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How can I modify msgFilterRules.dat and make it not be overwritten by Thunderbird filters

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I have about 10 accounts on my thunderbird. I am trying to merge all the Filters into my Master Account. I opened the msgFilterRules.dat in the main account, then copied each of the other filters from their msgFilterRules.dat into that main account then saved the file expecting to see them all there later.

When I open the Thunderbird and looked at the filters, none of them were there and when I went back to look at the msgFilterRules.dat in the main account, it had been overwritten by exactly what the filter screen showed.

Any solutions or suggestions as to how to merge all these filers from the other accounts into one filter on the main account ???

I have about 10 accounts on my thunderbird. I am trying to merge all the Filters into my Master Account. I opened the msgFilterRules.dat in the main account, then copied each of the other filters from their msgFilterRules.dat into that main account then saved the file expecting to see them all there later. When I open the Thunderbird and looked at the filters, none of them were there and when I went back to look at the msgFilterRules.dat in the main account, it had been overwritten by exactly what the filter screen showed. Any solutions or suggestions as to how to merge all these filers from the other accounts into one filter on the main account ???

All Replies (2)

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The article here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Filters_%28Thunderbird%29 explains that filters are account specific. It also suggests using the global inbox (with filters for Local Accounts) if you want to combine a number of POP accounts: would that do what you want?

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Thanks for that reply, but I had already read that article as well as a few others concerning filters.

What I am doing is putting all my filters on the primary account from all the other accounts. I am also using sub account filters to move all messages inside each sub account to the primary account so all the filtering will be done by the primary account for the major sorting.

I close Thunderbird and then begin editing the msgFilterRules.dat file in the main account with a standard text editor by cutting and pasting each sub accounts existing msgFilterRules.dat file information into the primary msgFilterRules.dat.

That you would think would do the trick, however after I save and exit that primary msgFilterRules.dat file, when I start Thunderbird up again, all my changes that I inpoutted into the main msgFilterRules.dat file have been overwritten with the previous msgFilterRules.dat rules somehow, and none of the ones I inputted into the file exist in that main msgFilterRules.dat file any longer.

Any thoughts ????

Modified by MWUSATechSupt