Mail goes two-lined and grouped

November 7, 2011 · by Rijk

Today's build contains a big update for Opera's mail client. You'll see changes everywhere! Now, it is well known that 'change' is a scary word for many people, but we think the mail client needed it. It is designed to work nicely on big and/or wide screens. What you'll see:

Two-lined message list
Opera Mail will now default to 'list on the left, message on the right', with the newest message on top, and always showing message threads. This layout uses a brand new two-lined list view. If you switch back to 'message below' or 'list only', you'll get the traditional single-line list again. This behavior can be changed using opera:config setting 'Mail View Two Lined Messages' (0=always single lined messages, 1=two-lined messages with 'message on the right', 2=always two-lined messages).

Mail grouping
Opera will automatically group messages by date. You can also group them by unread status, by pinned status, or not at all.

Cleaned up look
The mail toolbars are simplified, and icons have been redesigned. In the two-lined messages list the column headers are removed (you can still sort using the 'Sort' button), icons that don't add useful information have been removed, labels are indicated with a single icon, etc. This gives an easier overview of the information that really counts: who sent what message?

Messages can now be shown in two ways: expanded to use all the available width, but now also with a limited width to make it easier to read. For newsfeeds (RSS, Atom), there's a separate design now.
The Quick Reply feature is now off by default. But when you enable it, it is now possible to see and control where the quick reply gets send to!

New settings dialogs
The 'View' dropdown menu with all its sub-menus has been replaced by an overlay dialog that can be reached by clicking the 'wrench' button. This dialog makes it easier to change mail window layout and other settings, and you can now also change the default sorting and grouping for all message views. To complement this, there's a separate overlay dialog to set custom sorting and grouping settings for each view. Click on the 'Sort' button above the message list to see this in action.

Pinning
You can now 'pin' messages with one click in the message list or in the message headers, to mark a message for attention. This pinning is mapped to the IMAP \Flagged feature, so this will sync with 'starring' and 'flagging' in other IMAP clients, and with Gmail's starred messages.

Also included: a couple of mail bug fixes.

Reminder: Opera Next should not be downgraded, so install this build separately from your Opera 12.00 installation.

Known issues

Crash on installing spell check dictionaries
Crash on editing mail signature
Opera 11.60 snapshots will not be auto-updated (only 12.00 snapshots).
Native Mac and Linux styling for the new mail window not done yet.
Flash Player 11 crashes on Mac. We recommend disabling it or downgrading for the time being.
This is an Opera build not Opera Next. You should backup your stable profile before upgrade.

WARNING: This is a development snapshot: It contains the latest changes, but may also have severe known issues, including crashes, and data loss situations. In fact, it may not work at all.

Download

Changelog since the previous 11.60 snapshot

Core

CORE-41959 print preview broken for multipart/* documents (breaks mail printing)
CORE-42479 Crash on installing extension
CORE-42024 Stack exhaustion due to deeply recursive compilation of RE construct
CORE-42088 Avoid blowing the stack when compiling regexp loop sequences

Desktop

DSK-349634 Search engines are with no icons
DSK-349628 Opera should not crash on exit after checking for mail/RSS

Mail

Two-lined message list
New message display window
Message grouping
Support for Pinning, mapped to IMAP \Flagged
Quick Reply redesign
New overlay dialogs for the mail view settings
Ctrl-Enter to send quick reply
Update mailproviders.xml for iCloud
DSK-201988 Message displayed even though no message selected
DSK-222658 Show image enclosures inline in feeds
DSK-260891 Paste with mouse in Mail Compose window is mouse position dependant
DSK-277400 Message formatting is slow
DSK-309380 Enable Fit to Width for Opera Mail
DSK-311982 Show account connection status in mail panel
DSK-319023 Unread in Mail panel returns after a restart
DSK-340859 Messages in INBOX are not fetched before the folder is selected on Gmail accounts
DSK-342882 Mail data is corrupted, all mail redownloads
DSK-343439 after deleting a block of mail, selected message is not next to the selected block
DSK-343444 Cannot Rename Folders for RSS Feeds
DSK-344164 Remove '[x] from loading database progress bar
DSK-344565 Need to mark message as read twice before it is read
DSK-345346 Expunged messages in other clients are not expunged in Opera Mail
DSK-348639 Broken progress bar skin with windows native skin

Readers' comments

Comments left by My Opera members under the original post: the first 50, as archived.

