date is not shown in messages list
For many emails that I am receiving from different accounts, date is not shown in messages list, only time. It looks like these messages were received today, in fact they are old.
Encountered this problem on 2 different PCs, 3 different mail accounts (gmail and own server).
What could be the reason and how to fix it?
Réiteach roghnaithe
IF you select Ctrl _ U on one of these messages, there is a line right at the top of the message From - Tue Mar 25 10:09:00 2014 is from a message I got today. This is the date and time Thunderbird has calculated it got the message
Further down the list
Is Date: in the form Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 23:32:50 -0000
Both of those are from the same email.
Email uses GMT time so the message was sent at 24 March 2014 23:32:50 GMT.
Thunderbird uses my locale information to know that my timezone is GMT + 9:30 Hence Mar 25 10:09:00
If your seeing odd times instead of dates, verify that the information is correct as above.
Note that if the sender has their computer date set to 1970 then you will get mail today from them with the date 1970. Likewise if they think it is October that is what their mail will show. This is most important when dealing with people with limited computer skills. They do not appreciate that the timezone information and the date are really relevant to them at all.
A favorite of spammers is to use a date in the future, so their junk is at the top of your mail list until you actually do something with it.
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (6)
We figure you know today's date so all you need is the time. Tomorrow those same mails will show a date as they are not "todays"
The messages shown without date are not today's, they can be few days, months or even a year old...
Réiteach Roghnaithe
IF you select Ctrl _ U on one of these messages, there is a line right at the top of the message From - Tue Mar 25 10:09:00 2014 is from a message I got today. This is the date and time Thunderbird has calculated it got the message
Further down the list
Is Date: in the form Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 23:32:50 -0000
Both of those are from the same email.
Email uses GMT time so the message was sent at 24 March 2014 23:32:50 GMT.
Thunderbird uses my locale information to know that my timezone is GMT + 9:30 Hence Mar 25 10:09:00
If your seeing odd times instead of dates, verify that the information is correct as above.
Note that if the sender has their computer date set to 1970 then you will get mail today from them with the date 1970. Likewise if they think it is October that is what their mail will show. This is most important when dealing with people with limited computer skills. They do not appreciate that the timezone information and the date are really relevant to them at all.
A favorite of spammers is to use a date in the future, so their junk is at the top of your mail list until you actually do something with it.
Matt,
Thank you for explanation. I found the reason: these emails were sent from our own billing system and had no Date: header.
When received by Thunderbird, such emails looks like if they were sent today, with only time shown, the time when they were actually retreived from the mailbox. On the next day, they are shown as they were received yesterday.
This behaviour was confusing to me, because Outlook for example, handldes them correctly: if Date: is missing, then the date and time from Delivery-date: are shown.
Maybe this behaviour can be implemented in Thunderbird too?
Thanks, Oleg
I don't think the question was answered. The reply concerns time zones not the absence of a date received. The question refers to: Under column "date" are the TIMES of receipt also under the column for time received is "time". I do not want to have to go through a "ctrl_u" procedure to see the date an email was received.
bsdtephens, this topic is closed, your opinion as to it being answered or not has no relevance. The OP thinks it is.
If you think you want assistance I suggest you post your own question then you get a say in if the question is answered!