TheWrinklie

Q: Two-word group name in contacts crashes Mail

Hi

 

I have a group name which consists of two words.  When I use this group in Mail (El Capitan 10.11.3), I type in the first word of the group name in the "To:"  address bar, but when I hit spacebar to then type the second word of the group name, Mail crashes every time and I get the 'Something unexpected....' error and reporting message come up.

 

Anyone have any ideas why this occurs?  If I select the group name from the list that appears when I begin to type the name with the mouse, then it works fine.  I also had this problem a couple of months ago when you used the 'Tab' key to move to the next field after typing a contact address or e-mail addres, Mail crashed under those circumstances as well.  This appears to have been resolved with one or other of the recent updates but the spacebar issue still persists.

 

Would appreciate any clues as to what might be wrong.

 

Many thanks

Donna

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), 21.5" 4K Retina Display Late 2015

Posted on Feb 21, 2016 5:13 AM

Close

Q: Two-word group name in contacts crashes Mail

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Feb 21, 2016 5:28 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 5 (6,241 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 21, 2016 5:28 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    I can't reproduce your problem. I created a two word group in Contacts. As soon as I type the first two letters of the group name while composing in Mail, the group name popped up for me to select. I never reached the "space".

  • by TheWrinklie,

    TheWrinklie TheWrinklie Feb 21, 2016 5:31 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 21, 2016 5:31 AM in response to dialabrain

    Hi

     

    Yes, I have the same, but if you continue to type (regardless that the name appears in the pop-up) and carry on until you have to put the space in, Mail will crash.  I tend to type faster than I can use a mouse, so for me it is easier to just carry on typing the name than it is to stop and use the mouse.  Please can you try your 'fake' group and see if it crashes when you reach the space bar?

     

    Thanks

    Donna

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 5 (6,241 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    Doesn't make a difference for me. Doesn't mean you don't have a Mail issue because I don't. Hopefully someone will have an idea.

     

    Could you be accidentally hitting a second key? 

  • by TheWrinklie,

    TheWrinklie TheWrinklie Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to dialabrain

    OK, many thanks for trying though!

     

    Donna

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 5 (6,241 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 21, 2016 5:35 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    welcome.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Feb 21, 2016 7:13 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Feb 21, 2016 7:13 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    Please launch the Console application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Step 1

    For this step, the title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

              SYSTEM LOG QUERIES All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Enter the name of the crashed application or process. For example, if Safari crashed, you would enter "Safari" (without the quotes.)

    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Select the messages from the time of the last crash, if any. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

    Step 2

    In the Console window, please clear the search box, then select

              DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION User Diagnostic Reports

    (not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of crash reports. The name of each report starts with the name of the process, and ends with ".crash". Select the most recent report related to the process in question. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.

    I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway. If the report is only a few lines, make sure you cleared the search box.

    If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a crash, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.

    In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)

    Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report—they're very long and rarely helpful.

    When you post the log extract or the crash report, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

  • by TheWrinklie,

    TheWrinklie TheWrinklie Feb 21, 2016 8:00 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 21, 2016 8:00 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc

     

    Here is the link to Pastebin - hope it works as I've never heard of it or used it before!

     

    Thanks

    Donna

     

     

    Untitled

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Feb 21, 2016 9:56 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Feb 21, 2016 9:56 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

    The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

  • by TheWrinklie,

    TheWrinklie TheWrinklie Feb 22, 2016 4:13 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 22, 2016 4:13 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi

     

    I have tried the following:

     

    Start in Safe Mode with peripherals connected.  Problem still exists.

    Start in Safe Mode with peripherals disconnected.  Problem still exists.

    Start in Normal Mode with peripherals connected.  Problem still exists.

     

    The only peripherals I have attached are:

     

    WD external drive as Time Machine back up via USB

    Audio out to external speakers and audio/stereo system

    Ethernet to Devolo Broadband/Router Powerline extender

    USB hub (with no peripherals attached)

    USB Sharkoon Docking station for 'internal' back up disks (where I keep my iTunes library)

     

    I did try to see if I could recreate the problem by logging in as guest user but I would need to create mail accounts etc, and set up contacts,  so I've not gone any further with that at the moment, but if you think it would help, I will try.

     

    Thanks

    Donna

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Feb 22, 2016 4:22 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 5 (6,241 points)
    Mac App Store
    Feb 22, 2016 4:22 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    Just a thought, have you tried creating a new two word group to see if it does the same thing?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Feb 22, 2016 5:19 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Feb 22, 2016 5:19 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    Please back up all data.

