Richard England wrote:
Bob Goodwin wrote:
I'm using Thunderbird 1.5.0.2 and FC-5 with current updates.
Periodically when I check mail it displays the message
"Building Summary File for [Inbox, whatever I select]"
and I have to wait for it to finish whatever it does. After that I
have to select the threaded display of
messages again! I don't know what this "summary file"
is but I don't think I want or need it.
Does anyone know what this is about? I have only become
aware of this recently.
Bob Goodwin Zuni, Virginia
I think you _do_ need/want the summary files.
Thunderbird's mail files are in the standard plain text "mbox" format,
which almost all mail programs can use or import.
extension (Your mail files are inside your profile, in the Mail and
(if you use IMAP) ImapMail folders. Each mail folder (Inbox, Sent,
etc.) is stored as two files – one with no extension (e.g. INBOX),
which is the mail file itself (in ‘mbox’ format), and one with an
.msfe.g. INBOX.msf), which is the index (Mail Summary File) to the
mail file. These summary files are built and updated as needed. If you
delete one, Thunderbird will rebuild it for you.
Ok, so it's a necessary process and I must let it be, understood.
Strange thing is that it's only become manifest recently and I'm not
sure why or what I might have done to trigger a problem, better yet a
minor annoyance.
I'm no expert, but do you compact your mail "folders". Is it possible
that you did this while email was being downloaded? Do you have
processes that delete files for any reason?
I have not gone in and directly told it to "compact" anything. I do a
lot of filtering on mail messages, some are deleted, most go to
different directories.
I would suggest you do some Googling on this topic. There are a lot of
hits.
I did a lot of googling on "Building Summary Files" etc., and it was not
productive but often times there's a vast difference in results when you
hit the right key words. Obviously I didn't.
Thank you for the information.
BobG
