Installing and configuring Thunderbird

Tue, 16 May 2017 23:59:39 +0000

Install Thunderbird.
Set up accounts
- Add email account with IMP/POP3 server and SMTP server.
- Add sigunature, reply-to address, organization.
Account settings (Edit > Settings (Linux), Tools > Account Settings (macOS))
- Server Settings: set emails to be checked sufficiently frequently, e.g. every 2 minute for work-related accounts.
- Copies & Folders: set sent emails to be bcc-ed to oneself for the purpose of verifying successful sending.
- Composition & Addressing: choose "place my signature below my reply", Add LDAP address server.
- Junk Settings: disable "adaptive junk mail controls for this account";
Preferences (Edit > Preferences (Linux), Thunderbird > Preferences (macOS)):
- Display:
  - Add tags: 'ToDo', 'ToLearn', 'ToDelete'.
  - Formatting:
    - Proportional: serif;
    - Size: 24;
    - Use UTF-8 as default character encodings for incoming and outgoing emails;
    - Check "When possible, use the default character encoding in replies";
- Advanced:
  - Reading & Display: Automatically mark messages as read after reading for 2 seconds.
Set up message filters.
- Ideally recover them from a backup using the add-on "Thunderbird Message Filter Import/Export Enhanced", or
- Re-create them manually following a previously made note of what they were and how they were set up.
Set up saved search folders. Ideally recover them from a backup or a note of what they were and how they were set up.
Install add-ons
- Enigmail
- Expression Search/Google Mail UI
- Extra Folder Columns
- Lightning, connect to Zimbra Calendar
- Markdown Here
- Thunderbird Message Filter Import/Export Enhanced
- TT DeepDark theme
Set up calendars, the Today Pane
Set up contacts, contact groups.
Set up address book. Restore the address book 'Personal Address Book' data by importing previously backed up address book data, using the menu item Window > Address Book (macOS) Tools > Import

... (Linux).
Set up personal dictionary.
- Navigate to the profile directory (~/.thunderbird/XXX/ for Linux and ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/XXX/ for macOS);
- Create a symbolic link from a back-up personal dictionary data file persdict.dat to this path. C.f. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Dictionaries#Personal_dictionary
Profile directory and data

C.f. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder-Thunderbird

All the emails data, message filters, and some other configuration data are saved in the Thunderbird profile directory (~/.thunderbird for Linux and ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/).

Sometimes data can be recovered from using the profile directory and data from some other computer.

Open the frequently viewed folders as their own "sticky" tabs.

Installing and configuring OpenPGP with email

Tue, 16 May 2017 23:59:39 +0000

Set up Mutt to use GnuPG

Create a ~/.mutt directory and copy /usr/share/doc/mutt/examples/gpg.rc to it.
Add source ~/.mutt/gpg.rc # Use GPG to .muttrc

Set up Thunderbird to use GnuPG and Enigmail

download Enigmail installation file from http://enigmail.mozdev.org
install it
in GnuPG preference, set up path to gpg and other configurations
Set up email account's OpenPGP options
Uncheck Compose email using HTML

Set up Gmail to use GnuPG using FireGPG

References

Key bindings of Thunderbird

Tue, 16 May 2017 23:59:39 +0000

Key bindings I frequently use

key binding	description	type	comment

`Shift` + `Write` / `Reply` / `Reply All`	use alternate format (plaintext/HTML) to when compose email	edit

Direct data download

pages tagged thunderbird

Installing and configuring Thunderbird

Installing and configuring OpenPGP with email

Set up Mutt to use GnuPG

Set up Thunderbird to use GnuPG and Enigmail

Set up Gmail to use GnuPG using FireGPG

See also

References

Key bindings of Thunderbird

Key bindings I frequently use