I have distribution lists (sometimes called contact groups) set up in KAdressbook. This include a small number of e-mail addresses under a recognisable name (e.g. neighbours). I click on "New" (e-mail) and go to "choose" (or "select", the German is "Auswählen") on the right hand side. A window pops up which contains my KAdressbook ("Personal Contacts" book). When I click on a single e-mail, the correct address is added to the KMail address field. But when I select a distribution list (or group; "Gruppe" in German), KMail simply adds the name of the group without e-mail addresses. If I click on "send", KMail adds "@USERNAME.desktop" to the name of the group. Unsurprisingly, this e-mail does not get sent and returns an error message that the address is faulty. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Open KMail an click on the New button 2. To to the Select (or Choose) button on the right hand side. 3. Select a distribution list (or group) from your Personal Contacts book. 4. Click on "Send" Actual Results: KMail simply adds the name of the group without e-mail addresses in one single address field. If I click on "send", KMail adds "@USERNAME.desktop" after the name of the group. This e-mail does not get sent and returns an error message that the address is faulty. Expected Results: KMail should add all the e-mail addresses on the list (in the group) in separate address fields and send the e-mail to all of the addresses. The mechanism works if I start the procedure from KAdressbook. I right-click on the name of the list (group) in KAdressbook and choose "Send an e-mail...." (German: "Eine E-Mail senden..."). Even if KMail was closed, it is then started and a new e-mail appears with all the adresses added correctly in separate address fields. This is also a simple workaround that always works. It seems some user experience this problem, and others don't. See: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/de.comp.os.unix.apps.kde/QzS0WQqwywk I would label this bug as "normal", because normal users without knowledge of the workaround will simply be unable to send e-mails to lists/groups, which in my experience is a vital feature of a standalone e-mail application. It's one reason to use KMail/KAddressbook in my opinion.
Just an additional comment: the discussion on the Google Group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/de.comp.os.unix.apps.kde/QzS0WQqwywk mainly turns on the question if the addresses in KAdressbook are "legacy" addresses (or address books) or have been newly created. I would say that my addresses fall in the "legacy" category. But I have created new sub-books to "Personal Contacts" and created new lists/groups therein, and this did not work either. But then the whole "Personal Contacts" book could be in a "legacy" folder or using "legacy" protocols or something.
I found a similar bug in KMail2 (version 5.1.3): For a client, I imported into a a clean install of Kubuntu 16.04 some groups as an LDIF file that had been originally created under "The Bat" under Windows (exported from there). Everything went fine, even the German umlauts (ö,ä,ü) were imported into KAdressbook properly. When I do a right click on a group in KAdressbook and choose "Send an e-mail", a window in KMail opens, and all the group members with correct names in the format FAMILY NAME, FIRST NAME are displayed, followed by the correct e-mail address in angle brackets. When I open a new e-mail in KMail and select the group after clicking on the button "Choose" (or perhaps "Select") on the right hand side, I can choose the group and the group members are added (unlike in my own personal instance, as described above), but the name is wrong: It takes the form of "FIRST NAME /" (i.e. the first name followed by a forward slash [I think, I haven't got it before me; either "/" or "\") instead of the family name). The e-mail addresses are all correct. As I said, in KAdressbook everything looks fine, and this is also a workaround: simply create a new e-mail for the group from KAdressbook, not KMail.
Exactly the same things on Mageia 6 with kmail and kaddressbook on plasma5.
Unfortunately this is still the case on opensuse:tumbleweed:20171222 Qt: 5.9.3 KDE Frameworks: 5.40.0 - KDE Plasma: 5.11.4 - kwin 5.11.4 kmail2 5.7.0 - akonadiserver 5.7.0 Its a bit limiting not being able to send emails to groups/distribution lists
Thank you for reporting this issue in KDE software. As it has been a while since this issue was reported, can we please ask you to see if you can reproduce the issue with a recent software version? If you can reproduce the issue, please change the status to "REPORTED" when replying. Thank you!
This is still acts as reported i.e. it doesn't show all recipients in the group as separate address fields but all recipients in the group get the email. i didn't see the "@USERNAME.desktop" bit so that part seems "fixed"