My query applies specifically to Mozilla Thunderbird current, but could 

have a more general solution.



I need to convert to a plain text file listing (that could be imported 

into a word processor, LaTeX or a GUI front end thereto, etc) what 

appears in the display of Thunderbird as the columns Subject From and 

Date for an internal activity report that I must write.   These columns 

appear on the end-user GUI display and allow one to then read specific 

messages by "point and click".  As I cannot find a description of the 

official Thunderbird nomenclature for the various sections of the GUI 

display, I am using the above descriptions.



I could use a screenshot application, select a rectangular region, save 

each entity as a PNG image, and then use an OCR application to yield 

plain text.  I would prefer that the screenshot application simply 

recognizes the text *AS* text, allowing me to copy and paste into a text 

editor, etc., all running under X wndows.   Does anyone know of an 

application that does this?  A brief perusal on the web as well as a 

quick read of the information on the "default" screenshot applications 

that come with either MATE or KDE does not seem to reveal a mechanism 

for this (but rather the PNG or other image, non-text, route).



The normal mechanism I use -- highlight (select), pointing device button 

(to copy), and then point device button (paste) to capture from say a 

text HTTP file in a web browser to a word processor application -- does 

not seem to work for the above "column" portion of the Thunderbird 

display.  This normal mechanism does work if I view source for each 

message, displaying the SMTP text source and headers in a box, but is 

very time consuming as the information that I need is available in the 

"columns" of the basic Thunderbird user interface without having to view 

the source.



Any assistance is appreciated.



Yasha Karant