Config Editor not saved on restart
I just tried to change the default calendar used for new events in Thunderbird. I selected tools, then the General Tab, then Config Editor at the bottom. I made the changes to the proper keys. I closed the Config editor, and reopened it, and my changes were still there. However, I then closed the Config Editor, and the Options tab, then exited Thunderbird. When I restarted Thunderbird, the changes I made had disappeared. I am not sure what I am missing. Any suggestions? Thanks.
All Replies (8)
Do you have some kind of 'cleanup' app such as CCleaner or Privazer acting on TB? They are known to reset TB preferences. Check also that prefs.js in the profile folder is not read-only.
Thanks. There are no cleanup applications, and my prefs.js file is not set for read only. In fact, it shows it was changed today. The time given is later than when I made the changes, however. The strange thing is that I make the changes, close options. Then I open options again, go to Config editor, and the changes are still there. It is when I exit then restart Thunderbird that they somehow disappear.
I had actually made the changes I am trying to make now some months ago. However, for some reason, they recently changed back to the defaults. I am assuming this happened with an update I made in the last few weeks.
FYI. I noticed that my prefs.js is being constantly modified. I have not done anything in Thunderbird for the last hour except read and delete emails. Nevertheless, the Date Modified field for prefs.js shows a time within the last 5 minutes. I don't know if that is normal. Also, I am syncing my Thunderbird calendar and contacts using TbSync add-on. I did notice that add-on updated on 11/27/2020. That may be around the time I saw my default calendar revert back to Home.
The key I am trying to change in Config Editor is calendar.registry.....calendar-main-default. I want the default calendar for new events to be my synced Google calendar instead of the Home calendar. Are there possibly changes recently in Lightning that would impact this?
FYI. I made the changes again while monitoring my profile. Right as I made the changes, the Date Modified time for prefs.js updated to the current time. This suggests the changes were saved there. A couple of minutes later, I exited and restarted Thunderbird. The Date Modified for the prefs.js file updated to the time I restarted. Does Thunderbird normally modify this file on startup?
How many prefs files are in the profile folder, e.g. prefs-1.js, prefs-2.js,..... I think there was a case where prefs.js failed to save changes when there was a prefs-99.js, i.e. after 100 versions were saved.
As for what causes prefs.js to update, there could be many factors. I don't know if TbSync has an effect on preferences not being saved. It's possible to add a Google calendar without add-ons. You could try that in a new profile and see if it makes any difference. Help/Troubleshooting, about:profiles, to create and launch profiles.
I only have 1 prefs.js file in the profile unless the others are in a deeper folder. Sfhowes, your reference led to a note that the author of TbSync has withdrawn his support for syncing with Google. I was not aware of that. Apparently, that recent update reflects that. The only alternatives seem to be Provider for Google Calendar, but you also need Cardbook to get contacts. Both, especially Cardbook, are very different animals that I will need to think about and test extensively to figure out where I go.
By the way, I found that I needed to change another Config setting "extensions.dav4tbsync.googlesupport" to keep TbSync working with Google. I made that change in Config Editor, and it stayed after restarting. So the loss of config changes seems to be linked to the calendar settings specifically. Again, I wonder if Lightning might have changed something.
You probably already saw it, but this article suggests how to set the default for new events:
If this is the same as what you tried, but it's not retained, try it in a new profile.
I am back. After being frustrated by not being able to change my default calendar, I did a lot more work on it. I have only one prefs.js file, and it is fully accessible and owned by me. When I go into the Config Editor and change the settings as prescribed, e.g. calendar.registry... default, I then look at the prefs.js file, and it contains the changes I made. However, they don't take effect, I assume because they are only checked at startup. Now I exit Thunderbird and restart, and the settings have been changed back to where they were before.
After much research, I discovered the user.js feature to change preferences. I created a user.js file with the two changes I need to make (make one default calendar false and the other adding one to make it true). However, when I restart Thunderbird with this file in the profile folder my calendar settings are still like they were before, with the Home calendar as default. I even went to the trouble of editing the prefs.js file directly with Thunderbird not running (using Notepad++), using the exact entries that the Config Editor had created before they disappeared. Even now, when I restart Thunderbird my default preferences are back to where they were.
I was able to change other settings, in particular the setting that allows TBSync to support Google accounts. They stay set. It appears that something is specifically resetting my default calendar preferences every time Thunderbird is started, and whatever that is takes effect after the user.js file presumably did its work.
This is baffling. Does anyone have any idea what to do???
By the way, I had changed the default a while back and it had been working fine for many months. The problem seemed to occur when I updated to the latest version of TBSync (the version that does not support Google without the special setting). However, I cannot find any TBSync settings or other indication that TBSync is resetting the default calendar.