[ python-Bugs-1645148 ] MIME renderer: wrong header line break with long subject?

[SourceForge.net]

Bugs item #1645148, was opened at 2007-01-26 11:04
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by kxroberto
You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=105470&aid=1645148&group_id=5470

Please note that this message will contain a full copy of the comment thread,
including the initial issue submission, for this request,
not just the latest update.
Category: Python Library
Group: None
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Private: No
Submitted By: kxroberto (kxroberto)
Assigned to: Barry A. Warsaw (bwarsaw)
Summary: MIME renderer: wrong header line break with long subject?

Initial Comment:
>>> from email.MIMEText import MIMEText
>>> o=MIMEText('hello')
>>> o['Subject']='1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 '
>>> o.as_string()
'Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"\nMIME-Version: 1.0\nContent-Transf
er-Encoding: 7bit\nSubject: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8\n\t9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 \n\
nhello'
>>>


The '6 7 8\n\t9 1 2 3'  clashes together to 6 7 89 1 2 3
without space between 89 in usual mail readers.
Is this an error and should be :

'6 7 8 \n\t9 1 2 3'


? 

as there is also the space preserved in 
'6 7 8 9 \n\nhello'


----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Comment By: kxroberto (kxroberto)
Date: 2007-06-08 14:11

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=972995
Originator: YES

What would be the RFC definition for a correct auto-line break in a
(subject) mail header line?
Wouldn't it be more simple to not do any auto-line break for the subject?
or is there a requirement for the line break in the RFC. Don't think any
reader program would fail because of >79 char subject header lines.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Comment By: Barry A. Warsaw (bwarsaw)
Date: 2007-03-11 22:17

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=12800
Originator: NO

Whoops, this wasn't supposed to be a response to Tokio, but instead the
OP.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Comment By: Barry A. Warsaw (bwarsaw)
Date: 2007-03-11 22:16

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=12800
Originator: NO

Tokio, I'm not so sure about adding that extra space.  I tested all the
mail readers at my disposal on Linux and OSX.  I don't have any Windows
machines available so I couldn't test Outlook or OE.  (If you have them,
please indicate  what they do in a comment here!)  Here's what I found:

OSX:
  Mail.app 2.1.1 -- the extra space produces an extra space between the 8
and 9 both in the message summary and in the Subject header in the preview
pane.  The no extra space message looks fine.
  Thunderbird 1.5.0.10 -- The extra space message produces an extra space
in the message summary, while the no extra space message looks fine here. 
But the weird thing is that in both the extra space and non-extra space
cases, the Subject header in the preview pane both have extra spaces.  It
looks to me like the leading tab is being inserted into the Subject header
view.
  Entourage 11.3.3 -- The extra space shows up in both the summary and
preview panes but only in the message with the extra space

Linux
  Thunderbird 1.5.0.10 -- both messages get a tab between the 8 and 9 in
both the summary and preview pane.  This is for both the extra space
message and the no-extra space message; afaict, there's no difference
between the two and this is definitely a difference between the Linux
version and the OSX version of the same mail reader.
  Evolution 2.9.92 -- the extra space message produces an extra space
between the 8 and 9 in both the summary and preview panes.  The no-extra
space message looks fine.
  Sylpheed Claws 2.6.0 -- the extra space message produces an extra space
between the 8 and 9 in both the summary and preview panes.  The no-extra
space message looks file.

So anyway, afaict, the extra space is not appropriate for any of the
non-Windows mail readers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=105470&aid=1645148&group_id=5470