Allow a new Compose Message window to show up in a Thunderbird tab or a free floating window.

[pt]

I have a suggestion for Thunderbird. It would be nice to have Thunderbird allow a new Compose Message window to show up in a Thunderbird tab instead of a free floating window as it does now. I would make this a user configurable item in perhaps Preferences, where the user can select whether he/she wants to have each new Compose Message window be a free floating window or a Thunderbird tab. Thanks for considering this.

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[ryanleesipes]

Hey PT, Thunderbird Product Manager here!

This work is actually planned for the 2023 release, so expect to see it in the near-ish future!

Thanks for the feedback, this reassures me that we are going the right direction!

[Jon]

Hey all, 

Exciting news...

This idea has been shared with the Thunderbird team, and we're happy to report back that the feature is 'In development' at the moment. Check out @ryanleesipes' comment for more info and stay tuned for updates 😃

-The Community Team

[Jon]

Hey all, 

Exciting news...

This idea has been shared with the Thunderbird team, and we're happy to report back that the feature is 'In development' at the moment. Check out @ryanleesipes' comment for more info and stay tuned for updates 😃

-The Community Team

[Jon]

Hey all, 

Exciting news...

This idea has been shared with the Thunderbird team, and we're happy to report back that the feature is 'In development' at the moment. Check out @ryanleesipes' comment for more info and stay tuned for updates 😃

-The Community Team

[Chick]

Can wait. This will make it so much easier than moving down the screen to click on a Taskbar multi-icon just to bring back the Write/Compose window (Win11).

[wsmwk]

> This work is actually planned for the 2023 release, so expect to see it in the near-ish future!

This is no longer in the plan for the next release, version 115 in July.

It will be discussed for future releases, but there is not yet a plan.

[stip0id]

Please add the capability to compose new messages and reply to messages in a tab, not a free-floating window.  The floaters alway moves behind all other open wonders, forcing me to dig for it if I don't finish the response or new message all at once and send it.  It's very frustrating having to look for these windows; I'd really like to have them (messages) all contained in a single Thunderbird app Window, showing up as tabs across the top.

I see there was a previous request for this, and you (collective) responded that it was in the works. Now it looks as if it's been dropped.  So very disappointing.  ps. I've been using Thunderbird and Mozilla products since their first inception in the way way back.

thanks.

[stip0id]

This is disappointing, please put "compose messages in tabs" back into your work flow plan.  I've been looking forward to the new update and having all messages showing in tabs, whether opened, in composition, or as a response.

Thank you.

[Chickdoc]

Agreed, this is a very disappointing reversal of plans. Opening a new Tab to compose a new email seems like the more logical sequence than opening a new Window. Currently, if I double click any message in the Inbox or any subfolder, the message opens in a new Tab. Why not employ that same action to the Write, Reply, Reply All, and Forward buttons? Of course, there will be those who like the new Window approach, while others like the new Tab approach. Therefore, the Option should be given in Settings under General (in the Reading & Display section where you've put a lot of stuff) or better still under Composition (with its own section).

Please put this work back into the update plan.

[thunderbirdoneo]

this is the most annoying thing about thunderbird by far, especially since there is no hotkey to rotate between open windows or bring a window to the front. you can't even use the built in OS window controls to get back to that window (on mac).

[thunderbirdoneo]

i get the feeling the thunderbird team doesn't use thunderbird as an email client or this would have been a feature ten years ago.

[blechkiste]

@wsmwk just wanted to check if there already was a (new) plan when this feature would be made available.

[wsmwk]

> I see there was a previous request for this, and you (collective) responded that it was in the works. Now it looks as if it's been dropped. So very disappointing. ps. I've been using Thunderbird and Mozilla products since their first inception in the way way back.

I think you misunderstand.  It is not "dropped" - it is still a feature we plan to deliver.  What I wrote is "This is no longer in the plan for the next release, version 115 in July.  It will be discussed for future releases, but there is not yet a plan [decided for what happens after July]."  

> @wsmwk just wanted to check if there already was a (new) plan when this feature would be made available.

The plan for the coming year will be decided in the next few months.

> i get the feeling the thunderbird team doesn't use thunderbird as an email client

Quite the opposite.  For a dose of realiity, I run 2 instances of Thunderbird continuously on three different computers, for a total of 6.  Other members of the team also run it on multiple computers, or multiple instances on a single computer.

We live with the same issues you do.

[wsmwk]

> The plan for the coming year will be decided in the next few months.

I should have included in that statement, that the near term plan for the immediate weeks ahead is to focus on fixing issues remaining from changes to verision 115, and other high priority "bugs" which don't involve enhancements.

[ffffff]

I apologize if this only adds clutter to the discussion, but I was looking for more information on this and thought folks might be interested in the 2024 roadmap. It... doesn't actually exist yet, but I trust it will soon enough. Since they already plan to add this feature, hopefully we'll see it there (unless it arrives sooner? Unlikely, but one can dream).

[ukatte]

PLEASE put it high on the next version's priority list!
With all the beautiful finetuning options it's rather suprising that such a basic thing is not included ...