version like it has from the beginning and in the one
NG that I am most interested in, I would probably have to start from
scratch for maybe 20-30 active filters. and before you start to think
maybe that is the problem, a corrupted .dat file, like I said above, I
have tried making filters for the alt.test NG's, and renamed the old
..dat file to start out that NG with a clean .dat file and they were as
dysfunctional as well. I actually still have the original Netscape .dat
filter file from one football NG I'm very active in and its kinda fun to
stroll down memory lane every once and a while a remember all the
complete idiots that have come and gone, like 3-400 over the course of 7
years. gets pretty rowdy in there. but like I said, just work .... its
gettin' to me!