    If you use iCloud Drive, please open the iCloud pane in System Preferences. There is a checkbox marked iCloud Drive, and next to that, a button marked Options. Click that buttion, and in the sheet that drops down, uncheck the box marked Mail if it's checked.

    Step 1

    If Mail crashes or freezes immediately on launch, try the steps suggested on this page. Sometimes a corrupt message on a mail server can be deleted by logging in to the server through its web page. If Mail still won't launch, or if you can't take Step 2 for any other reason, skip to Step 3.

    Step 2

    There are three types of mail account: IMAP, Exchange, and POP. You can determine the type of each account by opening the Mail preferences window, selecting the Accounts tab, and then selecting Account Information.

    Export all POP mailboxes to the Desktop folder.

    If you have IMAP or Exchange accounts, and you don't store sent, deleted, and junk messages on the server, export those mailboxes the same way. You can determine whether the messages are on the server by selecting Mailbox Behaviors in the Accounts tab.

    Also export all mailboxes in the On My Mac category.

    You don't have to export the other mailboxes, because the messages are stored on the servers.

    Quit Mail.

    Step 3

    In System Preferences, open Internet Accounts (OS X 10.9 or later) or Mail, Contacts & Calendars (OS X 10.7 or 10.8). Make notes of the settings for each mail account (all types), then delete the accounts.

    Step 4

    In the Finder, hold down the option key and select

              Go ▹ Library

    from the menu bar. Move the following items (some may not exist) from the folder that opens to the Desktop:

              Application Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.abcdmr

              Containers/com.apple.corerecents.recentsd

              Containers/com.apple.mail

              Containers/com.apple.MailServiceAgent

              Containers/com.apple.share.Mail.compose

              Mail

    Note: you are not moving the Mail application. You’re moving a folder named “Mail.”

    Step 5

    Launch Mail. It will behave as if you were setting it up for the first time. Go through the setup process with one account, using the information from Step 3. Test. If Mail works now, recreate the rest of the accounts (if you have more than one) and other settings.

    Any custom stationery that you created may be lost. Ask for instructions if you want to preserve that data.

    If there’s no improvement, quit Mail and put back the items you moved to the Desktop, replacing any newer ones that may have been created in their place. Stop here and post your results.

    Step 6

    If you took Step 2, import the mailboxes you exported (see the support article linked to Step 2 for instructions.) Typically, the process takes a few minutes, but it may take hours if you have gigantic mailboxes. In that case, you may be able to speed things up by temporarily adding your home folder to the Privacy list in the Spotlight preference pane. Remove it when Mail has finished importing.

    The mailboxes that you didn't export should synchronize automatically with the server. Again, if the mailboxes are very large, downloading them may take quite some time, and network performance will be slower than usual during that time.

    If you skipped Step 2, look inside the Mail folder on the Desktop for a subfolder

             V3/Mailboxes (for OS X 10.11 or later)

    or

             V2/Mailboxes (for any older version of OS X)

    Import the mailboxes it contains.

    Test. If Mail is still working, delete the items you moved to the Desktop in Step 4.

    Re-enable the Mail option in the settings for iCloud Drive, if you disabled it, and test again. If you weren't already using iCloud Drive with Mail, there is no need to enable it now, unless you want to.

  • by TheWrinklie,

    TheWrinklie TheWrinklie Feb 22, 2016 6:19 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 22, 2016 6:19 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi

     

    Thanks for your help and involvement.  As it appears to be a very involved procedure, I shall have to leave this until I've got some more time to spend on it.

     

    Many thanks again for taking the time to assist.

    Donna

  • by Rick Feldkamp,

    Rick Feldkamp Rick Feldkamp Sep 15, 2016 10:48 AM in response to TheWrinklie
    Level 1 (29 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 15, 2016 10:48 AM in response to TheWrinklie

    I have this problem too. If someone comes up with an actual solution, I'd like to know, so I'm posting here so that I'll get notified. I have many two-word group names. They all crash mail when you type the space character and they all seem to function fine elsewhere. Several have the same first word, because they belong to a "category" of groups that I have.

     

    A work-around is to wait and watch for the pop-up. When you type the group name up to the space, a list of all your groups that start with those letters will appear. Arrow down to select the correct one.

  • by Rick Feldkamp,

    Rick Feldkamp Rick Feldkamp Sep 23, 2016 6:49 AM in response to Rick Feldkamp
    Level 1 (29 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 23, 2016 6:49 AM in response to Rick Feldkamp

    Sierra seems to have fixed this. I had no mail crashes when typing multiple-word groups since installing Sierra.