exception in quickFilters.Worker.Create.Filter: can't access property "startswith," template is null

[markdmorin]

I reinstalled windows, betterbird, and quickfilters. I imported the filters I had exported on another windows computer. Now, when I try to create a new filter I get exception in QuickFilters.Worker.Create.Filter: can't access property "startswith," template is nul

[RealRaven2000]

Did you use a custom template last on the old machine? You may have to import the filters from "Local Folders" in this case and enable them:

Custom templates are stored here and have t a special prefix in their name:

[RealRaven2000]

So it looks like the function prefs.getCurrentFilterTemplate() fails getting a valid string from preferences. This should read the setting

extensions.quickfilters.filters.currentTemplate (old storage)
or
filters.currentTemplate (if you already run a newer version that uses browser storage)

...from storage, which would have been written there by the filter assistant after clicking "Create Filter..." => this should save a valid filter template name. Maybe make a screenshot of which template you have selected in assistant:

If you can open quickFilters Settings >> Advanced and enable debug mode and the setting [extensions.quickfilters.]debug.buildFilter = true

Here is my log:

Preferences onChanged: 
Object { settings: {…} }
preferences.js:280:17
Resolving assistantResult[assistant_6a55f327]: with result "success" 
Object { command: "assistantResult", requestId: "assistant_6a55f327", result: "success", params: {…} }
qFi-background.js:1211:17
quickFilters quickFilters API resolveAssistant(assistant_6a55f327) called with result: success, params: [object Object] qFilters-utils.js:962:13
quickFilters quickFilters API Resolving assistant_6a55f327 with Result: 
Object { result: "success", params: {…} }
qFilters-utils.js:962:13
quickFilters {BUILDFILTER} 9:29:24.370  [60321 ms]   
 buildFilter() called with params:  
Object { sourceFolder: XPCWrappedNative_NoHelper, targetFolder: XPCWrappedNative_NoHelper, messageList: (1) […], messageDb: XPCWrappedNative_NoHelper, filterAction: null, matchingFilters: [], filtersList: XPCWrappedNative_NoHelper, mergeFilterIndex: -1, emailAddress: "newsletter@news.emsisoft.com", ccAddress: "", … }
qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {BUILDFILTER} 9:29:24.372  [2 ms]   
 Using template: quickFilterCustomTemplate: Older Mails from sender qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {BUILDFILTER} 9:29:24.372  [0 ms]   
 11 custom Template Filters found qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {CREATEFILTER.REFRESHHEADERS} 9:29:24.373  [1 ms]   
 folders: INBOX, thunderbirddaily 67 qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {CREATEFILTER.REFRESHHEADERS} 9:29:24.373  [0 ms]   
 cloning header[0] in Inbox ... qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {CREATEFILTER.REFRESHHEADERS} 9:29:24.374  [1 ms]   
 COPIED     ***********************
 property messageId                 : 20260516102400.18f4855ed8e44da9@news.emsisoft.com - string
 property messageKey                : 998 - number
 property accountKey                :  - string
 property author                    : "Emsisoft Newsletter [Emsisoft Ticker]" <newsletter@news.emsisoft.com> - string
 property subject                   : Responding to a Cyber Breach: Expert Advice - string
 property recipients                : Thunderbird 67 <thunderbirddaily67@gmail.com> - string
 property ccList                    :  - string
 property bccList                   :  - string
 property mime2DecodedAuthor        : "Emsisoft Newsletter [Emsisoft Ticker]" <newsletter@news.emsisoft.com> - string
 property mime2DecodedSubject       : Responding to a Cyber Breach: Expert Advice - string
 property mime2DecodedRecipients    : Thunderbird 67 <thunderbirddaily67@gmail.com> - string
 property date                      : 1778927040000000 - number
 property dateInSeconds             : 1778927040 - number
 property lineCount                 : 415 - number
 property priority                  : 1 - number
 property isFlagged                 : false - boolean
STRING PROPERTIES  **********
 property PreviewText               :  - string
 property Keywords                  : nonjunk - string
NOT COPIED     *******************
 property label                     : undefined - undefined
 property Charset                   : undefined - undefined
qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {CREATEFILTER.REFRESHHEADERS} 9:29:24.374  [0 ms]   
 cloned header[0] qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.374  [0 ms]   
 getIdentityMailAddresses() qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.375  [1 ms]   
 getIdentityMailAddresses() found account without identities: account2 qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters {DEFAULT} 9:29:24.375  [0 ms]   
 getIdentityMailAddresses - retrieved 2 Addresses qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {BUILDFILTER} 9:29:24.375  [0 ms]   
 build name for filter action: null qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters {BUILDFILTER} 9:29:24.375  [0 ms]   
 Applying filter template: custom qFilters-utils.js:989:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.376  [1 ms]   
 slideAlert(Creating Custom Filter from quickFilterCustomTemplate: Older Mails from sender..., quickFilters) qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.379  [3 ms]   
 Mailer has no manners, trying to decode string: "Emsisoft Newsletter [Emsisoft Ticker]" <newsletter@news.emsisoft.com> qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.379  [0 ms]   
 ...decoded string: "Emsisoft Newsletter [Emsisoft Ticker]" <newsletter@news.emsisoft.com> qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters Appending search term: from,contains,newsletter@news.emsisoft.com qFilters-utils.js:962:13
quickFilters Appending search term: age in days,is greater than,30 qFilters-utils.js:962:13
quickFilters 9:29:24.380  [1 ms]   
 Adding new Filter 'Inbox - newsletter@news.emsisoft.com' for email newsletter@news.emsisoft.com: current filter list has: 84 items qFilters-utils.js:910:13
Preferences onChanged: 
Object { "assistant.window.bounds": {…} }
preferences.js:280:17
quickFilters.Preferences Preferences Cache - init() qFilters-preferences.js:184:15
Preferences Cache - notifyTools: 
Object { registeredCallbacks: {}, registeredCallbacksNextId: 1, addOnId: "quickFilters@axelg.com", setAddOnId: setAddOnId(), onNotifyExperimentObserver: {…}, addListener: addListener(), removeListener: removeListener(), removeAllListeners: removeAllListeners(), notifyBackground: notifyBackground(), enable: enable(), … }
qFilters-preferences.js:199:21
Received preferences Cache: 
Object { "naming.targetAccount": true, "naming.subject.blacklist": "re:, fwd:, aw:, urgent, important, wg:, antw:, the, der, die, das, your", "naming.parentFolder.maxCount": 3, "naming.parentFolder": true, "naming.folderDelimiter": "»", "naming.keyWord": true, "naming.clonedLabel": "", "naming.mergeToken": " +m", "newfilter.autorun": true, "newfilter.manual": true, … }
qFilters-preferences.js:203:21
quickFilters  quickFilters.Init()  
        Assistant active: false
        BrowserInfo: [object Object]
      qFilters-utils.js:962:13
quickFilters [logTime init]
 quickFilters.loadEditor() qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:25.121  [100 ms]   
 No arguments for highlighting duplicates. qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:25.122  [1 ms]   
 quickFilters.FilterEditor.showTitle() - filterName = Inbox - newsletter@news.emsisoft.com qFilters-utils.js:910:13
quickFilters 9:29:34.651  [10271 ms]   
 createQuickFilter() lock released. qFilters-utils.js:910:13

