Thunderbird - add ability to manually sort (order) folders in folder pane

[Itagaki]

Thunderbird can move folders to different hierarchies using drag and drop. However, it is not possible to move them within the same hierarchy, i.e. reorder them.

The "Manually sort folders" add-on had helped to sort folders, but with Thunderbird 115 (Supernova), it is no longer available. It is time to make it a proper feature.

I was involved in the development of the add-on to make it Thunderbird 78 compatible and later as a collaborator. So, as an option, I have considered developing another add-on for Thunderbird 115. This may not be impossible. (John is providing a POC.) But I would like to consider implementing the ability to sort folders properly in Thunderbird.

My current thinking and the work required has been described here.

1846550 - add ability to manually sort (order) folders in folder pane (mozilla.org)

[pqalexa]

Thank you very much Itagaki for your efforts to return the manually sorting of folders to Thunderbird.

I am dismayed that such a fundamental data management ability is neglected by the developers and their efforts instead routinely diverted to useless cosmetic "bling." For many decades basic usability needs go unaddressed while "fresh and edgy" changes, that I never use, get added.

Imagine if the Thunderbird project could review user usability comments and make UI decisions based on feedback from actual, long term users?

For example, they could add an easily found menu item that asks if a proposed feature would be used by a user to determine what a typical user wants. Rather than someone who has the patience and skill to navigate the bizarre bug/feature/help sites. The proposed feature list might rotate its offerings from a few of the overall proposed feature list to keep it manageable.

[UncleRoger]

This is extremely important.  I have a folder of "schools" with folders for e-mails from my kids' preschools, elementary schools, high schools, and now colleges.  My youngest is in high school so the earlier schools are not as important as the high school and college messages.  I still need those folders (and occasionally get e-mails filtered into them) but I don't want them first.  The same is true for many other groups of folders of e-mails. 

The manually sorting folders add-on was critical to me. 

[gabrihello]

In Betterbird (a thundebird fork) integrated the default folder on startup, so I don't think it's very difficult to do this in thunderbird too.

[cancrexo]

This feature is must. Cannot understand it is not native in TB

+1 here

[Flaxx-Rat]

It has really been a bad surprise seeing that the ability of sorting TB's folders has gone down the drain. Due to a profile that refused to work correctly in a new dual boot environment, I had to set up a few IMAP accounts again as they where not available in a more recent profile and of course they not appeared where I wanted them.

However, I would like to see TB having a sorting function on board, but a working add-on would be great as well.

[veroraguet]

I agree I need this sorting folders feature, I use it all the time for work!!
I just contributed financially only to discover afterwards that it had gone 😞

[KWolf]

Yes, I really want to change the order of folders. I use folders to organize my projects and they change in priority over time. I'd like to be able to move them about depending on time and project emphasis.

[Samtra]

Having more than 4 email accounts in private use - This Feature is really Needed! Been using the plug-ins for all these years and it's about time for Mozilla to implement this!

[Itagaki]

Progress in implementing core functionality for manually sorting folders in Thunderbird

https://itagagaki.hatenablog.com/entry/2023/12/23/121104

[jilucorg]

Thanks A LOT for all this work!!! 😍

[RATSO]

Thank You So Very Much.

[-Giulio-]

everyone would profit from this feature. But hey, be realistic. How many years they took to implement the taskbar icon on Windows? Maybe more than 20 years. The problem is seriously in the head office, this person should really get a kick in the .....

[user230710]

Itagaki,  Thank you for your time and effort.  Best, Jim

[planalp]

I have a huge inflow of messages, some of which need to be filtered immediately and prioritized for reply.  I also have a large archive, tens of thousands of emails, for which a search allows retrieval, but classification into the appropriate mailbox makes it much easier to see the context of the subject. 

Sorting mailboxes is the only way that I can make sense of my mailbox hierarchy.  I hope you implement this because otherwise something ugly with putting !'s and numbers in front of the box names will be necessary. thanks.

[wsmwk]

This is currently in development, to be available in a future release.   (But not in version 115)

Thanks for all the votes.