Drag and Drop from Thunderbird creates 0-bytes file

[Cluni]

Hello @ all!

@ghisler: As workaround you maybe could test the file on >0 byte. In the moment the file is bigger than 0 byte you could copy it!? Only an idea - don't know if it works...

Best regards, Cluni

[ghisler(Author)]

I haven't tried that yet, but it will probably not work. The browser will probably create the file only when the drop function returns...

[ZeBoxx]

Old, old thread... this should probably be taken up with Mozilla ...but just dropping a line here that the drag-to-taskbar work-around does not work with Thunderbird 3; it worked fine with TB2, so they probably made some change somewhere.

To add.. it doesn't even create a 0-byte file.. it just doesn't create a file at all. I'm not sure if that's a change in TC or in TB, though, as I had been using the aforementioned workaround for as long as I can remember.

Now, it seems, the only workaround is to hit the home button, hit the context key, press enter (should explore that folder with windows explorer), drag&drop to there, close that window, and work with the file. Sucks.

(
another workaround might have been the copy-attachment-to-clipboard add-on but that is no longer maintained and listed as incompatible with TB3. I'll see if mucking around with the compatibility flags will let it happily work, though.

Edit: that'd be a no.
)

[ZeBoxx]

another workaround might have been the copy-attachment-to-clipboard add-on but that is no longer maintained and listed as incompatible with TB3. I'll see if mucking around with the compatibility flags will let it happily work, though.

Edit: that'd be a no.

But with some further tweaking...
Just follow these instructions (at your own risk - not for the faint of heart) - as I don't have time right now to submit a patch or however things work for updating others' AddOns on the Mozilla site's end (forking/etc.)

Download this AddOn:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4881

The copy_attachment_to_clipboard-0.5.1-tb-win.xpi file is a ZIP archive file. Explore that file (ctrl+PgDn when on the filename).

===== Making the AddOn TB3 version-compatible =====
Go to the install.rdf file and edit it with the Total Commander text file editor (F4).

Find the following line:

Code: Select all

em:maxVersion="2.0.0.*" />

and change it to:

Code: Select all

em:maxVersion="3.0.0.*" />

Save the file and allow Total Commander to re-pack it.

===== Fixing the Incompatible code =====
Go to the chrome folder, and highlight the copyattachmenttoclipboard.jar file. Explore this file (another archive, so ctrl+PgDn again).

Again go to the chrome folder (inside the jar this time), then to the content folder, and edit the copyattachmenttoclipboard.js file.

Do a search for the string destFilePath. You should find two. Above the second of the lines containing that string, add the following line (don't forget the trailing semicolon):

Code: Select all

attachment.messageUri = gFolderDisplay.selectedMessageUris[0];

( The existing extension never initialized messageUri, and the old initialization code (getFirstSelectedMessage) was replaced with the above for TB3. )

Save the file and allow Total Commander to re-pack it.
Browse up in the archive, and eventually you'll be prompted again for a re-pack by Total Commander. Allow this, of course.

==================================================

Now open Thunderbird 3, add the Add-On, restart Thunderbird and when you right-click on an attachment or in an empty area of the attachments pane, you should find an option to copy the attachment(s) to the clipboard.

Note that when you do this, the Thunderbird virus scan code may get invoked. If you have a slow virus scanner... well - replace it with a fast one

After copying to clipboard, go to Total Commander, press ctrl+v (paste), and your files should magically appear.