Helder Jefferson Ferreira da LuzDante003Monday, November 7, 2011 4:59:34 PM
Cool, that layout is really better.
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 5:04:16 PM
F.Y.I. There will be no 12.00 builds this week as we want need more feedback on 11.60, following these changes. We expect to start offering 12.00 builds again next week.
Joonas LehtolahtigodjonezMonday, November 7, 2011 5:04:18 PM
Can we expect mail updates to Opera Next line soon too?

EDIT: After Ruarí's message, when the next 12.00 build comes next week or so, will these changes for 11.60 be included?
James CassellelitegeekMonday, November 7, 2011 5:05:29 PM
Yay! -- I feel like the mail client doesn't get enough attention -- it's one of my favorite things about Opera
Swapnil RustagiSwapnil99proMonday, November 7, 2011 5:05:43 PM
WOW! This hefty Mail update really surprised me. Testing now.
tormenthorMonday, November 7, 2011 5:07:23 PM
Interesting, nice change (for large screens)
marbrossMonday, November 7, 2011 5:11:57 PM
One of the best thing I love you guys
HoborgoperatonMonday, November 7, 2011 5:14:50 PM
WOW Great!
exzentrikMonday, November 7, 2011 5:15:06 PM
Originally posted by godjonez:

Can we expect mail updates to Opera Next line soon too?

Look at the sample pic. It comes from Opera Next. So I guess we will see these changes in one of the next 12.00 builds, too.

btw - the folder icons in the bookmark bar are now grey. Is this intended in this 11.60-build?
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 5:15:55 PM
Originally posted by exzentrik:

So I guess we will see these changes in one of the next 12.00 builds, too.

Originally posted by godjonez:

After Ruarí's message, when the next 12.00 build comes next week or so, will these changes for 11.60 be included?
yes
MaximSailorMaxMonday, November 7, 2011 5:16:25 PM
Can you add "Sort by received date"? Sometimes sender has wrong date on its computer => confuse receiver...
ClashCityRockerclashcityrockerMonday, November 7, 2011 5:23:10 PM
Title needs to clearly identify this is a 11.60 build...
Yi Wangwangyi6854Monday, November 7, 2011 5:25:02 PM
The girl in the photo is really cute!
ClashCityRockerclashcityrockerMonday, November 7, 2011 5:33:38 PM
So far really loving the new mail changes.

However it's put me in a conundrum.

Do I downgrade from 12.0 so I don't suffer the ****REALLY*** annoying DSK-344565 bug thats fixed in this release.

Or do I continue to put up with it until next week :-)

BUG: Dragging a message from the message list to the tab bar shows it as a valid drop location, but when you let go it does nothing.
alf245Monday, November 7, 2011 5:37:45 PM
Where are the URLs to the previous 11.60 snapshot binaries? I can't find them anymore.
SafetyCarMonday, November 7, 2011 5:42:33 PM
Ok, this one looks much more responsive than the last ones.
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 5:47:58 PM
Originally posted by alf245:

Where are the URLs to the previous 11.60 snapshot binaries? I can't find them anymore.
Moved to the archive. Which build did you want Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.?
FisiuMonday, November 7, 2011 5:51:27 PM
Where is Linux 64bit build?
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 5:52:10 PM
Originally posted by Fisiu:

Where is Linux 64bit build?
You didn't read the comment in the displayed README. Click the download link again and read it.

EDIT: Ok, we have added then now, for reference it stated:
NOTE: Linux 64-bit builds will be added later!
HoborgoperatonMonday, November 7, 2011 5:53:30 PM
that would be great if you create an option for feeds and mails to select text direction (or automatically detect it).

for posts which have proper html tags in them for direction of the text, Opera works good without any problem.

but when the post doesn't have html tags to define direction of the text, Opera shows it in Left-to-Right direction by default.

this is really annoying when the text is in a Right-to-Left language and it has an English word in a paragraph. this is an example:

درود بر اپرا دوستان

درود بر Opera دوستان

(Opera = اپرا)

they're totally the same sentence. as you see because of the word "Opera", that sentence's form is broken; half of that sentence is being shown at the left side of the word "Opera" and the other half (دوستان) on the other side. this is the correct form (Right-to-Left and Aligned to Right) :

that is why LTR and ALIGN RIGHT tags (most of the times together) are being used in right-to-left pages to prevent these things from happening.

just imagine how would it be when you receive a blog post in Opera's Feeds client and the writer of the post didn't mention the text direction in html codes (or the feed system that blog/site is using, doesn't include the html tags in feeds and exports them as plain text).

