Bug 130761 - enable editing messages in mail folders
Summary: enable editing messages in mail folders
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 55374
Alias: None
Product: kmail
Classification: Applications
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 1.2
Platform: unspecified Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: kdepim bugs
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2006-07-13 12:00 UTC by gsasha
Modified: 2007-09-14 12:17 UTC (History)
0 users

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Description gsasha 2006-07-13 12:00:45 UTC
Version:           1.2 (using KDE 3.5.2, Kubuntu Package 4:3.5.2-0ubuntu18 dapper)
Compiler:          Target: i486-linux-gnu
OS:                Linux (i686) release 2.6.15-25-686

Some mail folders allow messages to be edited (such as Outbox and Drafts).

However, it is very useful to use the mail folders as a natural place for information storage. To this end, I need to be able to edit messages in any of the folders.

This is one of the most important features missing in KMail for me (and I believe, for many other users as well).

Note that Outlook has had this feature for as long as I can remember.
Comment 1 Philip Rodrigues 2006-07-14 21:28:27 UTC
Could you explain the use case for this feature?
Comment 2 gsasha 2006-07-16 15:04:49 UTC
What I want to do is maintain my personal notes system, similarly to what Outlook enables to do.

What I want is to keep a hierarchical repository of (editable) documents, from mails that I send and receive, notes to myself, various document files etc.

For example, consider me planning a trip to a conference. I need to do several things:

1. Order a flight. This involves contacting several agencies and aircraft companies asking for offers (some through website, some by email, some by phone). I need to keep all that info in one places, and update it as new details arrive in order to manage that efficiently and select the best offer. I also would like to keep all the info for later reference.

To this end, I need to keep one document in which I hold the details of the most attractive offers, and to be able to add new details to that documents when they arrive.

2. Order a hotel, car rental, etc. Similarly, I need to send several requests, receive the replies, select one and place the order.

3. When I sit at the conference, I open a text message to write down my notes. I don't need to send that message to anyone, but just store it in the same folder of the conference data. I need to re-open the message and edit it further after I shut down my laptop for the lunch break. I probably need several such documents - one for each workshop I visit and one for each tracks of the conf.

All these operations can theoretically be done by storing word processing files in the filesystem. However, it is much less convenient:
1. Most of the information is sent and received in the form of email. It's natural to just store it in email folders.
2. A single place for document storage (the email) is easier to manage than two such places (as in, both email and filesystem).
3. While the capabilities of a word processor are very extensive, in most cases I don't need them - and would usually gladly give them up for the immediateness of editing an email message from inside the mail client (especially given the rich-text capabilities).

I currently use a Wiki for such an information repository, but it is much less convenient:
1. There is no natural hierarchical organization. Even when I try to keep a hierarchy of the pages, this is not reflected visually anywhere.
2. Using Wiki, I lose the integration between email and information management system.

I hope this explanation is sufficient to add the option (which, to my understanding, does not involve much work - just removing a constraint from the code). Please feel free to ask me for further clarifications. Also, I can provide many more use cases if need be :).

For a systematic treatment of personal information organization, you can take a look at the book "The art of getting things done" by David Allen.

Regards,
Alex
Comment 3 Thomas McGuire 2007-02-08 16:51:29 UTC
Is bug #55374 what you want?
Comment 4 gsasha 2007-02-08 19:03:57 UTC
Yes, and you can safely mark my bug as a duplicate of this.

Note, however, that I don't think that the double clicking inside the mail 
should make it editable. It's undiscoverable and unintuitive. In my opinion, 
either all mails should be editable (like in Outlook), or you can start 
editing them by selecting a "Edit" button on toolbar/menu/popup menu.
Comment 5 Thomas McGuire 2007-02-08 21:11:36 UTC
>Yes, and you can safely mark my bug as a duplicate of this. 
Thanks for the fast response, I'll do that.
Maybe you should repeat your comment about double-clicking usability there so it does not get lost.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 55374 ***