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user.js not working (prefs not copied)

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peter43
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user.js not working (prefs not copied)

hello,

i just did a fresh install of thunderbird portable and copied my old user.js file to the data\profile folder, but the settings are not present in the prefs.js.

the firefox user.js that i have created is working like charm in its folder, so i don't know what is wrong on tb's side?

any hints highly appreciated

MiK
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Joined: 2008-08-14 18:25
Had some ideas...

EDIT:
I've had some ideas, but I was mistaken by checking the wrong file.

Please, disregard this post.

peter43
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although i do not believe

although i do not believe that this is related (because the user.js worked before) - what is the ideal text encoding mode? here it is dos-windows utf8 without bom.

looking at tb's error console, i found these three entries, which were also present in the old setup. in fact i hoped they would disappear after a fresh install:

Could not read chrome manifest 'file:///C:/Mail/ThunderbirdPortable/App/thunderbird/chrome.manifest'.

Warnung: mutating the [[Prototype]] of an object will cause your code to run very slowly; instead create the object with the correct initial [[Prototype]] value using Object.create
Quelldatei: resource://gre/components/steelApplication.js
Zeile: 783

starting tb in safe mode, this last one would disappear:

Could not read chrome manifest 'file:///C:/Mail/ThunderbirdPortable/App/thunderbird/extensions/%7B972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6fd%7D/chrome.manifest'.

indeed i do not have an extension of that name in the extensions folder.

MiK
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Some answers

Well, I'm back, and this time, unlike at my first failed attempt, with a tested thoroughly, possible solution to the trouble with the prefs not being applied.

The problem might be that your user.js file is with errors or outdated preferences, and the Thunderbird just stops further reading, and copying it when finds even just a single fault.

If you haven't already, check out this topic at the MozillaZine forum:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=2477123

the-edmeister - Posted May 23rd, 2012, 12:04 pm

If you have one incorrect or outdated preference Firefox stops reading the user.js file at that error - none of the prefs beyond that point are read.

I can confirm this to be really the case, testing in Thunderbird, instead, by purposefully introducing errors to the script.
And, about outdated preferences being a cause, I haven't tested against that because of lack of samples.

Now, regarding your other question about text encoding, DOS\Windows UTF-8 w/o BOM, that is just fine as it is the same encoding as for the default prefs.js file, on Windows platform.

About alerts in the Error Console, as you've noticed, they are not new. Still, for a little bit cleaner look, you could satisfy the Tbird by placing dummy chrome.manifest files in those two locations it expects to find them. This is what I've been doing for quite a while for Thunderbird, and Firefox alike.

peter43
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hi mik, thanks a lot for your

hi mik, thanks a lot for your help!

i could locate the pref causing all this trouble. it was one of the first entries (app.update.enabled set to false) and that is why most settings beyond that point were left out. now that is strange, because the pref is still standard in tb 31.

all i wanted is tb to not look for updates at all as i always do it manually.

regarding the manifest entries in the error console, i will try as you suggested, but still i wonder why a fresh install introduces alerts at all?

is this prototype warning also present in your error console?

MiK
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Last seen: 3 weeks 2 days ago
Joined: 2008-08-14 18:25
Hi, glad to see you've found

Hi, glad to see you've found the troublemaker, "app.update.enabled set to false", and I'm not surprised at all here, since Mozilla really, really, really, wants us to use the latest versions of their products.

About the "prototype" warning. Yes, I see that too, and this one is actually something new, shipped with the version 31.0:

Warning: mutating the [[Prototype]] of an object will cause your code to run very slowly; instead create the object with the correct initial [[Prototype]] value using Object.create
Source File: resource://gre/components/steelApplication.js Line: 783

Side note: Probably it doesn't matter, but I should mention that I checked the console with Tbird launched in -offline mode, without creating any accounts, and such, since I still use Thunderbird 24 series, exactly 24.7.0 version (Portable 24.6.0 updated manually to 24.7.0).

peter43
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Last seen: 5 years 1 month ago
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i don't know if i should

i don't know if i should start a new thread for this, but there is little issues with 2 prefs, which i would like to add to the user.js for safety reasons.

i would like to set the 'message body as' to plain text, and i found the setting: mailnews.display.html_as;1. but then the check mark under view\message-body-as is not visible at all?

and i rather want to set the mail.inline_attachments to false. but the check mark is still visible under view\display attachments inline, when accessing the menu via the new icon (hidden menu bar). you even have to tick it two times so to toggle it?

the settings are accepted in the configuration though.

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