[RealRaven2000]

Can I get any additional information @markdmorin ? a error console log like above would be super helpful if it happens again. I got one more report from another user, I am gathering data there as well.

[markdmorin]

Unfortunately (for bug tracking purposes) it hasn't happened since I made the first report. If it happens again I'll send the error logs. The caffeine is finally kicking in and I think I know how to access them.
I'm using betterbird, not thunderbird. I imagine that makes some difference?

[RealRaven2000]

I'm using betterbird, not thunderbird. I imagine that makes some difference?

very little actually. they're both built on the same back bone, there are just some added bells & whistles in Bb. the biggest from Filters perspective is "mixed conditions" combining any / all, which may make some complications during merging. Shouldn't affect the template choice though. I am working on a fix at the moment.

[RealRaven2000]

Here is a new version with additional logging:

quickFilters-6.13.2pre10.zip

I also avoid the startsWith error if the preference is read as "undefined" (which shouldn't happen) but I do not let it fall back to the default template "from", because that may not be the desired one. So if the bug still applies we should see it in a warning in error console.

If you could debug again, make sure to enable the debug settings debug.buildFilter and debug.createFilter

in quickFIlters Settings >> advanced, enable Debug mode and click the settings beside:

then click the appropriate toggle buttons (you can find them quicker by writing "Filter" (with capital "F") in the search box:

In error console we can see a couple of extra messages, easily visible by filtering for "current":

PS: I also added an await to the old filter assistant, when writing the selected template, before closing the window. Maybe not awaiting that write somehow generated the missing value?

[RealRaven2000]

I found another place in code that may affect the legacy (old) xhtml assistant - this should await setting the preference cache for selected template before closing the assistant window. Come to think of it if you used the old one, maybe that was the reason for the bug:

quickFilters-6.13.2pre13.zip

---

To install version above download zip file and drag the file into Thunderbird Add-ons Manager (do not extract contents, it won't install like that).

[RealRaven2000]

Latest version:

quickFilters-6.13.2pre18.zip

---

To install version above download zip file and drag the file into Thunderbird Add-ons Manager (do not extract contents, it won't install like that).

[RealRaven2000]

Latest version - hope somebody tests this, I need to know whether it is fixed:

quickFilters-6.13.2pre31.zip

---

To install version above download zip file and drag the file into Thunderbird Add-ons Manager (do not extract contents, it won't install like that).

[RealRaven2000]

Looks like we got a regression - when filters can be merged the list is empty! Will look at this tomorrow...

not easy. haven't seen any errors in error console either...

[NinjaSabi]

I tested the new version and replicated the same. No error message or errors in the consol.