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Disable manual compaction button and change compaction settings

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Wayne Mery

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(1) Is there some way to disable the manual compaction button that shows in the menu when you right-click on a folder? I've accidentally hit that button a few times, and it created a problem for me (it tied up the computer for a few minutes at a very bad time). I use the "Mark Folder Read" selection all the time due to the traffic on a couple of servers I subscribe to - most of the messages don't have anything to do with what I do, and aren't something I'm interested in reading. It's frustrating to try to mark all the messages read in one of the folders and hit the wrong selection - compaction (this is caused by neurological problems). The "compaction" button never gets deliberately used... and I'd like to set some sort of buffer zone around the button I use every day ("Mark Folder Read").

(2) Is there some way to FORCE Thunderbird to compact folders only once a week (or less), maybe on a specific day? NOTE: I don't want nags about the importance of compaction; I understand that. The problem is, I keep getting messages about compacting folders - Thunderbird seems to be compacting the folders multiple times a day - and when it does, that seems to slow things down.

My computer is adequately fast (quad processors at 3.4 gHz, 16gb ram, 1Tb HD), running Ubuntu 14.04LTS (I don't want to upgrade until my research and dissertation are finished), Thunderbird version 52.9.1 64 bit, Firefox version 61.0.1 64 bit. I have Thunderbird and Firefox running in a separate workspace pretty much all day, in case I need them (i.e., I get an important message from my professor or others or need to look something up) - the problems with compaction pop up 2-10 times a day (no pattern detected as of yet). There doesn't seem to be any connection between these issues and the number of programs or windows I have open, for instance in other workspaces.

Thanks for any help!

(1) Is there some way to disable the manual compaction button that shows in the menu when you right-click on a folder? I've accidentally hit that button a few times, and it created a problem for me (it tied up the computer for a few minutes at a very bad time). I use the "Mark Folder Read" selection all the time due to the traffic on a couple of servers I subscribe to - most of the messages don't have anything to do with what I do, and aren't something I'm interested in reading. It's frustrating to try to mark all the messages read in one of the folders and hit the wrong selection - compaction (this is caused by neurological problems). The "compaction" button never gets deliberately used... and I'd like to set some sort of buffer zone around the button I use every day ("Mark Folder Read"). (2) Is there some way to FORCE Thunderbird to compact folders only once a week (or less), maybe on a specific day? NOTE: I don't want nags about the importance of compaction; I understand that. The problem is, I keep getting messages about compacting folders - Thunderbird seems to be compacting the folders multiple times a day - and when it does, that seems to slow things down. My computer is adequately fast (quad processors at 3.4 gHz, 16gb ram, 1Tb HD), running Ubuntu 14.04LTS (I don't want to upgrade until my research and dissertation are finished), Thunderbird version 52.9.1 64 bit, Firefox version 61.0.1 64 bit. I have Thunderbird and Firefox running in a separate workspace pretty much all day, in case I need them (i.e., I get an important message from my professor or others or need to look something up) - the problems with compaction pop up 2-10 times a day (no pattern detected as of yet). There doesn't seem to be any connection between these issues and the number of programs or windows I have open, for instance in other workspaces. Thanks for any help!

All Replies (3)

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To disable compact visit Tools > optoins > advanced > network and disk - uncheck the option

> It's frustrating to try to mark all the messages read in one of the folders and hit the wrong selection - compaction (this is caused by neurological problems). The "compaction" button never gets deliberately used... and I'd like to set some sort of buffer zone around the button I use every day ("Mark Folder Read").

Are you saying the compact button shows up in a bad spot on screen? Can you screen shot and post it?

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I'm aware of the setting under tools... I just want Thunderbird to stop trying to compact everything several times a day, not stop compacting altogether. Once a week should be sufficient. I've gotten the pop-up three times today saying that Thunderbird can't compact X folder because a different operation is taking place (folder name changes). If there is a bug causing this problem, I would like to know about it, and if disabling compaction is the temporary fix for the bug... well, I can live with that.

The menu item (compact button) is in it's proper place, it's just useless for my needs and when my nerves "fire" wrongly, I click on it instead of "mark folder read" (which I use a lot). That's caused problems in the past, and I'd like to disable the button (gray it out), if possible.

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There is a bug that causes compact to happen more frequently than necessary. Currently the only way to avoid this is to disable automatic compact. I suggest you do this, and set yourself a reminder in your calendar to re-enable it in two months to see if it has been fixed. In the interim, a weekly compact of your accounts using File > Compact Folders will suffice.