that's really a pain and i do believe that Opera really misses an option similar to "Switch Page Direction" in IE and FF (esp. in Mail client)
Torrente TorrenteMonday, November 7, 2011 5:57:24 PM
Clean installation:
1. Shift + Right click/Paste&Go doesn't work.
2. Shift + Enter doesn't work in speed dial tab.
PetruspetrusMonday, November 7, 2011 6:01:12 PM
The Verge is still not usable.

http://www.theverge.com/
AvolaMonday, November 7, 2011 6:06:09 PM
I'm sometimes (rarely) getting some horizontal lines on pictures since the last build. Not this bug again..
Speaking of old bugs, could you please finally fix the one that sometimes makes the minimize/maximize/close buttons stay highlighted after hovering them (on Windows 7)?
Tiago WakabayashiozoratsubasaMonday, November 7, 2011 6:09:30 PM
very great update, congratulations
alf245Monday, November 7, 2011 6:09:58 PM
Originally posted by ruario:

Moved to the archive. Which build did you want Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.?
Thx for asking, but I don't currently have any need for a specific build. I just want to make sure that all previous snapshots are accessible for me just in case I need one. The download link ( http://snapshot.opera.com/unix/chicken_11.60-1134/ ) in the previous announcement doesn't work as expected. It suggets to look at http://arc.opera.com/snapshot/ where I can't find any 11.60 build either. So where do I have to look if I want to download a previous 11.60 snapshot?
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 6:14:53 PM
@alf245: builds are initially moved to http://snapshot.opera.com/arc/ and then moved over from there to http://arc.opera.com/snapshot/ later on (pay careful attention to those URLs ). However, it seems that second step has been failing for some reason. We'll look into it.
eliotcougarMonday, November 7, 2011 6:19:51 PM
Refreshing feeds (Ctrl+R) crashed Opera twice already... 2 times out of 10 I guess... Can't see what is really causing this... Automatic bugreports sent...
OlliOlli91Monday, November 7, 2011 6:22:40 PM
Clicking that small arrow down in the "right list" leads to an immediate crash. Also disabling Suppress External Embeds when Mail tab is open leads to a crash. So far the first things I noticed. Like the new mail, but as you already said it still needs some work on OSX.
alf245Monday, November 7, 2011 6:24:11 PM
Originally posted by ruario:

@alf245: builds are initially moved to http://snapshot.opera.com/arc/ and then moved over from their to http://arc.opera.com/snapshot/ later on. However, it seems that step has been failing for a little while. I'll look into it. In the mean time the missing builds are on http://snapshot.opera.com/arc/ but by tomorrow they will probably have moved on to http://arc.opera.com/snapshot/
Thanks. It would also be nice to have working download links in the previous announcement ( http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/blog/2011/11/04/opera-11-60 ) to the corresponding builds.
Ide StoutjesdijkCrimiMonday, November 7, 2011 6:29:50 PM
Yes! Finally some updates on M2
Francis Adu-Gyamfiicewalker2gMonday, November 7, 2011 6:30:22 PM
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. HWA take a back seat to some really awesome mail love!!!
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 6:32:02 PM
Originally posted by alf245:

It would also be nice to have working download links in the previous announcement ( http://my.opera.com/desktopteam/blog/2011/11/04/opera-11-60 ) to the corresponding builds.
we would prefer that people didn't download old builds by mistake. Hence we break old links intentionally.
minhoMonday, November 7, 2011 6:33:53 PM
DSK-260891 Paste with mouse in Mail Compose window is mouse position dependant

Good work!
Testing.
alekksanderMonday, November 7, 2011 6:49:27 PM
this is promising... let's see how it manages in every day usage

so far: except little skin and animation bugs i find "full article" text, that is under every rss message damn too small.
WardMonday, November 7, 2011 6:50:15 PM
Mail needs to be able to sort/group based on the feed source. I have many feeds lumped together in a folder. I want to be able to view a list of all those feeds, but grouped by the actual feed source.

Also, the title is too big - can it be resizable?
praetor87Monday, November 7, 2011 6:51:32 PM
Practically it's just a GUI change for the big screen users. Timed mail sending or automated printing or whatever is the change in the M2. It's nothing.

Originally posted by Ward:

I want to be able to view a list of all those feeds, but grouped by the actual feed source.

It's sorted by feeds, but you should klick on the sender "group". RSS maybe needed a faster reaching and separate from the mails. I stacked a tab for it but it's recently change to mail.
alf245Monday, November 7, 2011 6:55:01 PM
Originally posted by ruario:

we would prefer that people didn't download old builds by mistake. Hence we break old links intentionally.
As long as each previous announcement contains its corresponding build number so I can find the corresponding snapshot in the archive, this sounds ok to me. Currently, the build number is hidden inside the download links.
Rafael Novaski rnovaskiMonday, November 7, 2011 6:55:52 PM
I can't download it. Link opens a page to download the previous snapshot.
CyberStream.uscyberstreamMonday, November 7, 2011 6:56:25 PM
Very nice! There is a bug I found with the settings drop down menu in mail view. If you change from horizontal split view to list-only view, the drop down menu shows up half-way down the screen: http://files.myopera.com/cyberstream/files/mail-settings.jpg

There are honestly a ton of different issues I'm seeing with the drop down menu. If I resize the window so it is very narrow, the arrow points right. Also, when you toggle the settings drop down, the window flickers, which is annoying. Those are just a couple of the more annoying bugs.

Suggestion: In the "Mark as read" menu, it would be nice to have a "when read" option. Some people I know would prefer to just click on message and it is automatically changes from bold to unbold state instead of having the blue bold, black bold and unbold states.
minhoMonday, November 7, 2011 7:00:32 PM
How to apply sorter changes to ALL feeds at same time?
Manoj ChandrasekharanmachsMonday, November 7, 2011 7:02:59 PM
Its going to take some getting used to but its really great. The mail pane looks simple and clean, mail list looks clean and sorting is very good!! Even the layout options menu looks fantastic. M2 was always very feature packed but this puts it in the league with PostBox in terms of aesthetics and looks. Now all it needs is timed mail sending..
Its back as my default mail client!!
Thanks a lot guys and keep it coming!!
Robin GrolleauRobin-GrolleauMonday, November 7, 2011 7:06:17 PM
Press twice on the sorting button should hide the menu, but it reappears.

Win 7 x64 usb installation
minhoMonday, November 7, 2011 7:14:34 PM
Originally posted by Ward:

Also, the title is too big - can it be resizable?

+1
RijkMonday, November 7, 2011 7:16:24 PM
Originally posted by Robin-Grolleau:

Press twice on the sorting button should hide the menu, but it reappears.
Yes, we know.

Originally posted by minho:

How to apply sorter changes to ALL feeds at same time?
Change the default sort settings, click the wrench button?

Originally posted by cyberstream:

There are honestly a ton of different issues I'm seeing with the drop down menu. If I resize the window so it is very narrow, the arrow points right. Also, when you toggle the settings drop down, the window flickers, which is annoying. Those are just a couple of the more annoying bugs.
Yes, we are aware of those issues.

Originally posted by alekksander:

so far: except little skin and animation bugs i find "full article" text, that is under every rss message damn too small.
It's a bit tiny if you go back to 'message below', yes...
Originally posted by eliotcougar:

Automatic bugreports sent...
Thanks.
MaximSailorMaxMonday, November 7, 2011 7:17:42 PM
bug:Zoom of speed dial is broken.
eliotcougarMonday, November 7, 2011 7:20:13 PM
Speed Dial Thumbnails become blurred after Restore/Resize window/Maximize...
minhoMonday, November 7, 2011 7:23:14 PM
Originally posted by Rijk:

Originally posted by minho:
How to apply sorter changes to ALL feeds at same time?Change the default sort settings, click the wrench button?

Wow, awesome!
Thanks, I love Opera Desktop Team!
MartinezZMonday, November 7, 2011 7:23:21 PM
I'm so sorry, but can someone explain me what is it this situation? From where is some "underversion" like 11.x somethink like textbuilds and not "only" bug&stability&security fixes? Whats wrong with 12 line? Two test builds lines? Diversing of development?

I'm little confused. So I hope that Opera don't make same mistake like other browsers and not make separately development lines like "finally builds" (11.5x), "develop builds" (11.6x) and "somethink-like-pre-develop-builds" (12.x) and start hyper-versioning
minhoMonday, November 7, 2011 7:24:30 PM
Originally posted by SailorMax:

bug:Zoom of speed dial is broken.

Confirmed here.

win 7 x64
Ruarí ØdegaardruarioMonday, November 7, 2011 7:26:31 PM
Originally posted by alf245:

As long as each previous announcement contains its corresponding build number so I can find the corresponding snapshot in the archive, this sounds ok to me. Currently, the build number is hidden inside the download links.
All you have to do is hover those links.

About this article

Published in	Desktop Team blog
Date	November 7, 2011
Author	Rijk
Tags	two-lined, grouped-mail, 11.60, pinning, mail
Original	Internet Archive

Mail goes two-lined and grouped

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